Recently the Junior Minister in the Ministry with responsibility for Legal Affairs, the Hon. Damian Gomez contended that successive governments in the Bahamas have been unwilling to tackle the systemic corruption that exist in our government. Many members of the public were encouraged that a sitting Minister was acknowledging what they have long known or certainly believed. Furthermore, it was expected that his resignation would soon follow since he indicted his own Cabinet colleagues by making such a bold, unequivocal and clear charge.

So naturally it was disappointing that he was unwilling to identify one instance of corruption in the PLP. It was even more disconcerting that while Minister Gomez failed to acknowledge one case of corruption in his own Party he was readily willing to make the case that there are two cases of “conflict” in the FNM. It is more than convenient that the two cases relate to arguably the two most dominant voices in the Opposition.

Minister Gomez is no doubt at crossroads. He can either continue down the road of positioning himself as the national Ombudsman who would seek to protect the public and ensure institutional integrity. Or he can retreat to the safe haven of the Party line and prove his loyalty to the PLP team after having berated the government for its failure to help his constituents and charging the PLP administration with complicity to corruption.

Minister Gomez came to frontline politics with a reputation as a plain speaker who calls things as he sees them. However, he is coming dangerously close to shredding that reputation by seeking to convince an intelligent public that the PLP is blameless (Or guilty of nameless transgressions) while painting the FNM as being guilty of two cases of conflict that in his opinion is punishable by removal from their positions in the House of Assembly.

If Gomez is to be believable as the conscience of government, the arbiter of acceptable standards of public servants or the national “Ombudsman” then he must examine and confront the following matters plaguing Christie’s government:

1. Was there proper basis for the Nolle issued by the Minister of Education while acting as Attorney General and if so why has this information not been made known to the Opposition or to its leader as promised by the Prime Minister?

2. Insofar as the law specifically provides that where a Minister has a direct or INDIRECT pecuniary interest in any matter in relation to which he has powers or functions, he or she is to inform the Prime Minister and then withdraw from performing any function in relation to that matter, how is it that the Attorney General did not break the law when she belatedly declared the interest of both her husband and children in a project for which she acted as the lead negotiator?

3. How many government Ministers, Members of Parliament or close Associates have loans with Bank of The Bahamas? How many of those loans were properly obtained and how many are non-performing?

4. Was the Deputy Prime Minister aware that Renew Bahamas was being incorporated in the Law firm he owns and ran prior to the 2012 election and how did they come to utilize that firm?

5. Should a Chairman of a Corporation or government Department be appointed to head the very agency to which he or she is indebted? Was in your estimation Leslie Miller and Ismael Lightbourne conflicted in their respective positions given their indebtedness?

6. Peter Nygard claimed to have contributes millions of dollars to the PLP leading up to the last general elections. Were the rulings of government departments influenced by such contributions? Were the contributions given to the PLP with the expectation that he would be supported by the government in his future decisions and apparent non-compliance with Bahamian law relative to environmental concerns?

7. Is the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister conflicted in anyway by vigorously pursuing legislation to facilitate and regulate oil drilling having served as consultants to the principal Oil drilling company in the Bahamas prior to elections?

8. Should the Deputy Prime Minister resign for having misled the House of Assembly on whether or not the contractor who was building the male dormitory at BAMSI met the requirements before being contracted to build the uninsured facility, which was burnt down? Why were the remaining contracts of the other contractors not laid on the table in the House of Assembly once it became public knowledge that at least one such contractor had not met the criteria to be engaged? Were you aware that when the Prime Minister claimed in the House of Assembly, in the aftermath of the fire, that he believed all other contractors were compliant, that he was wrong?

9. In your estimation was Alfred Gray wrong in his intervention in the case of the conviction and sentencing of a young man in his constituency in Mayaguana and should he have resigned or at a minimum be charged before the courts?

10. Are you satisfied that Randy Rolle’s release from custody in Bimini after altercation with the Police was appropriate?

11. In light of the fact that the PLP government decided to conceal the Rubis Report for an entire year, do you believe and independent inquiry ought to take place to examine the facts surrounding the gasoline leak and the subsequent decision to withhold the report despite the grave risks to residents and workers lives?

12. What were the circumstances surrounding the signing of the letter of intent with Stellar Waste? What is the outcome of the investigation?

13. How much was spent on the NIB forensic audit and what are the results of the investigations?

14. How much was spent on the PHA forensic audit and what are the results of the investigations? Why was there a need to repeat the audit?

15. Do you believe that there is a need to have an inquiry into the expenditure of Urban Renewal?

16. What were the results of the Police investigations into the accusation of visa sales at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and why have the outcome of the investigation not been released?

17. Knowing that NIA has no legal standing and in light of the accusation of the agency serving as a spy agency why hasn’t the government reveal the facts surrounding the genesis and operation of the organization? Why is it still operating with no locus standi?

18. Is it a violation of the letter and or spirit of the law to have held a referendum and then disregard the outcome? What ultimately motivated the disproportionate amount of time (2 ½ years) and resources developing the Gaming legislation? What accounts for the delay in granting licenses?

19. How has the more than $12 million dollars spend on Carnival actually been spent? Are you satisfied that funds were prudently spent and we got return on investment?

20. Would a review of the allocation of government contracts reveal that unfair advantages were given to a select group of persons with close ties to the PLP? To what extent were these contracts in excess of the scope of works? Why have these contracts not been laid on the table of the House of Assembly? Are the contractors being used suitably qualified to carry out such contracts?

21. A recent USA State Department country report suggested influence peddling by some government officials. Have we evaluated the insinuations with a view of determining the veracity of such claims?

22. With murders headed for an all time high, shouldn't you find something more productive to do in the Office of the A.G. than seek to waste the court's time by having two busy Judges assigned to an election court for political poisturing?

Minister Gomez has an opportunity to use his good office to immediately address the aforementioned matters or leave the Cabinet where such transparency will not be facilitated or tolerated.

It may have been wiser for Mr. Gomez to continue on the high road by specifically identifying the matters mentioned above and pledging commitment to legislation and policies that increase accountability among public officials regardless of political Party. Some of these include the following:

1. Enacting an improved Freedom of Information Act urgently.

2. Enacting a Fiscal Responsibility Act to constrain government spending and to service the national debt.

3. Observing the practice carried out under the FNM where major contracts were laid on the table of the House of Assembly.

4. Setting up an Independent Department of Public Prosecutions so as to diminish the influence of an Attorney General on decisions such as whether to pursue legal action against Cabinet members or backbenchers of the ruling Party.

5. Eliminating the situation where Island Administrators are serving as Magistrates and revisit in law the sentencing powers of Magistrates.

6. Laying on the table of the House of Assembly Campaign Finance Reform measures for consideration.

This PLP government has a lot of things to answer to but feel no obligation to do so. This level of arrogance is costing the Bahamian people and in the fullness of time will cost them.