The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said he thinks Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis should apologise to the nation and face the fine for violating quarantine.

Dr Minnis told reporters yesterday that leaders should lead by example.

Last week, Mr Davis revealed that he left quarantine to purchase Christmas gifts at former Taxicab Union President Leon Griffin’s store on Bay Street shortly before the latter was shot dead outside his home.

“I think our nation is in crisis,” Dr Minnis said. “We’re experiencing multiple fronts in terms of crisis. We have a leadership crisis. If you look, the Prime Minister had admitted that he had violated quarantine and in an admission he obviously knew that it was wrong because he wanted to enter the store when it was empty and via side door where nobody would see him.”

“So nobody sees you then obviously you know that something (is) wrong. It’s (a) bad message that you send to the Bahamian people. . .

 “I think he’s sending a bad message and that is not what leaders should do. Leaders should lead by example and I think at this point in time the Prime Minister owes the nation an apology and at the same time there is a fine for violating quarantine, of which he admitted. I think he should face that ticketing civil fine. He should be fined and whatever that fine is, pay that fine and subsequently apologise to the nation. I think that needs to be done. We cannot send a message to the people that there’s one set of laws for you, but there’s a different set for me.”

 The Office of the Prime Minister had previously said that Mr Davis did not breach the 2021 Health Services Rules by leaving quarantine last month, saying the nation’s leader had not been ordered to sequester by a medical professional.

 “As Christmas approached, Prime Minister Philip Davis was informed that he had been exposed to persons who had tested positive for COVID,” the OPM’s statement said.

 “Between the 22nd and the 24th of December, he took three COVID tests—two PCR and one antigen—all of which were negative. Because the Prime Minister has had two vaccine shots and a booster shot, in addition to a prior infection, and because he had multiple negative test results, he was informed he posed little transmission risk.”

 The statement continued: “At no time did the Prime Minister breach the regulations in the Health Services (COVID-19) (Prevention and Management of Community Spread) Rules, 2021. The Prime Minister was not ordered into quarantine by a medical officer, as described in Article 19 (of the Health Services Rules).”

 Former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands has called for the Prime Minister’s resignation in view of the incident. However, Dr Minnis thinks the situation does not warrant a resignation.

 “I am a former Prime Minister and I have to analyse everything in its perspective. We have laws. We have regulations for breaking quarantine and the laws are one: it’s a ticketing process, civil, and he must pay the fine and he must apologise. I don’t think it warrants the level of resigning. (UK Prime Minister) Boris Johnson’s case is somewhat different. That is under investigation and I don’t want to get into that, but that’s a different matter altogether.

 “But I think he definitely should apologise to the Bahamian nation to show that he is the leader and at a time we’re in crisis this Prime Minister is travelling all around the place. That should be a no-no and that is why we placed a moratorium on travelling.

  “We had faced a crisis and there was a moratorium on travelling for our ministers to ensure that they are here so that they could have dealt with the crisis that we were facing. This Prime Minister - the leadership is not there. He is travelling all around while inflation and cost of living is going up and individuals are suffering. They’re having great difficulty meeting the demands for food and other amenities.”

  Mr Davis made the remarks about leaving quarantine while speaking at Mr Griffin’s memorial service held at the Progressive Liberal Party’s headquarters last week.

 Speaking at the memorial, Mr Davis told those attending: “To all of my parliamentary colleagues and persons present, I think I was the last person that Griffin spoke to before he was killed in person. After that conversation, I got a telephone conversation with Melanie.

 “I was supposed to be in quarantine and Christmas was nearing as we know and I ordered all of my Christmas gifts and I needed to pay for them so, I called the store and I said, ‘Look, I’m in quarantine and I need to pay for the things, but I can’t be seen out.’

 “They said ‘Well when we close the store, we’ll let you know when the store is empty and you can come by.’ So, they called the aide about 10 minutes after six to say, ‘All clear, come now.’”

 Yesterday, Dr Minnis also expressed concern about inflation.

 “Usually if I open a $100, I would walk out with three bags. I buy the same items, spend the same $100 and I’m walking out with one bag. So obviously the value, the purchase value of the dollar has decreased. So it’s a pseudo-type of devaluation.

 “It’s not devaluation, but the purchase value of the dollar has decreased and that is affecting many people. Supermarkets are going up. Different things - items in stores, furnishings. Everything is going up and, of course, we have the bread basket items. Those individuals who find their inner-city mom-and-pop stores. That’s basically 68 percent of their sales and that has gone up by an additional 10 percent and that’s hitting them dramatically also.”

 He was referring to the government reintroducing VAT on bread basket items, which had been zero-rated under the Minnis administration.