The party is also challenging the government to explain why Sidney Stubbs, who resigned as chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation, is still in possession of a red-plated government vehicle.
During its weekly press conference at FNM headquarters on Mackey Street, FNM deputy leader Sidney Collie made his statement at the same time that party colleagues were raising the issue in the House of Assembly. Accusing the fishing company Netsiwill of several breaches of Bahamian regulations, Mr Collie said: “Earlin Williams is the chief man -he’s the CEO. He certainly should not be in possession of any government job at this time.”
The Tribune has learned that Mr Williams has a two-year contract with Bahamas Information Services and is still on the payroll. Mr Collie asked: “How and why can Earlin Williams, and whosoever else is involved in Netsiwill, so brazenly countermand what the government has said, and make the word of the Prime Minister seem useless and powerless?
“Is that any way to run a country? Where is the moral authority in all this?” There are more questions on this matter, said Mr Collie, which he is calling on Prime Minister Perry Christie to answer “so that the Bahamian people can understand these matters and can be assured that they have a responsible and accountable government.
“The Free National Movement and the Bahamian people will not tolerate those 15 fishing vessels and that mother ship in this country. The PLP government is trying the Bahamian people’s patience. Those boats should have left.
Threatened
“They should have been long gone, and we put the PLP on notice that the fishermen in Andros are up in arms; their livelihoods are threatened; Bahamians generally don’t like the smell of this whole affair; and we want to warn the PLP not to push the Bahamian people any further on this issue. Do the right thing – get those boats, like they promised, out of this country,” he said.
That promise, said Mr Collie, was given to the public two full weeks ago.
“Not only have the 15 boats not left the Bahamas, but a mother ship has arrived, presumably with a permit, and the head of Netsiwill, whose CEO Earlin Williams claimed he was victimised by Mr Christie’s government, now says it will be business as usual with the boats.
“We speak for all right-thinking Bahamians when we ask: Just who is running the government – Earlin Williams and Netsiwill or Perry Christie and his Cabinet?”
The FNM is concerned that Netsiwill may actually go ahead with its fishing operation despite the fact that experts have warned that the methods the Koreans propose to use would be destructive to marine life.
“We have seen reliable information to the effect that the traditional fishing practices of the Koreans and others supplying the live fish market are not sustainable, and this is evident by the fact that although at one time not very long ago the Koreans had one of the richest and most diverse marine areas in the world, they must now travel to other fishing areas to supply their own markets,” said Mr Collie.
“We are going to educate the Bahamian people and perform our constitutional duty by holding the government’s feet to the fire. Any other alternative action we propose to take we will let you know in due course.
“The FNM in its nine and a half years of administration followed our investment policy strictly to the “T”. If foreigners and Bahamian joint ventures did not comply with the provisions, the development of the project would have never gotten any approval.
“The FNM was a government in the sunshine with transparency and no-one can point a finger, when it comes to approving these kinds of ventures, that we circumvented the law. We challenge the PLP to say the same thing.”
By Felicity Ingraham, The Tribune
