The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Phillip “Brave” Davis yesterday called for more accountability and transparency by the Minnis administration on the awarding of COVID-19 related contracts.

“It is relevant, I think, to note here that since last March, he (Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis) has had the power to reward his political donors and insiders with pandemic spending contracts – without being transparent or accountable and without having to debate his choices in this House or defend his decisions to the public,” Mr Davis said.

“The anti-corruption non-profit group Transparency International has said COVID-19 is a corruption crisis as well as a health and economic crisis.

“In their report they talk about the importance of ensuring that funds for COVID treatment and relief are ‘not lost to corruption and reach the intended recipients’.”

He added: “So on the one hand, we have Transparency International recommending that countries ensure open and transparent contracting. And then on the other hand, the competent authority has so far refused to answer the simplest questions from the Bahamian public—questions, like who was paid how much, and for what? Millions borrowed in the name of the people—don’t the people deserve answers?”

On Wednesday, The Tribune reported that the government has failed to meet the Office of the Auditor General’s demand to provide ownership details on all the companies awarded COVID-related contracts despite this being deemed “pivotal” to good governance.

The revelation was in the Office of the Auditor General’s report on how the government used the proceeds from last June’s emergency $250m International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan that kept the country and government afloat during the pandemic’s peak. It also reveals its request for information on who beneficially owns these entities remains “pending”.

Yesterday Mr Davis also said while his party supports legislation to replace the COVID-19 state of emergency, it will not agree to another extension of the Emergency Powers Orders.

While making his contribution in the House of Assembly, he criticised the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and blamed the country’s current situation on bad decision making by the Minnis administration.

Mr Davis insisted that the Minnis administration has failed the Bahamian people, who he claimed have suffered much during this health crisis.

“Mr Speaker, we are behind nearly every other country in the region in the number of cases and deaths per capita, and we have vaccinated a smaller portion of our population,” the Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP said during a debate on a resolution to extend the emergency orders to November 13.

“We were near the bottom in our region to begin vaccinations, Mr Speaker. We have had (about) 16,000 recorded COVID cases in this country…No country has had it easy. But governments in other Caribbean countries have led their countries through the crisis more effectively.

“…Mr Speaker, not once during this pandemic has the government offered the people a comprehensive plan to manage the health and economic emergency. As a result, the country has moved from crisis to crisis. The government is stuck in a cycle of under-preparing and then scrambling to cope,” Mr Davis continued.

He added that new legislation to replace the current emergency orders should have been enacted long ago and accused the government of failing to plan in advance.

“We have said for a long time that public health measures can be enacted via ordinary legislation, and that it is preferable to do so,” Mr Davis said. “That is still our position. But now the government has put the country in the following position: cases, hospitalisations, and deaths are rising and no new public health legislation is ready despite earlier promises.”

“The Prime Minister has been given vast powers, and he has failed us. The Prime Minister has been given great power and failed. We recommend that the competent authority be expanded to include multiple senior medical and public health professionals. For all the reasons I’ve outlined, it would be foolish to continue on this same path and expect a better result.

“Hence, we do not support the extension of the emergency order. We do, however, support public health and safety measures being brought through ordinary legislation,” Mr Davis added.

While giving his party’s recommendations to help defeat this new surge of cases, the opposition leader repeated his party’s ten-point COVID-19 response plan, which includes more COVID testing, expanded contact tracing and additional support for positive COVID-19 patients in isolation.