Bahamian Politics
Pintard: The PLP Victimizes Hardworking Bahamian Specialists at BAMSI
By Senator Michael C. Pintard
Mar 11, 2015 - 7:13:29 PM


Nassau, Bahamas - From the outset the Government has had a series of miscalculations relative to the establishment of BAMSI. The project got started with no business plan; no site plan; no memorandum of understanding with Agriculture lecturers at the College of the Bahamas; no students selected to meet the original deadline for the start of school; no accommodations in place to house the students once selected; and no widespread consultation with the various commercial farmers and fisheries practitioners about how BAMSI will impact their livelihood.

These oversights were compounded by the lack of coordination between the Minister of Agriculture and Marines Resources and everyone else inclusive of the Prime Minister. The Minister was unclear on how much was invested in the project thus far and how much was expected to be injected until completion. He said the project was a $50 million dollar initiative while the Prime Minister indicated it was to be a $100 million dollar project. Most recently, Mr. V. Alfred Gray once again spoke out of turn when he claimed that someone had been arrested for burning down the male dormitory at BAMSI when in fact no one was in custody at that time. He then claimed that a mere $125,000 or so would be required to repair the damage to the male dormitory when clearly the untrained eye could see that more than 75 % of a multi-million dollar building had been destroyed.

Unashamed by his series of blunders and untruths the Minister then expressed shock that the burnt building was not insured and then, along with the Deputy Prime Minister and the Contractor, he sort to convince the public that the policy had lapsed despite the fact that the insurance company identified seem not to exist.

And when you thought it could not get any worst BAMSI officials, with the Ministers’ blessing no doubt, unceremoniously terminated two well-trained and competent Bahamians on 27^th February and 3^rd March. We cry shame on the PLP for discriminating and victimizing Bahamians at BAMSI in North Andros. Mr. Lenny McDonald, Irrigation Specialist and Staff Supervisor at BAMSI was terminated without notice and in breach of his contract. Mr. Micah Valdes, a Bahamian AquaTechnician was also unceremoniously and without notice, terminated.

We believe that the PLP Government victimized them because they expressed concerns about the management of BAMSI and were perceived to be supporters of the FNM. Despite this government’s claims about the smooth and steady progress at BAMSI, the reality is that workers are without some of the most basic tools required to execute their work. It is not uncommon for workers to be competing just to use the pickaxe. This deficiency in resources can also be seen in the lull in construction of some of the buildings at BAMSI and may explain the long delays before some workers are paid.

To address these matters is to put your job at risk. This type of behaviour by the PLP Government is despicable and totally unacceptable. Professionals who raise legitimate questions about poor management practices should not be terminated. The FNM will mount an aggressive campaign to get them reinstated. In light of the brain drain our country is experiencing and the huge food import bill we are facing, one would expect that a wise and caring government would utilize talented Bahamian professionals who wish to contribute to national development. Mr. Valdes has at least 14 years experience in aquaculture and tremendous access to information and experts in the field who reside overseas. Why not use him and Mr. McDonald to the fullest extent possible?

Clearly this government does not believe in Bahamians nor are they committed to putting us first. Mr. Gray is one of the chief culprits in this administration when it comes to victimizing Bahamians. His first meeting with Island Administrators after the general election in 2012 was to terminate those he believe to support the FNM and bring back several scandal-ridden Administrators. Just recently, in South and Central Eleuthera, he ordered local government to hire and pay the least qualified of several applicants because it suited his political taste.

We call on the PLP Government to discontinue damaging Bahamian lives and apologize to both Mr. McDonald and Mr. Valdes and to reinstate them with full salary and benefits. We will not rest until justice prevails in North Andros and throughout our country. We are one people and all of us deserve a chance to live and prosper in our country.

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