The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) is doubtful that this Perry Christie led Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) administration ...is capable ...or interested in keeping any of its promises to the Bahamian electorate

DNA says: PLP Late Again!

DNA Leader - Branville McCartney

The PLP’s approach to governance since taking office in 2012 has left much to be desired. In what has seemingly become their modus operandi, this government has proven time and time again that it is unfit to oversee the affairs of the nation. Despite numerous public assurances that they would aggressively tackle the country’s many pressing issues, this PLP administration has proven itself dysfunctional, unfocused and incompetent; failing to meet their own legislative deadlines on issues relative to tax reform, a Freedom of Information Act, gaming, crime and countless other policy initiatives such as job creation, all while reneging on the countless promises made while in opposition.

Most recently, the Minister responsible for referendums Bernard Nottage admitted the government’s failure to set a definitive date for the proposed constitutional referendum. Shortly after taking office, the Prime Minister offered grand pronouncements of the government’s plans in this regard in which he set a November 2013 date.

The Constitutional Commission headed by renowned local Attorney Sean McWeeny did an excellent job in securing public feedback and reviewing the various aspects of the constitution which deserved attention; eventually compiling an impressive and comprehensive report which was presented to the government well in advance of its initial target date. Their work is certainly to be commended. True to form however, Mr. Christie showed no follow through and was forced to push the date to June of 2014.

How disappointing! Rather than use the additional planning time wisely however, this administration has again squandered the better part of this year focusing on trivial and insignificant matters and will by all indications, be forced to postpone the vote for a second time. While these revelations are certainly disappointing, they are far from surprising, particularly considering the ineffective nature of this administration.

Would the additional time not been ideal to launch the promised education campaign on the issue? Where is the so called commitment which the Prime Minister pledged to removing all vestiges of discrimination against women from the country’s constitution? This apparent lack of focus and political will is only further evidence of the careless and flippant disregard the PLP and members of this administration have shown and continue to show for the contributions of Bahamian women in this country.

Further, the Bahamian public ought to be reminded that the former PLP Administration commissioned a constitutional Commission to review the Constitution headed by the late Paul Adderley. Recommendations were made and true to form NOTHING HAPPENED!

Even more disappointing, is the fact that this is not the first time that a Christie led government has floundered on the planning and execution of a referendum. One need only think back to the disastrous January 28, 2013 referendum on Gaming which was also delayed as a result of the government’s failure to plan appropriately. First, this administration failed to properly educate the voting public on the impact of a legalized web shop industry, while refusing to consider addressing existing laws which discriminate against Bahamians in their own country. Then, rather than respecting the wishes of the Bahamians who voted, this administration has shown a deep disrespect for the democratic process and has chosen to proceed with the legalization and regulation of the industry anyway.

The Democratic National Alliance is doubtful that this administration is capable or interested in keeping any of its promises to the electorate. It appears that the Prime Minister and his band of merry men have stopped caring about their duties for the betterment and advancement of the country. The government must get serious about its responsibilities and abandon this LATE AGAIN and less than mediocre style of governance. The Bahamian people must demand and expect good governance from the party they elected.

Branville McCartney
DNA Leader
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April 21, 2014

Prime Minister Perry Christie says that he should have taken the bold step of regulating web shops ...after coming to office in 2012 ...instead of taking the referendum route

PM regrets referendum

Christie says he should have regulated web shops

By CANDIA DAMES
Guardian News Editor
candia@nasguard.com

Prime Minister Perry Christie has admitted regret over going to referendum on the gambling issue nearly a year ago and said he should have taken the bold step of regulating web shops after coming to office instead of putting it to a vote.

“I ought to have moved immediately to regulate the industry without going to a referendum and to articulate to the people of the country that we were going to have enormous problems in trying to have an environment where it is not regulated, said Christie when asked by The Nassau Guardian if he regrets not ‘having a horse in the race’.

The government refused to take a position ahead of the referendum, and some observers have opined that this contributed to the referendum failing.

Christie said the government will eventually have to do something about the web shops and noted concerns connected to money laundering and unregulated ‘banking’.

“Today, the governor of the Central Bank is demonstrating concern for this because what has happened is there has now been the evolution of a new economy that is underground, a new banking order that is taking place where mortgages are being given and where huge sums of money are moving,” he said in an interview on Friday.

“You always have money laundering concerns when you don’t regulate, but I’m thinking now of when the banks say you can’t bank your money, the Central Bank says you can’t invest in treasury bills, the Central Bank says you can’t export your money, you can’t put it in another country, then you ask the question if that is the case, what is supposed to be happening to the money?

“And so that is a very trying set of circumstances for me now.”

Christie hinted that the government might still regulate web shops.

“As I said in a meeting with the church [on Thursday], I said anyone coming out of the referendum of the kind that we had would require a new level of moral authority to address this issue in the face of the referendum result,” he said.

“That moral authority has to come in a different way. And by that I mean this, if the country was faced with a situation where we were collapsing and things were really very difficult then I have to look at the facts, that I have no alternative but to go to the country and explain to them, I can find $50 million or $60 million or $100 million in an area that can be legitimately acquired and say to them this is what I have to do and live with the results of such a decision.

“I am not at that point yet, but I’m at the point where discussions are being held, as they should be, over this really significant development in our country that has to be addressed.  The good news is it’s not being ignored.”

But Christie said he does not see the failed referendum as a low moment in his public life.

“I think it has been a low result for the country,” he said.

“I don’t have low moments in politics.  This is my 40th year in public life and that’s a lifetime, and so I have been able to introduce in my own life a hardening where I’m able to resist the temptation to feel sorry for myself and to move on.”

On January 28, 2012, voters were asked whether they support the regularization and taxation of web shops, and whether they support the establishment of a national lottery.

The total number of votes cast against the web shop question was 51,146 or 62 percent of the votes cast versus 31,657 or 38 percent of the votes cast in favor of taxing web shops.

Less than 50 percent of registered voters voted.

However, the Christian Council has demanded that the government respect the results of the referendum.

Last week, The Nassau Guardian reported on a Public Domain survey that showed strong support for web shops.

Respondents were asked whether they support the legalization of web shops.

Thirty-seven percent said they “strongly support” and 18 percent said they “somewhat support”.

Thirty-two percent said they “strongly oppose” and another eight percent said they “somewhat oppose”.

Five percent of respondents did not know or did not answer.

“The fact is that although the majority of Bahamians voted against such legalization in last year’s referendum is neither persuasive nor conclusive,” said Philip Galanis, who coordinated the ‘Vote Yes’ campaign.

“We maintain that the referendum results do not represent the national sentiment on this issue, particularly in light of the low voter turnout.”

A legal challenge brought by web shop operators after the referendum remains tied up in courts as their businesses continue to operate in the open.

thenassauguardian

January 20, 2014

The private sector in The Bahamas was challenged to present a viable alternative to Value Added Tax (VAT) ... by Prime Minister Perry Christie

Pm Challenge On Vat Alternatives

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday challenged the private sector to present a viable alternative to Value Added Tax.

 

Responding to the concerns of businessmen worried about how VAT will affect the cost of doing business, Mr Christie pointed out that after the public rejected the option of boosting revenue by regulating web shop gaming, the government had to find some form of taxation to sustain development.

 

“We require additional revenue to be able to meet debt servicing obligations,” he said, “we need additional revenue to be able to have a resurgence in the economy, we need additional revenue for infrastructural development. The question is, when the government sought to seek the Bahamian people’s approval on the referendum, the Bahamian people indicated no.

 

“The government then brought forward what has been in play for a very long time – Value Added Tax. If there is serious objection to it, the government must listen and the government must give consideration, but the government surely would not be expected to just listen to those who oppose without having an alternative.

 

“Everyone in the country must know that to sustain our development, for there to be sensible, serious, forward looking discussion, it has to be accompanied – particularly from people who are involved in the economy – it has to come with alternatives.

 

“I would expect therefore if [businesses] are going to present me with a paper, they will be arguing to agree on a different form of taxation.”

 

Mr Christie has hinted that he might be open to postponing the VAT target implementation date of July 1, 2014, if the government is not prepared for it.

 

He said the private sector needs to realise it is on a collision “cause” with government over the need for additional revenue, and asked “what is the alternative” to VAT?

 

The Prime Minister added that he was not at all concerned over the level of angst being expressed by the business community regarding VAT and the potential problems it might cause for individual businesses.

 

“Quite frankly,” he said, “I am appreciative of all of the discussions that are taking place on VAT.

 

“At some stage I am sure the business community, (will recognise) that we are on a collision cause – c.a.u.s.e – with respect to this matter, that we need additional revenue.”

 

The government is proposing to implement VAT on July 1, 2014, at a rate of 15 per cent, with the hotel industry to be subject to a lower 10 per cent rate.

 

Mr Christie said, however, that ultimately, he will have the final say on implementation.

 

For their part, the co-chairs for the private sector’s Tax Coalition have praised indications that the Prime Minister was open to postponing VAT implementation day as “fantastic”, warning it was “paramount” that the economy be protected.

 

Pointing out that the government would not achieve its revenue-raising objectives if the economy “went to hell in a hand basket”, Robert Myers said he was interpreting the indications positively, and as a sign that the government was listening to the private sector’s concerns.

 

November 08, 2013

 

Tribune 242

 

Caribbean Blog International

 

Perry Christie and his blah, blah, blah Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) administration

Perry Christie and the PLP’s blah, blah, blah government

By Simon
frontporchguardian@gmail.com

Imagine many years hence an anthropologist at the University of The Bahamas using digital recordings of the ZNS evening news broadcast to conduct research on Perry Christie’s years as prime minister. What might they discover?

As a gift to posterity and to help future researchers save time and effort, we are already able to pass on some insights which will only solidify over time.

Notably, Christie and the ZNS evening broadcast share a singular trait. They are incorrigibly late, again and again and again. It seems that ZNS, despite decades in operation, is daily caught by surprise that the evening news is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., not 7:02 or 7:05 or 7:07.

ZNS, like the Christie administration, seems incapable of being embarrassed by the poor quality of so much that it does and its sheer and entrenched incompetence.

As an aside, the day that the two leading print journals revealed details of a report on alleged abuse at the detention center, the state evening broadcast news failed to report the story. Were they commanded to do so as an act of censorship by their political minders and bosses?

How free is ZNS today to report stories critical of the PLP? For many, why is 2013 starting to feel like the 1970s and 80s at ZNS?

Meanwhile, forget the numbers’ houses. Perhaps the government might consider a national lottery that has as the winning combination the exact time that the ZNS evening news broadcast begins, with the additional prize of a ZNS news mug for anyone guessing 7 p.m. Supplies of the mug are unlikely to run out.

Perhaps there can be a “Straight Seven Jackpot” payout, the winner having wagered correctly the staggered times the news begins seven nights running, which will be a monumental accomplishment. There can also be payouts for three out of seven nights or five out of seven. The combinations are endless.

How foolish to imagine such a lottery. It was already defeated in a national referendum that proved to be a spectacular failure for Christie and his new and improved Gold Rush PLP that would be ready in the First 100 Days and from day one to build a bridge to the future as the government of hope and help committed to Urban Renewal 2.0 and putting Bahamians first.

Were there an international prize for sloganeering as a substitute for ideas and governance, the PLP would consistently win it, with its endless ability to produce more slogans than common sense and action once in office.

Then there would be the Bahamian television broadcast award for political showboating and theater, jointly awarded to ZNS and the Christie administration.

Story one on the evening news: Perry Christie said today, “Blah, blah, blah.” Second story: Perry Christie said today, “Blah, blah, blah.” And just for a change in the third story: Perry Christie said today, “Blah, blah, blah.”

This is the blah, blah, blah government in two senses. First, it is an uninspiring and visionless government. Secondly, as before, this is a government of plenty talk and little action.

During and after his rambling meanderings, one knows that the prime minister said something. The problem is that one is not exactly sure what he’s actually said.

As opposed to those times, sometimes he literally says nothing, despite promising a fuller accounting. The country is still waiting for Christie to provide more details on his and the PLP’s relationship with Peter Nygard.

Then, there is Christie’s pretzel-like comments. Having repeatedly postponed speaking before the Constitutional Reform Commission, the prime minister sought a clever out, perhaps convincing to him, but unconvincing to most Bahamians. His excuse: He didn’t want to prejudice the commission. Really?

Perhaps ZNS can provide a useful service, namely a canned laugh track as used in situation comedies. It can be played whenever the prime minister offers a comment for which laughter is the best medicine and response.

As reported in the press, the governor general, the leader of the opposition and many notable Bahamians found the time to prepare for and to appear before the commission.

Cue laughter: Christie contradicted himself by stating that his attorney general had already offered the government’s thoughts. Why didn’t he say that when he canceled appearing before the commission for the second time and counting?

Did the attorney general prejudice the commission by speaking on behalf of the Christie administration?

The saying goes, “If you don’t laugh, you’ll weep.” Listening to the prime minister’s tortured rationales for his inaction and bumbling incompetence is likely to produce tears of laughter, sometimes just weeping, and sometimes the wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mind you, the same prime minister who did not find the time to appear before the commission did find time to deliver a lecture on constitutional reform. He had plenty to say on that occasion.

What he did not say and did not do, was to accept responsibility for making the referenda process in The Bahamas more politically difficult and charged, more of which in a subsequent column.

When he’s not too tired to answer questions, answers to which he solemnly promised long ago, Christie is busy making speeches and excuses as a substitute for governing.

He seems still to believe that talk is action. Like a genie, he must believe that when he speaks, things are supposed to materialize. See for easy reference: National stadium, National Health Insurance and doubling the investment in the national education budget.

The prime minister recently said that he knows that Bahamians are frustrated. The problem is that he may not appreciate that Bahamians are mostly frustrated with his poor leadership of a government that is performing even worse than the do-nothing years of 2007 to 2012.

Ranking PLPs and younger PLPs, including many professionals, are soured on and vex with a feckless administration careening from one crisis to the next, with a prime minister barely in control of his own government.

Christie’s response, “Blah, blah, blah...”, all of which can be seen on the ZNS evening news beginning at only God knows when. Stay tuned and be prepared to laugh and to weep.

September 26, 2013

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Fire Fred Mitchell, says Opposition Leader Hubert Minnis call to Prime Minister Perry Christie

Minnis Calls For Christie To Fire Fred Mitchell Over Issue Of Cuban Detainees

Tribune242


OPPOSITION Leader Hubert Minnis has this afternoon called for Prime Minister Perry Christie to fire Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell from his Cabinet.

 

Speaking at a press conference at FNM Headquarters, Mr Minnis said: “It has become clear that Minister Mitchell has exhausted every ounce of credibility as Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

 

He called on the government to release a ‘full and unedited’ report of all investigations that have been conducted to date into Cuban detainees at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.

 

He said: “The Minister of Foreign Affairs has not given a full and honest account of what took place at the detention centre on May 20, 2013.

 

“The FNM has been advised that several senior government officials and ministers became aware fairly early that a major instance of abuse had taken place.”

 

August 21, 2013

 

Tribune242

 

Caribbean Blog International

 

Prime Minister Perry Christie is out of his depth when it comes to the environment

Local Attorney Says Prime Minister Is 'Out Of Touch' On Environment

Tribune242


Environmental attorney and consultant Romauld ‘Romi’ Ferreira took to the airwaves recently to express concern over what he called “out of date” thinking by Prime Minister Perry Christie who, he said, called concerns with the environment “foolishness.”

Ferreira and environmental activist Joseph Darville appeared on Ortland Bodie’s ‘Real Talk Live’ show on More 94.9 recently urging Bahamians to sign the Save The Bays petition calling for an Environmental Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act and an end to unregulated development. Mr Ferreira, responded to Prime Minister Christie’s recent dismissal of environmental concerns at Clifton Bay as ‘foolishness,’ labeling those remarks as ‘out of touch’ and reflective of an outdated mode of thinking in The Bahamas.

“It is very regrettable when the Prime Minister of a country can utter a statement like ‘environmental concerns are foolishness’,” says Mr. Ferreira. “This is why this is the fight of our generation. We can’t expect the politicians of yesteryear who regard environmental issues as foolishness to fully appreciate and be cognizant of the issues. We thank Mr. Christie for all of his contributions - he is the longest serving Member of Parliament and he has done wonders, but clearly he is out of his depth when it comes to the environment.”

“Apparently, we’re talking foolishness when we say they (developers) are building in the Marine Protected Area that was proposed (in Bimini), we’re talking foolishness when we say that they’re building the dock on top of the coral reef and we’re talking foolishness when we say the law requires an Environmental Impact Assessment.”

Ferreira, one of several guests on the popular morning talk show, is a leading environmental attorney and consultant who was selected earlier this year by CARICOM to create model legislation for the energy sector for the Caribbean. “This is all the more reason why it takes persons and organizations to show him and elucidate to him that what he may consider foolishness, there are tens of thousands of people in The Bahamas and around the world that don’t think that it is foolishness,” he noted. “We’re not talking foolishness, they’re doing foolishness. I call on every right thinking Bahamian to open their eyes and see what’s happening.”

Also appearing on the show was fellow director of Save The Bays, Joseph Darville, who echoed the sentiment that the environment must be protected and unregulated development checked. “These developers are flocking to us like bees to honey because of what we have to offer as a nation,” said Darville, a retired high school principal and human rights and environmental activist. “What they are foisting on the Bahamian people is totally reprehensible. We are being enslaved by our own people.”

Mr Darville pointed out that organizations like Save The Bays are concerned primarily about the sustainable development of the Bahamas and the preservation of natural resources for generations to come - issues that are relevant to all Bahamians. He encouraged concerned members of the public to go online to www.savethebays.org to sign the organization’s petition to Prime Minister Christie, which has garnered nearly 5,000 signatures to address vital issues such as the lack of an Environmental Protection Act and the implementation of a Freedom of Information Act.

August 12, 2013

Tribune 242 

Caribbean Blog International

Perry Christie’s lack of transparency on certain issues is as murky and as dense as an oil slick... ...When did he become a consultant to Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC)? ...How much was he paid? ...How often did they consult with him?

Perry Christie’s oil slick

Front Porch

BY SIMON

Referring to their twin island-nation’s oil wealth, some Trinidadians and Tobagonians liked to brag, “oil don’t spoil”.  It may not spoil in the ground.  But the potential to spoil rotten, some politicians, public officials and others is legend.

Speaking ahead of the gambling referendum in January, Bahamas Faith Ministries International President Dr. Myles Munroe sounded this dire warning: “Any government pressured by a small lobby group such as the gaming bosses will inevitably produce corruption.  And if this referendum goes through we will never have a pure government again.”

Bahamaislandsinfo.com further reported: “He [Dr. Munroe] also stated that the motivation of the referendum of the governing authority seems to be the surrender to the powers with money.  In other words he said that the government cannot rightly govern because they will owe allegiance to the few and not to the citizenry or the people of The Bahamas.”

The pastor’s warning is noteworthy.  The nature and role of leadership have been central themes of Dr. Munroe’s ministry.  The quality of leadership at various levels of society will be pivotal in the debate on oil exploration.

For its part, the Bahamas Christian Council has gotten off to a poor start.  The council’s economic committee chairman Rev. Patrick Paul specified the type of arrangement he thought best to distribute the proceeds of oil wealth, calling a supposed arrangement “categorically unjust, injurious and unfair to the democracy of our nation”.

God bless Paul.  But, he seems like a potential groom planning for a joint bank account and mortgage with a woman whom he hasn’t even asked to marry him.  The reverend has gotten things in the wrong order.

A prior question is whether there should be drilling in the first place, which is what then Opposition Leader Perry Christie solemnly promised the Bahamian people his government would ask in a referendum.  He has spectacularly reneged on his promise.

Calculated flip-flop

Christie’s latest calculated flip-flop clarifies the quality of political leadership the country needs in considering oil exploration.  Good governance and good leadership on this issue will require leaders of great prudence and profound judgement.

Christie has exhibited a stunning lack of prudence and extremely poor judgement on the matter of oil exploration.  With the disclosure of his work for Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC), Christie, seemingly caught off guard, listed some of his duties as a consultant for the company.

“If there is an issue they need advice on, whether or not they need someone to speak to the issue of environmental impact [studies], the issue of whether or not in my judgment a matter is worthy for the government to approve, whether or not an application is ready, whether or not they should employ and who go on the board of directors, whatever views they ask of the firm regards it as necessary, they would consult me on it.  Those are the services I provide,” he said.

This is more than the work of an attorney.  His duties appear political and operational.  He would be considered a lobbyist in some jurisdictions.  Further, what did he mean by, “whether or not in my judgment a matter is worthy for the government to approve”?

If there are clear guidelines, it is not up to anyone’s judgment, including Christie’s, as to whether a matter “is worthy for the government to approve”.  Such murkiness is worrisome in what should be a highly regulated field.  Is Christie also following this approach as prime minister?

During last year’s general election campaign, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham noted: “When Mr. Christie agreed to become a consultant for the company [BPC] it would have been with the full knowledge and intention of using his position, past and present, and his access to government agencies, whether as government or as former government, to influence a decision by the Bahamian government with respect to any application by that company.”

Stringent guidelines

In quite a number of democracies there are stringent guidelines to limit the revolving door and conflicts of interest of politicians and public officials moving in and out of government, potentially using their public positions to benefit private clients.  One key measure includes a waiting period before one can work as a consultant or lobbyist for various clients.

Christie’s revolving door seems like a turbocharged merry-go-round: Between 2002 and 2007, his government issued certain licences to BPC.  Out of office he became a consultant to BPC.  Now back in office, his government has issued an exploration license to BPC, while delaying his promise to hold a referendum on oil drilling.

Christie’s lack of transparency on certain issues is as murky and as dense as an oil slick.  When did he become a consultant to BPC?  How much was he paid?  How often did they consult with him?

In addition to the prime minister, neither Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis, whose law firm represented BPC, nor Senator Jerome Gomez have been transparent or forthcoming with their compensation terms and arrangements with BPC.

By his own admission, Christie was a general consultant to a corporation wanting to drill for oil in The Bahamas while he was in Parliament, while he held the position of leader of the opposition, and while he fully expected to again become prime minister.

Further, did Christie express that he expected to be paid handsomely for his advice?  And, how handsomely was he paid.  The Bahamian people have a need to know?

Essentially, Christie advised his clients on how to go about achieving their ultimate objective – which is to drill for oil in The Bahamas.  And it was not just legal advice, it was advice on environmental issues, preparation for government approval, who to employ, who to put on the board of directors, and a catchall “whatever views they ask of the firm”.

In light of all of this, we are expected to believe that the prime minister has an open mind on whether or not there should be oil drilling in The Bahamas?

Christie’s clients were not some ordinary citizens requiring legal counsel who may have had sometime in the future a matter before the government of The Bahamas.  These were a corporation whose sole purpose for being in the country is to drill for oil.  Even if he did not become prime minister, as leader of the opposition, Christie knew that at some point he would have to address this issue in Parliament.

Christie himself must have recognized the position he was in when he and his government decided not to proceed with the promised referendum but to give the company the right to drill anyway.

Why on such a momentous national issue and stunning flip-flop did he not make the statement himself but left it to his minister for the environment?  Christie continues to abuse our trust.  And, he is more interested in putting the needs of foreigners first, instead of the Bahamian people.

By his own actions and admission, the prime minister has demonstrated that he and his government cannot be trusted on the momentous question of oil drilling.  His revolving door and flip-flopping constitute an oil slick that grows bigger and continues to spread.

• frontporchguardian@gmail.com, www.bahamapundit.com

April 04, 2013

thenassauguardian

Prime Minister Perry Christie says that his government’s commitment to an oil referendum might have been miscommunicated

Christie defends oil exploration plan

PM explains decision on ‘research drilling’

BY TANEKA THOMPSON
Guardian Senior Reporter
taneka@nasguard.com

Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday denied that his administration has flip-flopped on the oil drilling referendum.

He said it was never the intent to interfere with the relevant research needed to determine if The Bahamas has commercially viable oil reserves.

Christie said his government’s commitment to an oil referendum might have been miscommunicated.

“I think at all material times the question probably was not put properly and effectively, but the process was that we were not going to interfere with research and there was a distinction between industrial drilling and research,” he told The Nassau Guardian during the House of Assembly’s recess.

He added that if oil is found but the referendum is not successful at least the country would be informed about its resources.

“People will ask the question, ‘Why should I vote and I don’t even know if there is oil?’”

He also said if significant oil is found in this territory it would be a blessing, but whether that oil would be harnessed would depend on a public vote.

He said it has not yet been determined how revenue from oil drilling would be split between the government and the Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC).

“If God has given The Bahamas oil in the quantities some people say exist, it would be an incredible bounty for our country,” Christie said.

“But we took a position that if there is going to be the exploitation of oil in The Bahamas, it has to be done with the consent of the Bahamian people.”

Yesterday, Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis suggested the government’s stance on the oil drilling referendum has shifted.

Christie has repeatedly pledged to hold a referendum before any drilling is allowed.

However, on Sunday, Minister of Housing and Environment Kenred Dorsett said the government would allow the drilling of an exploratory well before a referendum, to determine if the country has oil in commercial quantities.

Cuba is currently drilling for oil in waters south of Guinchos Cay in The Bahamas.

Christie referenced Dorsett’s recent trip to Cuba to discuss this and said this underscored the need for The Bahamas to create a proper regime for any possible oil drilling.

Some have speculated that if Cuba finds oil near The Bahamas’ borders, this country may also have significant oil reserves.

“I am told that the Cuban wells might be an indication, but because our structures are different to theirs, they believe the structures in The Bahamas are structures that contain oil, whether light crude or heavy crude, but contain oil in commercial quantities,” Christie said.

“So that will only happen when the people will obviously be consulted as to whether or not we should move ahead and drill.”

Minnis, the MP for Killarney, said the government was flip-flopping on oil drilling.

He said strict regulations must be enacted before an exploratory well is dug to ensure that the environment is protected.

“It’s a very dangerous road to tread without having proper regulations in place,” he said.

“We’ve seen what happened in the Gulf [of Mexico]. For something like that to happen in The Bahamas, where 80 percent of our employment depends on tourism, whether direct or indirect, that can be a disaster for this nation.

“Our position [is] no drilling at all until all the regulations are in place to ensure complete safety so that the Bahamian marine resources, tourism, etc, are completely protected.”

On Sunday, Dorsett said he does not expect an oil referendum before the second half of 2015.

He said the exploration data needed to verify if the country has commercially viable oil reserves would not be ready until the end of 2014 or early 2015.

BPC was granted five licenses for oil exploration in April 2007, at the tail end of Christie’s first term as prime minister.

The company has reportedly invested more than $50 million in the country to date; however, most of that has been limited to 3D seismic testing or mapping.

March 12, 2013

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Perry Christie - like Hubert Ingraham ...has the chance to write his last chapter... ...Time will pass quickly ...and Christie will soon have to make his choices known

Changing political fates

A restless Bahamian electorate is becoming harder to read

BY BRENT DEAN
Guardian Associate Editor
brentldean@nasguard.com

After the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) victory in May 2002, Bahamians were in love with their new leader.

Perry Christie could do no wrong.

When he mounted rally podia to the sound of R. Kelly’s “The Storm is Over Now” in that campaign, he was like a loved prophet coming to bring new times to a tired but hopeful people.  He won that general election by a landslide margin.

Five years later Christie and his PLP were defeated.

The man who defeated him was his friend and the prime minister from 1992 to 2002.  Hubert Ingraham came back as the anti-Christie.

While Christie, he argued, was lazy and inadequate, another Ingraham-led government would restore order to The Bahamas.  Ingraham won the 2007 general election.

Five years later, the man who was not good enough to lead was good enough again.  Christie was reinstated as prime minister.

The mood of the electorate in the modern Bahamas is very different than in the Pindling years.  Then, one well-loved leader was able to govern for 25 consecutive years.  Now we have had two consecutive one-term governments, and this latest crew of leaders has run into headwind.

The referendum loss for the PLP, despite the party officially saying it was not on a side, came after it won the 2010 Elizabeth by-election, the 2012 general election and the 2012 North Abaco by-election.  A declaration of upset came so soon after many expressions of support.

Politics and electorate of today

With an electorate now willing to change its mind so quickly, politicians should not take anything for granted.  They should also not misread their mandates.

The 2007 Free National Movement (FNM) government and the current PLP government each won just under 50 percent of the vote in the respective elections that brought them to office.  Both had comfortable margins, but not the overwhelming support that is needed to move controversial policies or legislation alone.

This may have been the fundamental problem with the gambling referendum.  A party with less than 50 percent of the support of the people moved forward with a vote on a divisive issue to a volatile electorate against established stakeholders such as the church.  Considering the modern Bahamian electorate as the same as the Pindling voters would cause miscalculation.

Fewer and fewer Bahamians love the PLP or the FNM.  Fewer and fewer Bahamians believe that our political class has the best interest of the people at heart.  There is suspicion and anger.  There is a belief that many simply want to lead in order to dispense the assets of the state to friends, lovers and associates.

The people are not innocent victims in this, however.  Assuming politicians to be modern pirates seeking loot, many Bahamians align themselves with whomever just for the time in order to get their contacts or their jobs.  Cynicism has set in.

When enough people feel they have not gotten theirs from the crew they voted for, they send for the others only to facilitate self-interest.

Navigating treacherous waters

The current mood of voters presents an interesting set of problems for the people who run the ‘Gold Rush’ administration.

For Christie, if he intends to retire before the end of this term it is easy and simple.  Wait for his full pension and then ride off into the sunset an even richer man – one who will always be taken care of by the state.  Politically speaking, he needs to do nothing but sit and wait.

But for the group including Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis and Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, men who want to be prime minister, it is crucial that the method is found to satisfy enough members of a cynical electorate to ensure the PLP wins again.

If Christie does go before the end of this term – and I don’t just assume he will – he may find the wannabe prime ministers in his Cabinet increasingly at odds with him.  A departing Machiavellian leader has no real interest in the future of the crew he leaves behind when all of his interests are already taken care of.  He can do as he pleases in his final days, making moves that are not necessarily in the best interest of them.

The would-be heirs will increasingly want to have a more direct hand in policymaking and governance if Christie is leaving because they want to ensure the party can win again, extending their time on the throne.

As the months go by, these men will want to know if the chief is going or staying.  They know that it cannot be assumed that the PLP will just win again, even though the FNM is without money and elements of the Ingraham fan club are tearing down the current party leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis.

To the potential PLP PMs the governing party needs successes.  The governing party does not need debacles such as the failed referendum.

Ingraham’s end may scare the future leaders of the PLP.  He publicly confirmed late in his term that he would run again and seek to be prime minister a fourth time.  Misreading his mandate from 2007 and full of belief that he was loved, Ingraham ran again in tough times and was rejected.  That rejection also swept out many senior FNMs.  Carl Bethel, Tommy Turnquest, Dion Foulkes, Desmond Bannister, just to name a few, may too have been retired for good with Ingraham.

When the boss just does what he wants, he can destroy you too.

Time

It feels like the general election was just a few weeks ago.  It actually is nearing a year since that clash.

These years of the PLP mandate will pass quickly.  And with each passing month, for those who seek to lead the PLP and The Bahamas, it will become increasingly urgent for them to know what Christie intends to do and when he intends to do it.

Our prime ministers are politically all-powerful in their parties.  They can’t be voted out internally.

I wonder what goes on in the mind of the prime minister.  I wonder whether he is tired and wants no more, or if he likes it so much that he just can’t give it up.  I wonder if he supports Brave Davis, his law and business partner, or if he seeks to hand the throne to another.  I even wonder if he has come to conclusions on these matters yet.  Only Christie can answer.

Christie is a wise politician who has seen it all.  He has witnessed up close how in recent years the fates of politicians have changed so dramatically so soon.

He, like Ingraham, has the chance to write his last chapter.  Time will pass quickly and Christie will soon have to make his choices known.

February 11, 2013

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Since the General Election in May 2012, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and Prime Minister Perry Christie have undermined the democratic process in The Bahamas... ...We suggest the Bahamian public ignore the PLP’s pro-gambling propaganda ...and vote NO in Monday January 28, 2013 Referendum

Vote no

The Nassau Guardian Editorial

We congratulate the government on its resounding success to undermine a democratic process.  The gaming referendum has descended into a political spectacle besieged by lies and pathetic explanations.  How can we place confidence in a government that belittles the intellect of Bahamians?

The Nassau Guardian will not surrender its integrity to the Progressive Liberal Party’s campaign to swindle yes votes from unsuspecting Bahamian voters.  We give this government a vote of “no” confidence and encourage our readers to do the same and vote no.

The government repeatedly denies a position on the gaming referendum, yet it continuously retracts statements from party members.  Such blatant support by the prime minister and his party reveals not only a flawed process, but a biased one as well.

On Sunday, January 20, PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts said: “The PLP urges all Bahamians to see the broader national picture and vote yes on Referendum Day.”

Roberts went on further to say: “The PLP is now obliged to encourage Bahamians to make this bold and progressive step in the economic interest of the country by voting yes on Referendum Day.”

This was said only for the chairman to retract his party’s position later that day.

“It is well documented that I support a yes vote in the upcoming referendum and I do so proudly,” Roberts said.

“Many in my party agree; some do not.”

For a prime minister who did not want his party to influence votes, many of his party members have been vocal supporters of the yes vote in the referendum.  Christie skirts the issue of his position with forward-leaning statements on the anticipation of web shops being made legal.

“People are anticipating that it would be legal.  So when we started off and I talked about a limited amount of licenses, it will be interesting to see how many applications there will be in the event of a yes vote because there has been a tremendous increase,” he said.

But Christie meets a potential no vote with apprehension and reiterates the problems and costs of enforcement.

“Whether it’s a no vote, it’s going to be a tremendous cost.  The state will have to pay for directing resources to assist in setting up a regime to enforce the no vote and that will require a significant amount of money.  And I presume those people who [are] advocating are aware of that,” he said.

Furthermore, Christie laments the impossible nature of stopping Internet-based gaming and cites the possibility that Craig Flowers may continue operations from the Turks and Caicos unimpeded.

“Mr. Flowers, I’m advised, is licensed in the Turks and Caicos Islands to conduct gaming and I presume that he is able to do that and still conduct his Internet gaming from the Turks and Caicos,” he said.

“I don’t want to suggest anything otherwise.  What we have to deal with is how does one go about addressing Internet gaming.  It’s a very difficult subject – the impossibility of stopping people from what they want to do.  Laws haven’t been designed by man that have effectively stopped that kind of illegal or irregular operation.”

Though Christie bemoans the annoyances of a no vote above, such statements pale in comparison with his brazen comments that a no vote would lead to unemployment and higher taxes.

“We are going to have a real situation that we would be confronted by for a no vote, because yes these people will either have to go deeper underground illegally or we will have to find a way to find alternative employment for them,” he said.

The proliferation of illegal gaming operations has allowed for the employment of numerous people.  However, for the prime minister to indicate that a Bahamian voter who votes no is responsible for this possibility of unemployment is unacceptable.

It is absolutely astounding that the prime minister can claim no position when he continues to reiterate the problems of a no vote.

Christie as prime minister of The Bahamas is being less than honest with all of his utterances on the referendum other than for his outright preference for a yes vote.

Since the election in May 2012, the PLP and Christie have undermined the democratic process in The Bahamas.  We suggest the Bahamian public ignore the PLP’s pro-gambling propaganda and vote no on Monday.  Misleading statements inherently breed distrust and this government has made a mockery of the referendum process.  The Bahamas needs more than ever a prime minister who upholds his position and leads Bahamians.

January 24, 2013

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International

Prime Minister Perry Christie's Statements on Web-shops... and the Approaching Gambling Referendum are Very Concerning...

Prime Minister’s Statement….Very Concerning!




For Immediate Release
January 17, 2013


In a recent interview, Prime Minister Perry Christie espoused that the country would have a dilemma if the electorate vote against regularizing the web-shops. He said that if they do not regularize web-shops, people will have to go deeper underground illegally or we will have to find a way to find alternative employment for them.

In addition the Prime Minister stated that his administration will not move on closing the web-shops before the referendum and he continued by saying that it will take a lot of effort and costs a lot of money so to do. The Prime Minister’s words were, “I would not dare open my mouth and tell them they cannot be employed with the yes vote people who they are working for. I would not dare do that because no one else is helping them – social services in some instances will help with rent payments but they need jobs”. The Prime Minister went on to say that, “the government has to be prepared to find jobs and that everyone knows what the economy of the Bahamas is facing”. In this regard, may I remind the Prime Minister of his election campaign promise when the PLP convinced the Bahamian people that they had the answer to job creation.

In the Bahamas it is generally accepted that the web-shop gaming is illegal. There is no legislation on this activity and there is no proposed legislation for the Bahamian people to consider. Surprisingly, the Commissioner of Police a few days ago said that he was too tolerant with this illegal activity. No doubt, if web-shop gaming was legal, we would not be having this discussion.

I am of the view that something is terribly wrong when the Prime Minister of the Bahamas uttered those words…trying to justify an illegal act! Moreover the Prime Minister was very much out of order and I dare say had no authority to make such a pronouncement. If an act is illegal, The Prime Minister does not determine if the illegal act ought to continue. It is the Commissioner of Police to act on the illegality! Now I know that the Prime Minister is in a very difficult position. The fact of the matter is that illegal gaming in the Bahamas has continued to prosper because successive governments have become “silent partners” in these entities by allowing them to operate and refusing to uphold the law of the land. But Mr. Prime Minister…right is right and wrong is wrong!

The Prime Minister of this beloved Bahamas should never be seen to condone wrongdoing. That is what our Prime Minister did. Leaders must lead by example and this is a very poor example to set. No wonder there are some persons in this country that have a blatant disregard for the laws of the land.

No doubt the international community is also watching this process and I am most concern of their perception of our Prime Minister and consequently the Bahamas as a result of the Prime Minister’s comments.

Following up on these comments by the Prime Minister, Mr. Christie is still adamant that he does not have “a horse in the race”. In my view, the Prime Minister made his position quite clear as to what he would like to see transpire on the 28th January 2013, but in any event, we as a people should know what our Prime Minister’s position is on this issue. At the very least, the Prime Minister’s constituents ought to know his position. As a matter of fact…they should insist.

Branville McCartney
DNA Leader

Caribbean Blog International

Christie’s failure of leadership is not solely one of chronic incompetence... ...More broadly and egregiously it is an outsized and shameful failure to keep faith with the Bahamian people ...and the demands of social justice... ...No posturing, play-acting or preening by Perry Christie can obscure this sad reality

Flip-flopping Christie flips and flops – again!

Front Porch

By Simon

In the embarrassing climb-down that is his most recent flip-flop on gambling, the prime minister desperately sought to make a virtue out of his incompetence and bungling, and that his government likely lacked the legal authority to proceed with a vote that it probably would have lost: “I am a prime minister who listens.  And in listening to the still evolving public discourse on the forthcoming referendum it has become clear to me that more time is needed before the Bahamian people are called upon to vote.

“I am supported in this view by the leadership of a broad cross-section of the national community with whom I have been consulting over the past few days.”

That Perry Christie believes that voters are gullible enough to believe such balderdash speaks to his contempt for the common sense of those who see through the farce he is attempting to perpetuate in this whole numbers business.  His attempt to describe his latest flip-flop as listening must be an inside joke.

There are reports of private polling to gauge whether the December 3 poll should have been postponed.  One wonders whether this figured into its postponement.

Christie may have been listening, but was it mostly to narrow interests who may funnel campaign contributions to his party, as well as those who gave him stunningly poor advice?

Confusing

If he had indeed listened carefully to a broader cross-section of voices earlier rather than to the drumbeat of his puffed-up hubris and self-serving backers he would not be in this utterly confusing mess of which he is the lead author, though his Cabinet bears collective responsibility for the debacle.

Despite Christie’s involvement in public life for nearly four decades this has been one of the most disastrous performances – at the nexus of policy and politics – by any prime minister in an independent Bahamas.

Christie’s newfound listening posture is not the sign of able leadership that he pretends.  Instead, by failing to adequately consult beforehand, he failed some of the most basic tests of leadership.

His so-called listening reminds one of a toddler who, after burning his finger on the stove for the umpteenth time, stops for the moment, then brags to his mom about how well he’s listening to her advice to stay away from the stove.

There is a back story to this debacle to which Christie alluded in Parliament.  Rattled by Long Island MP Loretta Butler Turner in the House, Christie recited the PLP’s three election wins from the Elizabeth by-election, nearly three years ago, to that of North Abaco, as if to say, how dear you challenge me.

That his party failed to win a majority of the popular vote on May 7 – in part because of his leadership deficits and previous failures as prime minister – has not engendered in him any humility.  Christie’s arrogance is surreal.

It’s the same cloud nine he has been on since May 7, indicative of his narcissistic claim of divine provenance for his prime ministership:  “... But God has spoken.  God has made me the prime minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”

Often, narcissism’s fraternal twin is megalomania, a “condition characterized by delusional fantasies of ... omnipotence”, and “by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers.”

Debacle

Christie’s web cafe debacle was conceived in hubris and megalomania, nurtured in sheer incompetence and foisted on the Bahamian people with stunning miscalculation.  His cloud nine has turned to stormy weather.

Fresh off election wins, Christie miscalculated that he would rush through a vote that his party would win giving it political cover to legalize certain enterprises that might prove generous to his party in perpetuity.  Talk of neutrality was always a ruse.  His gambit, thus far, has backfired.

Still, Christie’s hubris was only outmatched by staggering incompetence.  To refresh our memories, let’s recall this government’s comedy of errors:

The PLP’s election charter promised a referendum on a national lottery and gambling.  The government flip-flopped by deciding to hold a referendum solely on web cafes, supposedly on the advice of UK consultants who apparently suggested that a national lottery was not commercially feasible, even though they have admitted to not conducting a more thorough study.

Remember also that Christie said the consultants were preparing a report, which now turns out to be just a few letters.  The breakneck flip-flopping continued: Christie then advised there would be a poll instead of a referendum.

Now, in the latest whip-lashing flip-flop, we are told that the referendum is back on and will include a question on a national lottery, the very lottery that was supposedly commercially non-feasible based on a report which seemingly never existed.  What a tangled web cafe weave.

So staggeringly incompetent has Christie been in this numbers affair, one wonders whether certain colleagues left him to his own devices, so that he might flail, flounder and flip-flop.  The prime minister’s attempt to extricate himself from this entanglement in his most recent House communication on gambling also failed.

Butler-Turner was having none of Christie’s flip-flopping, crying shame on the whole sham, taking Christie’s nerve while taking on a government which seemed dazed as she mocked its breath-taking hypocrisy and muddled thinking.

In a weak defense, Christie boasted of his numbers in the chamber, as if he was rallying his troops in the face of the Long Island MP’s singular offensive.  Curiously, despite the largest Cabinet since internal self-government in 1964, his government’s performance on the gambling issue has been a collective disaster.

Nevertheless, Christie’s leading and vociferous role in this policy and political mess has likely encouraged those within his Cabinet who would rather replace him sooner rather than later.

Bluster

Speaking of crocodile tears, as Christie did last week, an often telling sign that he is under the gun and/or on the losing side of an argument is that he becomes even more voluble and impassioned as he attempts to obfuscate certain facts with performance art, bluster, and often feigned hurt or sincerity, depending on the dramatic persona required.

He did so in the House, referring to those who are too stupid and blind to see certain facts, and those who are being “transparently opportunistic”.  Given Christie’s tin-ear, blinders, wholesale incompetence, collapsed credibility, dissembling and spectacularly opportunistic flip-flopping on this issue, his was not the best choice of language.

While Christie’s performance in the House last week may not be good enough for an Academy Award, it merits a nomination for a Daytime Emmy.  Unfortunately, his performance then and during the course of the current debate will not win him an award for excellence in public policy or good governance.

The very day that Christie was performing his latest flip-flop in the House, Fr. Jimmy Palacious lambasted the government’s web cafe intentions.  He lamented that this government would seek to push through a poll on gambling while women are constitutionally still unequal to men.

This is the crying shame of Perry Christie’s PLP, demonstrably quicker in seeking to secure the greed of private interests rather than the public good of the mass of Bahamians, and the equality of women.

Christie’s failure of leadership is not solely one of chronic incompetence.  More broadly and egregiously it is an outsized and shameful failure to keep faith with the Bahamian people and the demands of social justice.  No posturing, play-acting or preening by Perry Christie can obscure this sad reality.

November 20, 2012

thenassauguardian

frontporchguardian@gmail.com

www.bahamapundit.com>

[WikiLeaks] U.S. Embassy official in a 2004 diplomatic cable: Franklyn Wilson argued that the U.S. should support Perry Christie’s hope to become a regional leader since the Bahamian prime minister was America’s “Tony Blair” inside CARICOM

Cable: Wilson defended Christie to Americans

BY CANDIA DAMES
NG News Editor
thenassauguardian
candia@nasguard.com


Diplomatic cables reveal detailed discussions American diplomats had with prominent Bahamian businessman Franklyn Wilson who repeatedly defended the Pindling administration’s actions during the 1980s drug era, and also defended the Christie administration’s “record of inaction.”

“Mr. Wilson emotionally presented the case for Perry Christie, calling him the United States’ best friend inside CARICOM councils,” wrote a U.S. Embassy official in a 2004 cable.

The diplomat wrote that Wilson argued during a September 30, 2004 luncheon that the U.S. should support Christie’s hope to become a regional leader since the Bahamian prime minister was America’s “Tony Blair” inside CARICOM.

“Wilson again raised the prime minister’s belief that he was ignored and left exposed by the United States during events surrounding the resignation of Haitian ex-President Aristide and that he should have been consulted by senior [U.S. government] officials,” the diplomat wrote.

“Wilson claimed, however, that Christie bore no grudges at being left out of the loop by the United States and Canada.”

According to the cable, Wilson remained loyal to Christie, telling diplomats that Christie’s personality and manner made it possible for him to become friends with everyone, including President George W. Bush, thereby allowing him to exert a moderating and calming influence within CARICOM to counter the proclivities of that body’s more extreme members.

Wilson compared Christie to the late former prime minister Sir Lynden Pindling, saying Sir Lynden had quietly and effectively served as a moderating influence during the 1970s and thus served U.S. strategic interests, the cable said.

“What was true some 30 years ago, argued Wilson, was equally true today,” the embassy official said.

“The United States, continued Wilson, needed to ignore tactical deviations and remember that strategically Perry Christie was America’s best friend and supporter in the region.”

According to the cable, Wilson declared several times that the United States should support and enhance Christie’s stature within CARICOM in its own self-interest.

Wilson reportedly expressed the view that Christie believed that he had been in the forefront of the CARICOM effort to persuade the ex-Haitian president to peacefully resign his office.

“Given his leadership role in the effort, argued Wilson, the United States owed it to Christie to have received a call from senior [U.S. government] officials, or the White House, advising him ‘when the United States decided to change direction on Aristide’ and ‘remove him from power’.”

According to the cable, a U.S. Embassy official reminded Wilson that Christie had been briefed on the rapid spiral of breaking events leading up to Aristide demitting office and that CARICOM “was not an organization well-suited to handling crises.”

Noting that Prime Minister Christie was scheduled to speak at the approaching Miami Herald’s annual Americas Conference, the U.S. ambassador expressed the hope that Christie would take a positive position that reflected the deep, long-standing and overall positive relationship between the United States and the region, the cable said.

It noted that the theme of Christie’s remarks at the conference was ‘Friend or Foe? Can the Caribbean and the U.S. Repair Their Damaged Relations?’

The cable said Christie “feigned surprise” and dismay at the topic assigned to him when he had an opportunity to speak to a U.S. Embassy official before the trip.

The official expressed to Christie, according to the cable, the ambassador’s hope that he “would use his spotlight to focus on the overwhelmingly positive bilateral and mutually beneficial multilateral regional relationship and not engage in an unproductive negative analysis.”

SIR LYNDEN’S LEGACY

Referring again to Wilson, the embassy official noted that he has been closely identified with the PLP throughout his life and holds Sir Lynden “in a status close to sainthood.”

The official wrote that Wilson was a member of Christie’s “kitchen cabinet” and one of the PLP’s principal financiers and fundraisers.

“He is accustomed to serving as a transmission belt both to send, and to receive, messages intended for the prime minister,” the cable said.

The official wrote: “Wilson is very proud of his rise to meteoric wealth and, during the course of the meeting, repeatedly referred to his humble past, when, as the youngest of 11 children in a working class family, he had to sleep on the floor until his older sisters grew up and moved out of the house and a bed opened up for him.

“He is fanatically devoted to Pindling, who identified him, became his godfather, and opened the doors that allowed Wilson to be successful.”

In a 2003 cable, an embassy official described Wilson as a “bombastic speaker who frequently cuts others off in conversation.”

The official wrote that Wilson “spent much of the hour and half meeting offering a passionate defense of the record of Sir Lynden Pindling.”

“He insisted that allegations of narcotics corruption against Pindling were completely unfounded and claimed that the Commission of Inquiry bore him out on this point,” the cable said.

“He brushed aside questions about how Sir Lynden had amassed his obvious wealth during his years in office and the influence of notorious Colombian narcotics kingpin Carlos Lehder, and said that the stories about Pindling were the result of jealousy and ingratitude, a plot orchestrated by former U.S. Ambassador Carol Boyd Hallett and former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham who ‘wouldn’t have been anything without Pindling’.”

Wilson told the Americans, according to the cable, “no one has cooperated more” with the U.S. on drug interdiction than Pindling and said the seizure statistics bear him out on this assertion.

The diplomat wrote: “He expressed great scorn toward Hubert Ingraham for betraying Pindling then setting out to destroy his reputation after Ingraham became prime minister, which Wilson claimed destroyed Pindling’s health and led to his death.

“Wilson said that only when Pindling neared his death did Ingraham ‘repent’ and seek reconciliation with Pindling on the latter’s death bed.

“Wilson claimed that the impressive sendoff given to Pindling by Ingraham’s government when he died in 2000 was proof that Ingraham felt remorseful about what he had done to Pindling’s reputation.”

According to the cable, Wilson believed that the seeds of the PLP’s 2002 election victory were laid at Pindling’s funeral, as the state ceremony and effusive eulogies allowed the PLP to escape from its image of corruption.

In the cable, Wilson and Bishop Neil Ellis were described as “the two individuals outside of the Bahamian government considered to have the most influence on Prime Minister Perry Christie’s government.”

Jun 09, 2011

thenassauguardian

George Smith - former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) MP says that he hopes his party's supporters will see the wisdom in his words about the withdrawal of certain PLP candidates from the upcoming general election

Ex-PLP MP defends controversial letter


By PAUL G TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
pturnquest@tribunemedia.net



DEFENDING the letter he co-penned calling for the withdrawal of certain PLP candidates from the upcoming general election, former PLP MP George Smith said that in the passage of time he hopes his party's supporters will see the wisdom in his words.

Speaking with The Tribune yesterday, Mr Smith said he, with former PLP chairman Raynard Rigby and former campaign coordinator Philip Galanis, were not being critical of these particular candidates because they believed what was being said about them - but rather there is a "perception" that surrounds some of them.

"If the public perceives you to be something, that is what you are. I don't believe that anybody, principally the leader, can put affection for any individual above the good of the Bahamas, the good of the party, and I believe - since I believe the PLP is the best party in the Bahamas - we should remove as many stumbling blocks as possible. And it is not always easy to do that. Sometimes you have to ask your best friend to move aside," he said.

Mr Smith was referring to a letter that he, Mr Rigby and Mr Galanis wrote to PLP leader Perry Christie urging him to block the nominations of Shane Gibson, Vincent Peet, Obie Wilchcombe, V Alfred Gray, Leslie Miller, Anthony Moss and Picewell Forbes for fear that their nominations could hurt the party on a national scale if the varied pasts of some of them were once again highlighted during a general election campaign.

The PLP's leader went on record to express his disappointment that this "internal" letter had been leaked to the press.

However, Mr Christie said, he was not going to be distracted by this latest incident and that his party remains focused on supporting the "excellent candidates" and hardworking activists who comprise his party.

Vetting

"Each and every candidate is required to undergo a vigorous vetting process - a process that is open, fair and transparent. All voices are welcome, and the process is both balanced and inclusive," Mr Christie said.

While accepting this, Mr Smith said that a requirement not to run "tainted" candidates does not come from a fear that the FNM will gain some political mileage, but rather a belief that the people of the country ought to have faith that the people who represent them in Parliament will always put the welfare of the country above their own personal interests.

"That has to be obvious. If the public believes you are in there to enrich yourself, even if you don't, if the public believes it, they will question your activities.

"And, it's like if a fella' has a weakness in a particular area, if he is for instance a gambler, you have to be very careful how you expose him to the great temptation of money. That got one politician in trouble.

"Or if a fella' is a heavy womanizer, you have to be careful that you protect him from his own weakness.

"And some of us became victims and paid prices because of perception and that is how it is."

Mr Smith said that this advice is, of course, applicable to the FNM as well.

"They have people there who the people have had cause to question, Tommy Turnquest, and Dion Foulkes, and you have to recognise that my actions in this instance will do damage to my party," he said.

Mr Smith also highlighted, however, that he does believe in rehabilitation.

"If any wrong that I may have committed, if I was sentenced to a prison term, I would have been out long time. But I also believe that our society should be a forgiving society. So if some of these fella's would just step aside and acknowledge that my action in this particular thing was wrong, and not because it was legally wrong, it was perceived to be wrong. Step aside, and come back," he said.

Mr Smith gave the famous example of Jamaica's former Prime Minister, PJ Patterson, who was forced to resign as the Minister of Finance to later return as chairman of his party and then eventually become Prime Minister.

"I also believe that the problem we are facing in this country is, I am not sure if (Prime Minister) Ingraham and other people who call themselves leaders look at themselves and look and say am I a liability?" he laughed.

Having been roundly criticised on the talkshows for the now infamous letter, Mr Smith said people have a right to "cuss him."

But, at the end of the day he asked, "is my message right?"

May 18, 2011

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

Raynard Rigby - former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) chairman resigned from a crucial party election committee

Rigby resigns from PLP committee

By CANDIA DAMES
Guardian News Editor
candia@nasguard.com

Many PLPs angered by letter to Christie


A day after The Nassau Guardian revealed that three influential members of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) were seeking to block the re-nomination of several PLP members of Parliament, former party chairman Raynard Rigby resigned from a crucial party election committee.

The Nassau Guardian confirmed that Rigby resigned yesterday as the coordinator of the southwest constituencies for the party in the upcoming general election.

It was considered a key position as the PLP oils its machinery for what some pundits think will shape up to be a bitterly fought battle at the polls.

Rigby told The Guardian he had no comment on the matter.

As the party has already gone into campaign mode, Rigby was selected to organize the party’s efforts in southwest New Providence.

As was reported exclusively by The Guardian Monday, Rigby was one of the authors of a letter written to PLP leader Perry Christie, urging him to make “bold decisions” with respect to party nominations.

The other authors of the letter were Philip Galanis, a former parliamentarian who organized the party’s re-election effort in 2007, and George Smith, a former parliamentarian and Cabinet minister.

The three men are against the nominations of Shane Gibson (Golden Gates); Vincent Peet (North Andros and the Berry Islands); Obie Wilchcombe (West End and Bimini); V. Alfred Gray (MICAL); Picewell Forbes (South Andros); Leslie Miller (Blue Hills) and Anthony Moss (Exuma).

They also said the party must be in a position to defend Arnold Forbes (Mount Moriah) in the event he faces any attacks over a reported challenge in his professional life.

Wilchcombe, Gray, Miller and Arnold Forbes have been ratified by the party’s National General Council.

Still, Rigby, Smith and Galanis suggested that these nominations ought to be reviewed if the party is to have a chance of winning the election.

They believe that the various controversies would hurt the party’s chances at the polls.

Christie has already expressed disappointment that someone leaked the letter to The Guardian and many within the party are calling for the heads of the three authors.

They have come under fire from PLPs angry that they would even suggest the men are not suited to run on the PLP’s ticket.

Rigby, Galanis and Smith are themselves no strangers to controversy. They are among the most outspoken men in the PLP. Rigby has made several candid comments since the 2007 election that have angered some PLPs.

In 2008, Rigby blasted the opposition for “failing to properly address national issues”.

At the time, he said: "I think the opposition has demonstrated a degree of strength, however, there appears to be a lack of coordination between what is being done in Parliament and what is required to be done outside of Parliament by the party and its broad-based membership."

Earlier, he said a number of things went wrong for the PLP in the last election.

"People were not connected to our message. People did not understand what the government was trying to achieve by these anchor development projects," he said.

"People didn’t get a sense that the government was close enough to them."

Rigby — who made the remarks after the last general election while he was still PLP chairman — said the party probably made some errors in judgment as it related to selecting candidates.

"And I think by and large people bought into this question of Mr. Christie that he was weak and indecisive and we allowed the FNM, to a very great extent, to determine the issues in the election, and they focused purely on issues of leadership," he said at the time.

In 2009, Rigby said publicly that it was inappropriate for Wilchcombe to serve as chairman of the approaching PLP convention and run for the deputy leadership post.

And on numerous occasions, Rigby has publicly criticized Christie’s leadership.

But the various controversies were set aside several months ago when the party’s leadership appointed Rigby coordinator for the southwest constituencies for the approaching election.

Some observers viewed it as a “kiss and make-up” between Rigby and Christie.

Christie has repeatedly talked about the importance of the party getting an early start as the campaign season approaches.

It announced candidates for the 2007 election just several weeks before voters went to the polls.

In addition to Wilchcombe, Gray, Miller and Arnold Forbes, the PLP has already made key selections for the upcoming election.

They are: Renardo Curry (North Abaco); Dr. Andre Rollins (Fort Charlotte); Alex Storr (Long Island and Ragged Island) Tanisha Tynes (Lucaya); Clay Sweeting (North Eleuthera); Dr. Bernard J. Nottage (Bain and Grants Town); Fred Mitchell (Fox Hill); Frank E. Smith (St. Thomas More); Melanie Griffin (Yamacraw); Glenys Hanna-Martin (Englerston); Cleola Hamilton (South Beach); Dion Smith (Kennedy); Gregory Moss (Marco City); Dr. Michael Darville (Pineridge); Jerome Gomez (Killarney); Dr. Daniel Johnson (Carmichael); Senator Jerome K. Fitzgerald (Marathon); Senator Michael Halkitis (Golden Isles); Senator C.V. Hope Strachan (Sea Breeze) and Dr. Kendal V.O. Major (Garden Hills).

5/18/2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

Prominent Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) members want several PLP Members of Parliament to not receive nominations to run in the next general election

PLPs move to block nominations... Christie asked to make ‘bold’ decisions


By CANDIA DAMES
Guardian News Editor
candia@nasguard.com


Three prominent members of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) are appealing to party leader Perry Christie to ensure that several PLP Members of Parliament do not receive nominations to run in the next general election, claiming the party might be guaranteed a loss with them on the ticket.

Former parliamentarian George Smith, former PLP chairman Raynard Rigby, and Philip Galanis, who coordinated the party’s campaign in 2007, wrote to Christie recently and suggested the party could not win at the polls if it runs Shane Gibson (Golden Gates); Vincent Peet (North Andros), Obie Wilchcombe (West End and Bimini) and V. Alfred Gray (MICAL).

The party has not yet announced any candidates for those constituencies but there is a widely held view inside and outside the PLP that the incumbents will seek re-election.

Smith, Rigby and Galanis also suggested to Christie that former Minister Leslie Miller, who has already been ratified by the National General Council of the PLP for Blue Hills, be removed from the ticket.

“We also hold the view that the candidacy of Anthony Moss and Picewell Forbes must be carefully reviewed based on the need to have competent and capable candidates, worthy of service in the Cabinet of The Bahamas,” the men wrote.

In the letter, dated May 5, 2011, the prominent PLPs also pointed to the Greenberg Quinlan Rosner report, completed in 2007 after the party’s defeat at the polls.

The researchers hired by the PLP concluded that the PLP faced four fundamental challenges: Expanding the party's base; cleansing the party's reputation; conveying former Prime Minister Perry Christie's leadership qualities and advancing a progressive social agenda.

A majority of Bahamian voters surveyed by the internationally-renowned research group said they did not vote for the PLP because they perceived Christie to be a weak and indecisive leader.

The researchers — who reportedly surveyed more than 1,200 people — also concluded that the PLP lost in part because of perceptions that its government was scandal-ridden.

Smith, Rigby and Galanis said this “disturbing” perception must be addressed and it must be evident in the candidates selected.

“We also hold the view that the party and its leadership must seek to restore the confidence that the people lost in the party,” the authors of the letter added.

“...We are confident that the Bahamian people will see you as a different kind of leader if you act now to safeguard the interest of the party.

“In fact, the Bahamian people elected the PLP, under your leadership in 2002, because you took a principled position and publicly declared that you preferred to lose doing what was right rather than to win doing what was wrong.

“It is our view that this same approach must be employed by you during the upcoming election so that the Bahamian people can be convinced that your leadership will be transforming.”

Most of the MPs named in the letter have all come under fire at some point in various controversies that have ensnared the party.

Gibson resigned from Christie’s Cabinet in early 2007 after The Tribune newspaper printed photographs of him in an intimate embrace with the late actress Anna Nicole Smith. He was accused by the Free National Movement (FNM) of fast-tracking the residency application of Smith, who had become a close family friend.

However, Gibson was still nominated for the 2007 election and was re-elected.

However, the Greenberg report pointed to the Anna Nicole controversy as one of the reasons for the PLP’s defeat in 2007.

Around the same time as that debacle was grabbing headlines, another minister was embroiled in what some termed a significant scandal.

Peet — who was once a young minister in the Cabinet of the late former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling — faced a whirlwind of controversy after information came to light that his driver stole a substantial sum of money from his bedroom closet. At the time of the theft, he was minister of labor and immigration in the Christie Cabinet.

Peet sued Hubert Ingraham as leader of the FNM for comments he made at several rallies over the money-in-the-closet incident. However, there is no evidence the lawsuit went anywhere.

More recently, Wilchcombe was questioned by police in connection with the alleged attempted extortion of American actor John Travolta.

The MP was never charged with a crime and was one of the witnesses in the case against his friend and business partner, attorney Pleasant Bridgewater, who at the time was a PLP senator.

Many observers believe the incident hurt Wilchcombe’s chances of becoming deputy leader of the party. Many observers inside and outside the PLP also believe he could never make a successful bid at the leadership.

Prior to the Travolta matter, Wilchcombe had been widely viewed as a likely successor to Christie.

The alleged plot was reportedly hatched in January 2009, not long after Travolta’s teenage son died on Grand Bahama.

In October that year, Forbes, the South Andros MP, declared while on stage at a PLP convention that Bridgewater was a free woman.

But the jury in the case was still deliberating. Senior Justice Anita Allen (now Court of Appeal president) declared a mistrial in the case.

In an unrelated matter, Gray threatened to sue The Tribune and the Punch over certain allegations relating to his alleged conduct.

These matters have long faded from the headlines, but Smith, Rigby and Galanis believe they could come back to haunt the PLP during the approaching campaign season.

“WEAK AND INDECISIVE”

In the run-up to the 2007 general election, the FNM, using a string of alleged scandals in the then-governing party to bolster its case, pointed to Christie's perceived "weak and indecisive" leadership style.

The three authors of the letter to Christie believe this perception has not gone away.
They wrote: “We also cannot lose sight of the fact that there is a growing perception that you are indecisive.

“This is a perception that the FNM will attempt to use as their advantage. We have already seen signs of their use over the past few weeks.

“Faced with this reality, it is our considered view that to defeat the impact of the FNM’s characterizations of your style of leadership, bold decisions must be made about the party’s ticket in the next election.

“This will allow you to speak to the intellectual and moral depth of the team and to demonstrate to the public that those who have (and continue to have) a negative perception were dropped from the ticket, a bold decision that you made as leader.

“To show your strength as leader, you must act with boldness and the public will see that you understood what our defeat in 2007 was about.”

Explaining why they believe the Miller nomination should be withdrawn, Smith, Rigby and Galanis pointed to the recent controversy in which Miller found himself when the Department of Customs initially refused to release one of his containers.

Customs Comptroller Glenn Gomez had said documentation needed to clear the container was incorrect and he also claimed that Miller, a prominent businessman, owed the department a substantial sum of money.

Miller told The Nassau Guardian at the time that there were errors with the invoices. The container was eventually released after payment was made.

He also strongly denied he owed a substantial amount in duties.

Still, the authors of the letter believe this situation could reflect poorly on the party in the campaign.

Referring to Miller, Gibson, Peet, Wilchcombe and Gray, the three prominent PLPs wrote to Christie: “We also fully appreciate the fact that these men served in your Cabinet.

“This makes the decision more important as it is likely that upon the party’s return to the government, you are more likely than not to extend to them similar postings.”

They added, “It is our considered view that the cloud and perception that encircle them are too much for the party to address during an intense and fiercely divided campaign.

“As you know, the good of one man should never overshadow the good of the thousands of supporters who expect us to do all in our power to secure the party’s victory.

“This must be our sacred approach to the selection and identification of our standard bearers in this election cycle.”

Referring to Moss and Forbes, the letter writers said, “We have been led to understand that these men have lost considerable influence and ground in their respective constituencies and the party must ensure that their presence on the ticket will not lead to defeats in these areas.

“Exuma and South Andros are valuable to the party in forming the next government and therefore all efforts must be employed to ensure that our base is galvanized behind these incumbents, otherwise the party must begin the search for new ‘winning’ candidates.”

The party has already ratified the candidacy of attorney Arnold Forbes for Mount Moriah, but Smith, Rigby and Galanis also advised Christie that this decision ought to be reviewed.

May 16, 2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

Branville McCartney - Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader will have to get used to attacking Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham - if he hopes to survive in Bahamian politics

The new party in Parliament

thenassauguardian editorial



The official launch of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) last night means that a third party will be represented in Parliament for the first time since Dr. Bernard Nottage represented the Coalition for Democratic Reform (CDR) in 2002.

When the House of Assembly reconvenes for the budget communication at the end of the month, McCartney will be representing the fledgling party he leads.

McCartney has been civil in his remarks regarding the governing Free National Movement (FNM) since he left the party in March. That will have to change if he hopes to survive in politics.

Opposition politics is about opposing the government; it is about roughing up the government; it is about demonstrating to the public that the governing side is unfit to govern.

McCartney will have to get used to attacking Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. He will also have to get accustomed to being attacked in return by Ingraham. Ingraham made his mark in the 1992 campaign by taking the fight right to the incumbent, Sir Lynden Pindling. The ‘Delivery Boy’ challenged ‘The Chief’.

To be truthful, thus far, it appears as if McCartney is afraid of confronting Ingraham directly in the public sphere. Maybe in the weeks and months to come, he will prove us wrong.

Bran will also have to learn how to fight the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). The opposition party has been happy with McCartney because he has fallen out with Ingraham and the FNM. He now has to also prove in the House of Assembly that Perry Christie and his PLP are too disorganized and inadequate to be elected.

Parliament is a place where McCartney can shine in the months remaining before the next general election. But, he will not shine as a timid accommodating nice guy. The public wants to see if the Bamboo Town MP has what it takes to start an enduring political force in the country.

All eyes will be on McCartney from here to the election. He is an experiment. Will Bahamians continue to vote for the two main parties overwhelmingly just because they are used to? Or, will the new DNA party get some votes and make an impact?

For McCartney, each parliamentary debate going forward will be a showcase of his talents or shortcomings. He should use these precious moments well.

5/13/2011

thenassauguardian editorial

Bahamas Blog International

Tommy Turnquest: ...the high level of violent crime in the country does not mean the governing Free National Movement (FNM) has failed in its anti-crime efforts

Turnquest: Govt has not failed on crime

By CANDIA DAMES
NG News Editor
candia@nasguard.com


In the lead-up to the 2007 general election, concerns about the high level of violent crime were high on the Free National Movement (FNM) party’s list of talking points.

At a rally on April 27, just days before the vote, then FNM leader Hubert Ingraham pointed out that Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leader Perry Christie had declared a week before the 2002 election that “any government which couldn’t get crime under control had no right to brag about anything else.”

“Now he’s going all over the country bragging about the little record they do have,” Ingraham told rally-goers that night.

“They didn’t bring crime under control and they did very little else. The PLP, which offered so much on the issue of crime, couldn’t even buy police new vehicles on time.

“Now they tell us they have a new major four-point crime plan. Where was that plan in the last couple of years?”

During the campaign, Ingraham and the FNM vowed strong action against crime.

The FNM won the election four years ago yesterday. The PLP’s record was not enough to win it re-election.

Today, crime and the fear of crime remain high.

But Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest said yesterday that the high level of violent crime in the country does not mean the FNM has failed in its anti-crime efforts.

“We accept that crime is at an unacceptable level,” he said.

“We accept the fact that crime is a major issue in the country today, that as the government of The Bahamas it’s our responsibility to take the lead and to lead the way in the fight against crime.

“But our crime situation is multi-faceted. There are a lot of social problems that we have to deal with and that we continue to deal with.

“It’s not just a matter of providing additional resources to the police, which we have done. It’s also dealing with those social issues which we are addressing.

“It’s also dealing with the challenges within the judicial system which we are also dealing with. So it’s not the fact that we have failed in regard to it; I don’t think we have failed at all.

“I think we have to ensure that those hardened criminals who continue to beat our judicial system are put behind bars.”

In a statement slamming the FNM government on its fourth anniversary in office yesterday, the PLP pointed to the high murder rate, and added, “The FNM claims to have a plan for crime, but during the prime minister’s national address (last week) he promised to get back to the Bahamian people on his plan for crime.

“This is proof positive that the issues that are most important to the Bahamian people are not the priorities of the FNM government.

“Further, on their watch the fear of crime has increased so much so that people are afraid to leave their homes. Whatever measures the FNM government has taken were ineffective in arresting this scourge that threatens our national security and continued economic viability.”

Turnquest said of the 43 murders that have been recorded so far this year, 23 were as a result of conflicts and retaliation.

“When you look at those statistics you have to put this whole crime scenario in proper context,” he said.

Asked if the Ingraham administration has been aggressive enough in dealing with the crime problem, Turnquest said, “We have been extremely aggressive. While we haven’t been very talkative about it, we’ve been very steadfast in getting things done.

“That’s been our focus.”

He said the government has provided the necessary resources for law enforcement officers and the necessary infrastructure for the judiciary.

“We continue to be very focused,” Turnquest said. “Our strategy continues to be very resourceful, to be very focused.”

PLP’s 2007 CRIME PLAN

In its crime plan released right before the 2007 general election, the PLP promised to involve all stakeholders — the security forces, political organizations, central and local government and government agencies, civil society, and residents through island-wide consultations — on the appropriate elements needed for the implementation of its National Crime Prevention Programme.

The party pledged that within six months of a second term in office it would position the police force to be "more preemptive in the fight against crime in the 21st Century."

"We will make available the additional capital resources for effective police and defense forces," the party’s Action Agenda said.

"We will provide them with the necessary resources to ensure their modernization by the provision of cutting edge technology to assist with criminal investigation and communication tools."

The PLP also promised in its Action Agenda that the police force would receive an expanded fleet of patrol cars and officers along with the requisite resources to support 24-hour a day patrolling in the 25 districts of New Providence.

Additionally, it pledged to expand the number of police stations on Family Islands and in New Providence to ensure increased police presence.

"We will upgrade the system and response rate for calls to the police emergency numbers by ensuring that the ratio of cars to the mobile unit is appropriate and by providing the required amount of multi-purpose vehicles," the Action Agenda said.

The PLP also pledged to provide the necessary resources to continue the illegal drug fight.

The party further promised that if elected to a second term, it would: expand community-policing; encourage the establishment of additional community neighborhood watch programs; identify areas of potential conflict in communities and establish strategic alliances with the church; strengthen and promote the Witness Protection Program; and ensure a reduction in domestic violence.

The Action Agenda said the PLP would also introduce legislation to establish an Armed Forces Complaints Agency to monitor and investigate complaints against police, the defence force and the other uniformed agencies.

At the time of the document’s release, then Prime Minister Perry Christie said, "Ours is the only plan that offers innovative and viable strategies, and real hope, for conquering this menace (crime) once and for all."

5/3/2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International