The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE 

Tribune Chief Reporter 

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AS a new round of Independence Day celebrations nears, the cost of last year’s festivities is still unknown.

Press secretary Keishla Adderley could not provide information during the Office of the Prime Minister’s press briefing.

Earlier this week, Leslia Brice, former chair of the Bahamas Independence Secretariat, said she did not know and referred The Tribune to Jack Thompson, the permanent secretary to Government House, who could not be reached.

Free National Movement chairman Dr Duane Sands criticised the Davis administration for lacking transparency over such matters.

Organisers of last year’s 50th anniversary have consistently given excuses when pressed on the costs of the elaborate celebrations.

A total of $5.2m was budgeted for the celebrations in the 2022 to 2023 budget.

When St Anne’s MP Adrian White asked why the Cabinet Office budget for ceremonial events increased from $750k to $5.2m, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said the independence anniversary would be a “big, big deal for us and we are going to celebrate it thoroughly”.

Dr Sands said spending taxpayer’s monies without giving an account is the norm for the Davis administration.

“We haven’t heard from last year’s massive celebrations what the final cost was, right, and the one thing that the PLP does well is throw a party,” said Dr Sands.

“And they spare no extravagance when they’re spending other people’s money to celebrate, to provide food and beverage. Now, when it comes to important matters, such as making sure that the hospital has supplies or the ambulances are on the road, or the people in Eleuthera get water, that’s a different thing. But partying, you know, this administration is famous for it, so I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for an accounting because that is not in their culture.”

He said if the government gives estimates, he doubts they will be accurate.

He said: “This administration has gone to great pains to frustrate, to obstruct the work of the Public Accounts Committee because they do not wish for the Bahamian public to understand how the money of the country is being spent and so I doubt that you’re going to get anything more than rough figures, estimates, guesstimates, whether you’re talking about The Bahamas games, whether you’re talking about the independence celebrations, Junkanoo. It doesn’t matter, you are not going to get any accurate numbers.”

This year’s events will include a national flag day, a beat retreat, an Independence church service, an ecumenical service and a cultural show, among other things.