Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. (File photo)
By RICARDO WELLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
rwells@tribunemedia.net
THE Christie administration approved $200m in untendered contracts each valued at roughly $3.5m, according to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.
During his contribution to the 2019/2020 budget debate yesterday, Dr Minnis directly accused the Christie/Davis led Progressive Liberal Party of handing out untendered contracts like “candy…on Halloween” via various government agencies. Dr Minnis noted the Ministry of Works, which was managed by current Opposition Leader Philip “Brave” Davis, and the National Sports Authority played prominent roles the scheme.
While Dr Minnis stopped short of identifying any specific deals, he did reveal that Mr Davis’ Ministry of Works oversaw $200m in untendered contracts being handed out for scopes of work valued at around $3.5m.
“On the member of Cat Island’s watch as minister of works… untendered contracts were given out left, right and centre, up, down,” Dr Minnis told Parliament. “Mr Speaker, it was raining untendered contracts.
“Mr Speaker, today accountability has replaced deals that hurt the people, but benefited the chosen few and special interest. And now, every tax dollar is accounted for unlike the hundreds of millions of dollars our predecessors budgeted over the years. During the Christie/Davis government smudgy and funny things were happening at places like the National Sports Authority.”
Responding directly to challenges put forth by the opposition on the accusation, Dr Minnis continued: “Tendering is transparent contract; not tendering is a non-transparent contract. At the National Sports Authority, let me say this again, in the Christie/Davis government, smudgy and funny things were happening at places like the National Sports Authority.
“The leader of the Opposition was refusing to look into as chair of the Public Accounts Committee,” Dr Minnis contended.
He added: “The PLP inflicted great trauma and damage on our country. We are still trying to account for millions that went missing, I have been advised.”
Dr Minnis has long accused the Christie administration of being corrupt.
In comments to wrap parliamentary debate on the Proceeds of Crime Bill and the Financial Transactions Reporting Bill in March of 2018, Dr Minnis referred to corruption under the PLP as a “national disgrace” that should never be allowed again.
In a statement released yesterday, Mr Davis said Dr Minnis’ speech did not address concerns of regular people but focused on the Progressive Liberal Party.
“While Bahamians hoped against hope for a budget presentation by the prime minister that would address their disappointment in his government and their increasing misery, like his national address, the prime minister flubbed it again, making his presentation more about his obsession with the PLP than the concerns of ordinary Bahamians,” Mr Davis said.
He also said: “Obviously lost on this prime minister in the midst of his political bluster was the judicial condemnation of two of his ministers; growing unemployment; stagnant wages; the increasing cost of living and the fact that his policies of tax hikes, mass separations, cronyism, self dealing, refusal to pay contractors and a dogged pursuit of an elusive fiscal deficit target have all contributed to misery, discontent and dissatisfaction Bahamians have with this administration.
“None of these critical issues that are important to everyday ordinary Bahamians were resolved or for that matter adequately and directly addressed by the prime minister.”
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 6 months ago
The pudgy PLP fella with short stubby grubby dirty yellow sticky fingers seldom makes a good point, but he certainly has done so here.
Dawes 5 years, 6 months ago
If no one is going to be arrested over what the FNM claims to be corruption. then give up saying it all the time. If it's due to the law not be able to do anything change the law. But going on and on about it whilst doing nothing was boring last year and is getting even worse this year.
TalRussell 5 years, 6 months ago
A select few red shirts connected comrades have been spotted about town with what appears be evidence serious cases rotten teeth rumoured be from high sugar levels all the red and blue candies handed out them in just the 771 days the reds assumed control over PopulacesPublicPurse, yes, no.......... Isn't it sad story smugness, how its rumoured that Minnis and KP, seems have become party's in-house architects Red and Blue Food Bank Candy Kitchen.............................
birdiestrachan 5 years, 6 months ago
Doc claims of corruption are all about the FNM who are looking more and more corrupt by the hour. OBAN doc and the fake signing witness by No Games who is supposed to uphold the Law. The post office. Sands giving out a contract and No Games and doc bearing false witness,
And to all this add Dumb and dangerous. The Uncle Toms are rampant in the FNM Government. I expect them to kneel and give homage. any day now perhaps they have already done so.
concernedcitizen 5 years, 6 months ago
The PLP put 2 billion on the debt with out one major or minor infrastructure project unless you call 500million walking out the Front door of BOB an infrastructure project , , Damm Miller got 20 odd million and what did we get as a taxpayer when he wouldn,t pay back the loan ,,a bowling alley worth a million and a half at best ..The FNM is not perfect but I will take them 10 ways to Sunday over the PLP ..And to bring that old racist , uncle tom talk ,,all the PLP has to do for people like you is to shout "whitey is bad " as they rob the treasury and future generations of Bahamians blind
birdiestrachan 5 years, 6 months ago
Folks seem to forget that the FNM Government left 100 million dollars overrun on the road works alone. As Governments are continues they must have had other bills. that the PLP paid.
I never said White people are bad. I never ever believed that and I never will. God is a God of variety. and he made us all.
But I stand by the Fact that those FNM fellows, for the most part, are Uncle Toms.
concernedcitizen 5 years, 6 months ago
We all know what uncle toms are ..You forget the PLP started the road project w/ Bethels Trucking .The progress was so slow and work so shoddy that the IDB who loaned us the money stopped it .Ingraham had to bring in JCC to get the project going again. A lot of the over run was doing the water mains ..Your talking 100 million at least we know it went on the roads ..The PLP put 2 billion on the debt while they were the first government to have VAT revenue ..Name one major project they did btw 2012 and 2017 ..During a recession I ngraham did the roads , the airport , the new port ,dredge the harbor , s pend 200 million on defence force boats,,and only put a billion on the debt ..When the PLP came to power they made a committee to oversea the boats Ingraham already bought so their buddies could crave up 30 million .Then when the PLP bought ATR planes for Bahamsair they did not buy the from ATR direct but through some shady broker in south America so they could get kickbacks .Why the hell do you buy planes built in france by a French company from some shady distributer you set up in South America ,,Birdie I can do this all day ..
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