The Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation is said to be in serious financial straits.
Minister of Trade and Industry Leslie Miller made the disclosure Monday night, after Free National Movement Leader, Senator Tommy Turnquest called for the immediate dismissal of Holy Cross MP Sidney Stubbs as Executive Chairman of BAIC, who he accused of victimising a number of persons because of their political affiliation.
Mr. Turnquest, in a two-page release sent to The Guardian, claimed political victimisation, as the employees who were dismissed were said to be supporters of the Free National Movement.
“We in the Free National Movement now publicly call upon Prime Minister Perry Christie to remove Mr. Stubbs from his position as Executive Chairman of BAIC with immediate effect, and to ensure that whomever succeeds Mr. Stubbs at the Corporation clearly understands that Bahamians, whether they be FNMs or otherwise, are not to be victimised or otherwise disadvantaged because of their politics,” Senator Turnquest said.
It is the view of the party, he said, that Mr. Stubbs has shown himself “to be unfit” to serve in a position of public trust and authority.
Mr. Stubbs “unilaterally sought to deprive hardworking Bahamians of their means of livelihood,” Mr Turnquest charged.
Those employees termined are: Fred Williamson, Yelverton Cox, Joyce Treco, Levant Thurston, Darrell Granger and Bert Mullins. Mr Miller, however, disclosed that long-time employee Geoffrey Stuart resigned last Thursday.
The employees held various posts, ranging from manager to administrator to handyman, and spent between two to nine years at the Corporation.
Mr. Stubbs reportedly issued the letters of dismissal sometime last week. The Guardian attempted to contact him at his BAIC office on two occasions, but was told he was in a meeting.
Mr. Turnquest also alleged that Mr. Stubbs sent several letters to the Acting General Manager, using language unbecoming for an elected public official.
“In perhaps the most disgusting of those letters to the acting General Manager, the Executive Chairman abusively – twice – described the acting GM as a ‘festering sore on the backside of the Corporation,” the Senator said.
An Executive Chairman, particularly one who is a Member of Parliament, is bound to uphold the Prime Minister’s Code of Ethics, Mr Turnquest said, which states that it is of primary importance that Ministers observe – and be seen to observe – the highest standards of probity in public life.
“The FNM is appalled that a Member of Parliament would behave in such a manner, and the only reasonable course of action for the Prime Minister to take in order to instil public confidence in the integrity of the political directorate of The Bahamas is to dismiss Mr. Stubbs immediately,” Mr Turnquest said.
“We in the Free National Movement, and indeed all the Bahamian people,” the Opposition leader said, “call on Mr. Christie to stand and deliver on his documented pledge that he will not tolerate victimisation on the part of no one, in or near his administration.”
The Guardian has learned that the victimisation claims comes on the heael of a police investigation into reports that Corporation employees were down-loading pornographic websites on the in-house system or on Mr. Stubb’s computer using his name.
Mr. Stubbs was appointed Executive Chairman of BAIC in July.
Defending Mr Stubbs’ actions, Mr. Miller acknowledged that some employees were terminated, but not because of their political affiliation.
“I don’t see the need for the requesting of Mr. Stubbs to be removed from his post by the Prime Minister. He has certainly not contravened any of the Acts put in place,” he said.
Mr Miller conceded however that Stubbs may have been a “little harsh in his tone and his style of writing letters to perhaps one of the employees, and that is Mr. Stuart, who resigned last week Thursday from the Corporation.”
“I think he may be sort of gung-ho in his way of doing things. But in the urgency of trying to save public funds, knowing the dire situation at the Corporation at this time, one does not have to necessarily agree with his methodology and the actions taken to date, but one has to look at the bigger picture and ascertain whether the Corporation could continue to sustain itself as a viable entity under the present circumstances,” the Trade Minister said.
All of the dismissed persons received two weeks salary, in lieu of notice, in addition to other remuneration, Miller said. If it could be shown that victimisation was involved, the dismissal letters would be rescinded, he challenged.
He said it was indicated quite clearly during the election campaign that there would be no victimisation of persons.
Confirming that the employees were made redundant, he said, “The Corporation is now going through a process now of evaluating the needs of the Corporation with regards to the dire financial situation the Corporation presently finds itself in.”
He said the Corporation has an overall budget of some $1.6 million, and of that, $1.2 million is for staff emoluments. It is also understood that the Corporation has a bank overdraft of $500,000.
“Clearly the Corporation is heading towards a situation similar in part to Bahamasair, or the Water and Sewerage Corporation. Whether that is in the best interest of the Bahamian people or the people’s Treasury, I don’t know. I don’t think it is,” Minister Miller said.
As the minister responsible, he continued, there is certainly a need to take an in-depth look at the needs of the Corporation as it tries to carry out its mandate to assist local entrepreneurs in trying to get their respective projects off the ground and functioning properly.
“The Corporation has a role to play in the economic life of The Bahamas; however, the financial consideration is of grave concern to myself as the minister responsible. When the Public Treasury have to fund an entity such as BAIC on a continual basis, one has to stop and assess whether all the employees or staff that is there is warranted,” he said.
There exists much “overlapping of responsibilities” at the Corporation, he observed.
Questioned as to whether more lay-offs could be expected, Mr Miller answered that after a thorough analysis, “other retrenchments will take place at the Corporation to make it a viable entity.”
The Corporation is overstaffed, he reiterated, and it will be up to the Executive Chairman, the Board of Directors and the senior management team to evaluate how best to put BAIC in a position to be effective and not be a burden on the taxpayers of the country.
He anticipated that by the end of the month the board would be able to make concrete recommendations on a course of action that would eventually enable the Corporation to wean itself from its dependence on the Public Treasury.
By Keva Lightbourne, The Nassau Guardian
