The Tribune

By MORGAN ADDERLEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

TRANSPORT and Local Government Minister Renward Wells yesterday reaffirmed his unwavering support for the Free National Movement and defended the party against critics by reiterating its commitment to transparency.

Mr Wells noted many of the “hard and fast decisions” the Minnis administration has had to make were a result of the dire financial situation the previous administration left the country in — a situation the FNM was ignorant of while in opposition.

The minister made these comments to reporters following the opening ceremony of the 2019 Local Government Workshop.

Mr Wells was introduced by the ministry’s permanent secretary, who noted his public service career has been “graced with colourful political history,” citing Mr Wells’ stints as a founding member of the now defunct National Development Party in 2008 and an elected member of the Progressive Liberal Party in 2012, before he “abandoned” the PLP for the FNM in late 2015.

“For success,” Mr Wells interjected from his seat on the platform.

During his remarks, Mr Wells added: “I was very pleased with the introduction of my permanent secretary. But I want to be able to put this baby to rest once and for all: I am where I am because I chose to join success.

“I was in the house of (Prime Minister) Hubert Alexander Minnis speaking to him and I told him, I said, ‘your fate will be my fate. And where you go, I will go.’ And I am in the Free National Movement and there is no further movement for Renward Wells.”

Following the ceremony, Mr Wells was asked by reporters about this choice and to respond to public criticism that the FNM is losing traction due to some of its decisions since coming to office in 2017.

“Let me just say that…oftentimes there’s just political axiom, that from the moment you get elected you start to lose support,” Mr Wells replied.

“I don’t necessarily accept that, but you know we’ve had to make some very hard and fast decisions. And really a lot of that has to do with the fact that every new government coming in, because of the way our system was, the system itself was not as open and transparent so that the Bahamian people would know what was the financial affairs and state of the country.

“And as an opposition, we weren’t aware to the extent of the economic situation of this country until we were elected and until we were in charge of the ship and we were able to look at the books and see that which we (were) presented with. Not everyone has agreed with the decisions we have made, but you know, it has inured to the benefit of the Bahamian people, when they look at the way economically the country is now being projected,” he continued, citing the country’s “phenomenal” growth in tourism and other sectors.

Mr Wells reiterated the Minnis administration vowed the Bahamian people should have a “full picture” of the economic state of the country’s affairs.

“So we went to the House of Assembly and passed a Fiscal Responsibility Act that opens up the books of government in every sphere so that no opposition would be able to come to the Bahamian people and be able to say they are unaware of the complete financial state,” he said, adding this accountability also applies to the current government.

“You would have seen that we had a debate on the Fiscal Strategy Report, which is required,” he said, challenging the public to read the Act and “the demands it makes on a government and the Ministry of Finance to always be transparent with the Bahamian people. So, no government would come in and experience what we met.

“But we were very transparent with what we said we would do for the Bahamian people as an administration. And we’re moving forward with that in every sense of the word — accountability, transparency, dealing with corruption. And I think the Bahamian people ought to be proud of the work that is being done.”