The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Education has hit out at “misinformation” about the cancellation of school bus contracts after drivers in Grand Bahama staged a protest on Monday alleging victimisation after their contracts, which would have expired in 2020, were terminated.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry noted that it has decided, in accordance with the terms of the contracts held by a select group of school bus operators in Grand Bahama, Abaco, and Eleuthera, to utilise the 60-day termination clause with respect to those agreements.

“After numerous complaints and due to the cost of these five-year contracts, which were entered into by the PLP in 2015, these agreements were determined to be unfair and unsustainable,” the statement noted.

“Therefore, the ministry resolved that rather than renegotiate with more than 30 contractors, requests for proposals (RFP) were issued. It should be noted that the majority of the persons who had these contracts previously have retained those contracts through this new RFP process at considerable savings to the Ministry of Education,” the statement said.

The ministry also noted that there was no inconvenience to students and thanked the courteous and patient display of professionalism demonstrated by all involved.

Yesterday David Thompson, vice-chairman of the Free National Movement, defended Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson in the face of social media criticism over the contract terminations.

“I have always found Senator Kwasi Thompson, state minister for Grand Bahama, to be not only a man who speaks truth but a man who puts God first and who works very hard for his country,” Mr Thompson said.

Confidence

“When he speaks I have every confidence in the truthfulness of this man who is doing such an excellent job in Grand Bahama, every day working for Bahamians while finding time to go his church as a deacon and serve God and his family to the best of his ability.

“I, therefore, decry anyone who would suggest that he is untruthful in what he says when he speaks to the public. He speaks the truth always, and we must accept what he says as the truth based on his record and previous truthfulness,” said Mr Thompson.

Mr Thompson said government policy for these contracts was always three years until 2015, when under the PLP bus contracts were given for five years.

According to Mr Thompson, under the previous PLP administration, 2015 contracts were given to selected “all for me baby” individuals, some of whom held multiple contracts.

“For years we have suffered PLP victimisation of ordinary Bahamians in our economy,” Mr Thompson said. “Bahamians ask every day how much is enough for the all for me baby crowd?”

On Monday, school bus driver Kevin Ferguson claimed the Minnis administration entered into new contracts with individuals who are all supporters of the Free National Movement. He claimed some students were not picked up Monday morning for school because many of the new contracted school bus drivers did not have buses to transport them.

“We rode around this morning, and our school kids were not picked up because they did not have buses,” Mr Ferguson said.

“We decided to take a stand because we thought it was unfair to us, to the kids, parents, and everybody who believes that this government is a government that speaks out highly against corruption and wrongdoing.”

Students

Mr Ferguson had been contracted as a school bus driver in 2015, and his contract was to expire in June 2020. He transported students from the Pinder’s Point and Mack Town areas and Sunrise Subdivision to St George’s High School.

However Mr Thompson said contrary to these claims, all children were safely transported to school.

“We have received no complaints to date, and with that being the case we say the contractors are executing their bus contracts satisfactory,” Mr Thompson said.

“When it comes to matters related to road traffic and transportation we have a department and a ministry that is very qualified to deal with such complaints, and anyone who has a complaint should go to Road Traffic (Department) in the NIB building in Freeport,” he said.