The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Chairman Carl Culmer has urged Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis to “come clean” and give a full disclosure to the public of every contract handed out when he served as Minister of Works.

This comes as details from Ernst and Young’s probe into the Water and Sewerage Corporation continue to emerge shedding light on how the water provider operated under the Christie administration.

Mr Davis has admitted to being a guardian angel to many people over the years in response to claims from WSC Chairman Adrian Gibson, who said there was an angel in high places who helped a company called Nassau Island Development (NID) not only receive a hefty contract for work with the water provider, but saw to it that certain rules were relaxed.

The Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP has also admitted that his secretary, Merlene Poitier, is a nominee shareholder for NID. However Mr Davis said he had only been made aware of this particular detail on Wednesday night after the audit report was tabled.

Exhibits contained in the report further show Mr Davis directing WSC management to employ people even though it is not often clear that there was a need for more workers.

“The time is now for the leader of the PLP to finally come clean and give the public a full accounting of each of the contracts handed out during his time as Minister of Works,” Mr Culmer said in a press statement on Thursday.

Mr Culmer questioned how Mr Davis could not have been aware of the mismanagement at WSC.

“Would he have the people believe that he was either an incompetent manager who knew nothing or saw nothing around him. . . The people deserve to know and either option is troubling for our country for someone who holds himself up as a leader."

On Thursday, Mr Davis called the audit a witch hunt and a waste of taxpayers’ money.

“The old and tried Brave Davis can call it a witch-hunt and try to run and hide from responsibility, but the rest of the country calls for accountability. Every person in this country has a right to know how and why contracts that wasted taxpayers' money and provided no results in the end were given out and to whom they were given. Brave Davis, the clock is ticking, the people deserve answers, time to live up to your name and brave the consequences,” Mr Culmer said, as he criticised Mr Davis for discrediting EY's work.