The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING

Tribune Staff Reporter

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis called his successor “weak” for letting Glenys Hanna Martin speak publicly against a planned Royal Caribbean International project without facing repercussions.

Mrs Hanna Martin opposes RCI’s planned Paradise Island beach club venture, insisting last week that the cruise industry “does not require an island (off) New Providence”.

Free National Movement officials have since called for her resignation, citing Cabinet procedure requiring that ministers present a united front to the public regardless of internal disagreements.

In response, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said on Sunday that he still supports the education minister and that she did not break cabinet rules. He said Mrs Hanna Martin’s comments were consistent with her previous comments about the RCI deal and reflected her usual passionate advocacy for Bahamians.

Dr Minnis took a swipe at Mr Davis for his response.

“With respect to Glenys or other Cabinet ministers, I’ve said repeatedly and said it in Parliament that the Prime Minister is demonstrating himself to be a weak leader,” he told reporters outside the House of Assembly.

“He must take control. He is weak. He can’t even get his own Cabinet to agree with his position. That is weakness. His own remarks are conflicting.

“The Prime Minister must demonstrate strength, he must demonstrate leadership and take control of his party. You must be able to control your cabinet.”

“Maybe Glenys Hanna Martin needs to be the leader of that party. In the presence of the Prime Minister’s weakness that he has clearly demonstrated, Glenys Hanna Martin has demonstrated strength. She has demonstrated strength and leadership capabilities. Maybe she should be the leader of the Progressive Liberal Party.”

FNM leader Michael Pintard rejected Mr Davis’ claim that Mrs Hanna Martin did not break cabinet procedure.

“Cabinet decisions once made require that every Cabinet minister is a part of collective responsibility, they take responsibility for the final decision,” he said.

“That matter has clearly gone through NEC, the National Economic Council, and has a Cabinet conclusion so certainly no minister has the right to depart from that convention and the Prime Minister is then duty bound to follow the Cabinet manual, which all of us who have sat in the room, it’s a document we are given and we understand what the terms of our engagement as a Cabinet minister is and she’s violated those terms of engagement and so the Prime Minister is duty bound to act in the event that she fails to do the honourable thing.”

The Davis administration announced on March 7 that it had approved RCI’s $100m project, which is subject to final environmental approvals.

The controversial project will cover 17 acres, 13 of privately held land and four of Crown Land.