FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard says the Davis administration should provide a chronology of events related to the Christmas Carnival debacle, one that details the communication missteps between ministries such as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance.
FNM Senator Maxine Seymour tabled a letter in the Senate on Monday that showed the Ministry of Finance gave the Progressive Liberal Party permission to import equipment related to the event.
However, the Ministry of Health has denied operators its approval, citing COVID-19 related health concerns. The operators have since reapplied to the Ministry of Health.
The PLP’s involvement in the matter was not publicly known before this week.
During a press conference yesterday, FNM Senator Reuben Rahming confirmed that both the PLP and the FNM have used the carnival events as major fundraisers for their parties when in power.
“The Carnival Extravaganza started under the Sir Lynden Pindling administration and its current operator has been operating the carnival here for over 30 years,” Mr Rahming said. “
The carnival not only serves the general public, but they also provide many short-term jobs during the yuletide season. It also is a major fundraiser for the PLP and the FNM when they sponsor the arrival of the carnival. The sponsorship of the carnival falls to the political parties that are empowered at that political time. The standard contract agreement which is made with the party and not the government of The Bahamas, this is seen in approval letters that have been submitted.
“As sponsor, the political party in this instance which would be the Progressive Liberal Party, their duties and responsibilities are very, very clear. One, it is to apply for and obtain all necessary grants, permits, licences to enable operators to operate carnival, the carnival fair in New Providence and in Grand Bahama.
“Another responsibility that is a part of the contractual agreement that will be made between a carnival and a political party in power is that it will include all immigration work permits and health permits. The job is also to obtain the Ministry of Finance approval for importation of equipment and that includes even the wharf privileges for the off-loading of equipment for the carnival. In short, there is absolutely no way that the carnival can operate in this country without the express and direct involvement of the sponsors so I encourage us to take a look at this matter and address this matter in the public interest.”
Mr Pintard said the matter raises questions about judgment.
“We felt as if multiple ministries dropped the ball with respect to addressing this particular issue,” he said. “We are encouraging the government to just give a simple chronology on the sequence of events, to admit what missteps would have been taken in assessing this entire event, what have been the miscommunication with ministries, the Health Ministry, the Finance (Ministry), Ministry of National Security, just put all those things in context.”
Asked if the political parties partnering with operators represents a conflict when it is time to secure approvals from government agencies, Mr Pintard said not necessarily.
“We’re a country of laws and I think one of the things you’re seeing right now is that when public servants do their job, the political party, their preferences may in fact not prevail,” he said.
“So right now, we don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, politics are dynamic, but right now there is a stop order that they are unable to proceed. Now unless something is happening in a meeting that we are unaware of, it means that the public servants, the technocrats, have made a determination that they have concerns about safety protocols and there is a real possibility that this is a virus super spreader event... I believe that it is possible that a political organisation, though associated with a particular event, could be overruled by technocrats. In this case, it works. What happens in the future is an entirely different story.”
Health officials are planning to meet today to decide on the carnival operators’ new application to open.
Comments
TalRussell 3 years ago
In short at no time over Karnival's lengthy stretch thirty (30) years, had de Red Party nor de PLP. ever come clean with UK Colony's popoulaces.
Comrade Pintard, this is de perfect time for you to demonstrate that youse is truly a different type leader/
If youse think you're a leader, then prove there's no one in front of youse are calling de shots...That you're not just out for a stroll around de corner... Release de exact same accounting books, contracts and communications of which youse so demands from de PLP. .
And, once youse done that, youse can follow by releasing the red party's cash monies were directly/indirectly received from De Numbers Mans' and Peter Nygard, and everyone else like these two, ― Yes?
birdiestrachan 3 years ago
poor Pintard.
ThisIsOurs 3 years ago
Why is it that a party can only sponsor the carnival when theyre in power? If this is such an excellent fund raiser, you would think that the PLP would have continued the practice in and out of office. Or is it the true case thst the only time the party can bend the rules and tilt the power of govt to their advantage to make this a profitable enterprise is when theyre in power? Remember the years why you wondered why the carnival was still here in late January? Could a "normal business" afford the fees assiciated with extending their operation if the sitting govt didnt have a hand in their pocket?
Some say this is much ado about nothing. And on the surface sure, a kiddie carnival whats the big deal? But what it says about political patronage, graft, unethical pay to play schemes and rule bending for friends and family lovers and now financial donors, in both parties is telling.
And this is only the tip that we accidentally stumbled over. How were gaming opetators able to continue ipersting illegally fir decades? How is the fake document scams at Road Traffic and Immigration and the Passport office undetectable? How do Haitian migrants bypass the defence force so often? How does a gaming operator run a human smuggling enterprise for years? How is gun running completely undetectable? When have you ever heard of a gun dealer being caught?
Cash rich enterprises, brown paper bags and backdoors. A good name for a netflix documentary
tribanon 3 years ago
At the last moment the owners and organisers of the Carnival were told in no uncertain terms that the PLP party needs a much bigger cut of the Carnival action to pay its election bills. All of this friction came about because the owners and organisers said "No", enough is enough. The PLP party then immediately went into a retaliatory extortionist role. Freddy Boy's finger prints are all over this 'business' fallout. LOL
sheeprunner12 3 years ago
Doesn't matter how this one unfolded. It shouldn't happen again. Time for campaign finance reform, so the ppl will be able to know what's going on in politics
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