Senior PLPs butt heads
By JUAN McCARTNEY ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ juan@nasguard.com:
Tension has erupted in the Progressive Liberal Party over the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Assembly's failure to meet regularly and shed light on how the Ingraham administration is spending the public's finances, The Nassau Guardian has learned.
The party's national chairman Bradley Roberts has reportedly criticized the party members for not taking the job seriously.
He reportedly believes opposition members — who hold the majority on the committee — are missing key opportunities to hold the government's feet to the fire as it relates to public spending.
The PAC is responsible for auditing government accounts and ensuring that money designated for public spending is being properly managed.
The Nassau Guardian understands that Roberts has threatened to take on this issue at the PLP's National General Council's next meeting.
The Guardian also understands that former chairman Glenys Hanna-Martin has taken exception to the criticism levied by Roberts on this matter.
Chief Clerk Maurice Tynes said the PAC is obligated to report to the House of Assembly at the end of every parliamentary session. He noted that Parliament was prorogued earlier this year, however, the group did not present a report.
PAC, which is chaired by Bain and Grants Town MP Dr. Bernard Nottage, has reportedly not met since the new team was appointed.
Other members of the PAC include Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell, St. Thomas More MP Frank Smith, South Abaco MP Edison Key and Pineridge MP Kwasi Thompson.
Smith said last night the committee has not met "in a little while" and he could not say when it will meet again.
It is reportedly Roberts' contention that the opposition is missing key opportunities to expose any shortcomings that may exist related to the public purse and how money is being disbursed.
Roberts said last night he had no comment on the matter. Nottage could not be reached.
The Guardian understands that several other issues have caused contention among the upper echelon of the party. Recently memos were circulated within the party by its top brass to parliamentary members warning them to bring their public disclosure filings up to date, according to inside sources. The party has also recently expressed internal concern that PLP leader Perry Christie failed to spend the $200,000 allotted for MPs to spend in their constituencies in the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 budgets.
The tension comes as the PLP seeks to get a jump on the upcoming elections.
The PLP has recently named several candidates that it proposes to run in the upcoming elections.
July 6, 2010
thenassauguardian
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Showing posts with label Kwasi Thompson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kwasi Thompson. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A PROMINENT Bahamian lawyer told to 'Drop lawsuit or forget politics' in The Bahamas
By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
A PROMINENT lawyer elected by the FNM's local association in Pine Ridge Grand Bahama as their preferred candidate to run in the 2007 general election alleges he was told by the party's decision-makers to drop a controversial lawsuit against a foreign developer or see his political aspirations denied.
Fred Smith, QC, senior partner with law firm Callender's and Co. in Freeport, claims in an affidavit filed on December 7 that he was informed by the FNM's Candidates Committee that he would not be endorsed by them for the Pine Ridge seat -- despite having the support of the Pine Ridge Constituency Association -- unless he either pulled out of representing litigants against the Baker's Bay resort development in Guana Cay, Abaco or convinced them to drop their case.
The attorney alleges that financial concerns trumped democracy in the selection of who would run under the FNM banner in the Grand Bahama constituency in 2007, with the committee expressing concern that his continued representation in the Guana Cay case would turn off "powerful financial backers" of the FNM.
Another Grand Bahama attorney, Kwasi Thompson, was officially nominated for the Pine Ridge seat, which he went on to win for the party.
Mr Smith represented the Save Guana Cay Reef Association in a four-year-long legal battle waged against the $500 million Baker's Bay development -- a bid that was recently rejected by the Privy Council.
The Association, which included Bahamians and non-Bahamian residents of Abaco, are against the development on the grounds that locals were not adequately consulted before central government gave approval to the developers of the project, which they considered unsustainable and a threat to the local environment.
The affidavit was filed in connection with the argument over who should pay the legal costs in the unsuccessful appeal to the Privy Council launched by Mr Smith on behalf of the SGCRA seeking to have the initial ruling that gave the development the go-ahead in the face of the SGCRA's concerns overturned.
In the affidavit he stated: "My political aspirations and the wishes of the voters in the Pine Ridge Constituency Association were dashed as a result of this case."
"I was elected by the members of the (Pine Ridge Constituency) Association, prior to the last general election in 2007, to be the FNM candidate for the Pine Ridge Constituency."
"The next stage was for the FNM party candidates' committee to nominate me as the FNM party candidate for the election.
"Despite overwhelming local support I was told at one of the meetings with the committee members that unless I dropped the Guana Cay case, or unless I persuaded my clients to drop the case, I would not be chosen by the committee as the candidate for the next general election."
Mr Smith said that among the reasons give were that the candidates committee believed his "association with the case would deter powerful financial backers (who were involved in real estate, construction, etc) which the FNM party needed support from because this case was considered anti-business and development."
Meanwhile, a further concern noted was that "the country needed foreign investment and the case was seen as being against foreign investment," although Mr Smith goes on to add that his clients "were all fully for foreign investment, but at a steady, proportionate and non environmentally destructive pace in Guana Cay."
"Another issue which they considered militated against choosing me was that I would be labelled as 'Haitian'," added the attorney, whose family -- father a Bahamian and mother of Lebanese descent -- spent many years in Haiti. The father, from an old Bahamian family, established a business in Haiti and lived there for many years before returning home to his Bahamian roots.
Mr Smith said it was suggested by the committee that if he withdrew as the Association's elected potential candidate and settled the Guana Cay case to make room for another person to be chosen instead, he could "consider an offer to be appointed" as an FNM senator.
"I declined to abandon my clients. Consequently I was not selected to be the FNM party's 'Torch Bearer' in the elections," said Mr Smith.
December 15, 2009
tribune242
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
A PROMINENT lawyer elected by the FNM's local association in Pine Ridge Grand Bahama as their preferred candidate to run in the 2007 general election alleges he was told by the party's decision-makers to drop a controversial lawsuit against a foreign developer or see his political aspirations denied.
Fred Smith, QC, senior partner with law firm Callender's and Co. in Freeport, claims in an affidavit filed on December 7 that he was informed by the FNM's Candidates Committee that he would not be endorsed by them for the Pine Ridge seat -- despite having the support of the Pine Ridge Constituency Association -- unless he either pulled out of representing litigants against the Baker's Bay resort development in Guana Cay, Abaco or convinced them to drop their case.
The attorney alleges that financial concerns trumped democracy in the selection of who would run under the FNM banner in the Grand Bahama constituency in 2007, with the committee expressing concern that his continued representation in the Guana Cay case would turn off "powerful financial backers" of the FNM.
Another Grand Bahama attorney, Kwasi Thompson, was officially nominated for the Pine Ridge seat, which he went on to win for the party.
Mr Smith represented the Save Guana Cay Reef Association in a four-year-long legal battle waged against the $500 million Baker's Bay development -- a bid that was recently rejected by the Privy Council.
The Association, which included Bahamians and non-Bahamian residents of Abaco, are against the development on the grounds that locals were not adequately consulted before central government gave approval to the developers of the project, which they considered unsustainable and a threat to the local environment.
The affidavit was filed in connection with the argument over who should pay the legal costs in the unsuccessful appeal to the Privy Council launched by Mr Smith on behalf of the SGCRA seeking to have the initial ruling that gave the development the go-ahead in the face of the SGCRA's concerns overturned.
In the affidavit he stated: "My political aspirations and the wishes of the voters in the Pine Ridge Constituency Association were dashed as a result of this case."
"I was elected by the members of the (Pine Ridge Constituency) Association, prior to the last general election in 2007, to be the FNM candidate for the Pine Ridge Constituency."
"The next stage was for the FNM party candidates' committee to nominate me as the FNM party candidate for the election.
"Despite overwhelming local support I was told at one of the meetings with the committee members that unless I dropped the Guana Cay case, or unless I persuaded my clients to drop the case, I would not be chosen by the committee as the candidate for the next general election."
Mr Smith said that among the reasons give were that the candidates committee believed his "association with the case would deter powerful financial backers (who were involved in real estate, construction, etc) which the FNM party needed support from because this case was considered anti-business and development."
Meanwhile, a further concern noted was that "the country needed foreign investment and the case was seen as being against foreign investment," although Mr Smith goes on to add that his clients "were all fully for foreign investment, but at a steady, proportionate and non environmentally destructive pace in Guana Cay."
"Another issue which they considered militated against choosing me was that I would be labelled as 'Haitian'," added the attorney, whose family -- father a Bahamian and mother of Lebanese descent -- spent many years in Haiti. The father, from an old Bahamian family, established a business in Haiti and lived there for many years before returning home to his Bahamian roots.
Mr Smith said it was suggested by the committee that if he withdrew as the Association's elected potential candidate and settled the Guana Cay case to make room for another person to be chosen instead, he could "consider an offer to be appointed" as an FNM senator.
"I declined to abandon my clients. Consequently I was not selected to be the FNM party's 'Torch Bearer' in the elections," said Mr Smith.
December 15, 2009
tribune242
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