As Leader of the Opposition, I have been astounded to see how the PLP has already allowed their second chance at rendering good, effective governance to degenerate into one of dishonour, an apparent unwillingness to adhere to the will of the people and an inglorious streak of scandalous revelations.
It is appalling to note that, in less than a year, one Chairman was asked to resign, another Chairman has contradicted his Prime Minister’s flowery outlook on the recently held referendum and a number of wayward Ministers are simply running little kingdoms and doing their own thing — running roughshod over PM Perry Christie and insulting the Bahamian people with conduct that is simply unbecoming any holder of such an office.
The recent referendum, held on January 28th, was a disorganised mess that seemingly only made sense to the governing party and the Vote Yes lobbyists, especially since the Bahamian people soundly rejected both of the questions presented to them.
Across the archipelago, Bahamians voted ‘no’ as it seems many were either steered by their reliance on their moral compasses, felt that the proposed questions were ambiguous and intellectually insulting and/or lacked the requisite information needed to make an informed decision.
In fact, the PLP—after delaying their original date for the so-called referendum (December 3)—claimed that they had done so to engender sound debate and to ensure that an effective public education campaign was mounted.
Frankly, the public can — I believe — very easily attest to the fact that beyond a few forays into the subject by private media entities, the government stood back and seemingly relied on the spendthrift ground campaign of the numbers bosses.
Clearly, as the results rolled in on January 28th, the PLP was in shock and awe as it seems that the governing party, even whilst not properly informing the Bahamian public, was totally unprepared for the landslide “no vote”.
As the leader of the Free National Movement, I must express my congratulations to the Bahamas Christian Council and the Bahamian people for defeating an effort that was an affront to us, as it was recklessly carried out and seemed unrepresentative of the hallmarks of democracy. We live in an information age and long gone are the days when governments and political figures can pull the wool over the Bahamian people’s eyes or simply starve them of information and expect them to do their bidding. As it stands, it seems that the PLP has yet to grasp that notion.
In recent times, the callous issuance of the nolle prosequi by the Attorney General’s office to a former client (whilst in private practice) of Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson has captured the public’s attention and that of the legal fraternity. Frankly, the issuance of the nolle—relative to a firearms possession charge, etcetera—appears to have been a gross exploitation of the prosecutorial arm of our nation’s Executive branch.
When one thinks that the Attorney General found herself out of the country and Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald — whilst acting in her stead — took such a prejudicial stance in issuing a nolle for so-called “national security issues”, one wonders now if they have us for a nation of no intellectual firepower — one wonders if they see all of us as imbeciles. Someone must be fired or made to resign for this gross miscarriage of justice and yet the Prime Minister has failed to act in ensuring that our justice system is protected!
Moreover, the Prime Minister promised that he would ensure that I receive the file relative to the so-called “national security” reasons for which the nolle prosequi was issued. I can inform the Bahamian people that, as with everything else, Prime Minister Christie has yet to deliver and I wonder what funny business — if any — they are so engaged in that the file is still outstanding.
The Prime Minister, having specifically communicated to Parliament and the Bahamian people that the Leader of the Opposition, by virtue of his constitutional office, is entitled to have access to the file is placing himself in contempt both to Parliament and the people in continuing to fail or refuse the access as promised.
I once again call on the Prime Minister, in the name of his employers—the Bahamian people—to inform the Opposition of the so-called “national security” issues that led to the nolle and to produce all files concerning the same.
Secondly, I wish to address another outstanding matter that the Bahamian people must be concerned with—certainly, many nurses at the Princess Margaret Hospital and at polyclinics across this archipelago have expressed disparagement and disgust that Cleola Hamilton, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continues to hold the Presidency of the Nurses Union (taking home both salaries).
The leadership of the FNM is appalled that Cleola Hamilton, the PLP’s MP for South Beach, continues to take a most egregious and patently unethical stance in her continued retention of the presidency of the Nurses Union (since May 7, 2012). This smacks of a blatant, inexcusable conflict of interest.
How does Mrs Hamilton expect to adorn herself in the cloak of unionism and, at the same time, also serve as an elected member within the government’s innermost framework?
Certainly, Mrs Hamilton must have not yet come to an understanding of the concept of serving one master because she unashamedly attempts to serve two and, no doubt, could potentially render a gross disservice to one of the parties.
Indeed, the Nurses Union deserves a President who has their interests and concerns at heart as opposed to one whose conflicting interests could possibly subjugate their concerns to that of her political masters and/or in the pursuit of political mileage.
Why does Cleola Hamilton seem to desperately need to cling to power on two starkly different fronts—that is, that of unionist and that of government representative? Why did she not do the right thing and release her grip on the reigns of the Nurses Union long before this recent discovery?
Cleola Hamilton must do the honourable thing! She has served her time and therefore ought to resign her post. In fact, Mrs. Hamilton should have resigned as President of the Nurses Union at the very moment that she decided to accept the PLP’s nomination.
The FNM decries such shameful conduct and is most astounded by what can only be seen as a low point in the noted history of this most respectable union and the professionals it represents. Surely, Mrs. Hamilton should have known that the Nurses Union caters to some of the medical and allied professions best and brightest minds and that its purpose is to serve the interests of PLPs, FNMs, DNAs and Independents alike.
Mrs Hamilton should resign her post as President of the Nurses Union forthwith, offer the members of this noble profession an apology and, we would argue, resign her post as a Parliamentary Secretary in the face of such an obvious breach of ethical governance.
Cleola Hamilton’s actions are once again evident of the failure of Prime Minister Perry Christie to monitor and enforce standards of conduct governing his Members of Parliament, Parliamentary Secretaries and Ministers.
The PLP had promised 10,000 jobs immediately, however, the only jobs created were given to PLP supporters after firing FNM supporters as seen in the Urban Renewal 2.0 Programme as well as the retired pensionable PLP supporters returned to public service.
Young Bahamians continued to suffer the greatest unemployment increase further marginalising their future and that of their potential opportunities. Does the Prime Minister care about the future of young Bahamians? Does he believe in their potential and in affording them the opportunities of gainful employment?
The PLP sold the Bahamian people dreams, lots of dreams. Dreams we must remember; mortgage relief, employment opportunities, decrease in crime, national health insurance and decrease in electricity bills. Many have awakened from this lethargic state and are now demanding fulfilment of these campaign promises.
In conclusion, we in the FNM continue in our thrust to ensure that we serve nobly in our capacity as the Official Opposition. We are committed to standing in the gap, serving as a watchdog to ensure that there is integrity and trust in government – as we have fought so hard to restore since our victory in 2007 — remains an unbreakable standard.
Dr Hubert A Minnis,
FNM Leader and Killarney MP
