FNM leader Senator Tommy Turnquest on Thursday called for Trade and Industry Minister Leslie Miller and Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Neville Wisdom to follow the lead of Sidney Stubbs, the former Executive Chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC).
Dogged by allegations of corruption, Mr. Stubbs resigned on Wednesday.
After he stepped down, Prime Minister Christie assumed Cabinet responsibility for the corporation. That alone, said Mr. Turnquest, is an indication that the prime minister no longer has confidence in Minister Miller.
“We in the FNM contend that Mr. Miller ought to have been relieved of his Cabinet position long ago, not only because of his ministerial mess-up of BAIC, almost from day one, but especially because of his blatant violation of government’s code of ethics in releasing out his private facilities to the Bahamas Telecommunications Company,” said Mr. Turnquest in a press statement.
Minister Miller has strenoulsy denied the latter charge, maintaining that he never offended the Code of Ethics, a collection of guidelines for public officials that is heavily backed by Prime Minister Perry Christie.
“What was even more strange in terms of the system of governance that we have is that Leslie Miller continues to say that he knew nothing about what was going on at BAIC and he was the minister responsible and so just under our system of Cabinet responsibility, for him to even admit that he didn’t know about something that was going on in his ministry, in his portfolio, is disgraceful,” he added.
Mr. Stubbs relinquished his position following a scandal over his involvement in a North Andros based fishing operation, backed by Korean funding.
Addressing Parliament soon after Mr. Stubbs announced his resignation, Prime Minister Christie cautioned his parliamentary colleagues about integrity.
“When you leave this place,” he said to House of Assembly Members, “commit yourselves to leaving with the reputation you came in with. I was attracted to recruit personally all of you who are new. I did so because of your ability and because of your integrity. Both are personal to you. Do not ever, whilst you are in here, put that on the line. It is not worth it. It is not worth it.”
Mr. Turnquest expressed how “extremely pleased” the FNM is after many months of protest and agitation by the party for Mr. Stubbs’ resignation. He said the resignation was far too long in coming. But regrettably, he said, Mr. Stubbs seemed to have shown no remorse while addressing the House of Assembly.
Additionally, the FNM called again for the Prime Minister to fire the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Neville Wisdom for “poor decisions” surrounding Junkanoo.
Last year, the government spent over $1 million in bleacher rentals. This year C3, a Bahamian company, has been awarded a five-year- contract to provide bleacher seating and to handle the sale of Junkanoo tickets, with the government receiving 10 percent of the sales. Mr. Turnquest noted that for two consecutive years, there has been a threat to the orderly staging of Junkanoo festivals.
“It’s almost as though they don’t learn from the past,” he said. “Last year, Junkanoo was covered in controversy surrounding the bleaches. It appears as though we’re going down that same road again. The Bahamian people deserve better and the only solution that we see is for Neville Wisdom is to be fired and put Junkanoo in the hands of someone who can truly advance our cultural gem.”
Confronted by threats from some Junkanoo leaders that they will boycott over the decision to award the contract to the C3 Company, Minister Wisdom is trying to prevent the already tenuous situation from escalating.
According to the FNM Leader, there have been too many mishandlings of the people’s business and too many suggestions of impropriety, conflicts of interest, wastage of public funds and misuse of public office under the PLP’s 18 months in office.
“It doesn’t auger well for the country and if it continues the government will be hamstrung, unable to advance the economy and the welfare of the Bahamas and the quality of life for Bahamians, so we urge the Prime Minister to get his act together, get the act of his ministers together, fire those incompetent ministers and put together a team that truly wants to see the Bahamas advance,” he said.
By Hadassah Hall, The Bahama Journal
