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Bahamian Politics Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


Roberts: "Minnis reminds supporters of poor state FNM left country in"
By Bradley Roberts, National Chairman, PLP
Jul 28, 2016 - 10:25:10 AM

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Nassau, Bahamas - The following is a press statement by Bradley B. Roberts National Chairman Progressive Liberal Party:

I listened with amusement this evening as the disgraced so-called “leader” of the FNM, Dr. Hubert Minnis, attempted to rally together support at the FNM Convention.

His empty rhetoric was much like his style of leading his party – lackluster and laughable and an eerie reminder of the poor and sorry state his FNM left this country in just four years ago. Tonight’s pathetic attempt to throw mud at our Government shows just how desperate the Official Opposition has become.

Dr. Minnis claims that the people of The Bahamas cannot find work but the latest labour statistics prove that over 27,000 jobs were added to the economy in four years. Bahamians are working, and there are more jobs to come. This is in stark contrast to the FNM who left the economy in a wheel chair where unemployment doubled in just five years during their watch.

Dr. Minnis claims that government spending is out of control. In these difficult economic times, this Government reduced a budgetary deficit of $500 million left behind by the FNM by more seventy percent in just four years. Our fiscal consolidation plan to reduce the deficit is working and the numbers prove it.

Dr. Minnis claims that the PLP has not been advancing education. The record shows that this Government has doubled scholarships investment since 2011 from $7.75 million to $16.2 million in 2016. In 2015 alone, the Government has, along with major Colleges and Universities, invested approximately $5.5 million dollars in public school students in the form of scholarships over a 4 year period. In 2015, 433 recipients were awarded full scholarships at the first COB awards recognition ceremony, which took place in August. This was a 15% increase from the 367 students who received the Bursary in 2014. In August of 2015, 30 students from our public schools were the recipients of the pilot Public School Scholars Programme Scholarship. This year more than 70 new students will attend university this fall as a result of this programme. The list goes on.

As we look forward to the transition of the College of The Bahamas into the University of The Bahamas, I know Bahamians are proud to be part of building a modern Bahamas.

As a visionless and disconnected leader of the fragmented FNM, Dr. Minnis should be the last person to talk about fighting corruption as the facts clearly show the FNM as an organization seems to encourage and justify corruption. Bahamians will remember that FNM members of the Fort Charlotte branch claimed that their elections were corrupt and took the matter to court. Where was Dr. Minnis on this?
Remember, there was the illegal and criminal ammunition possession and conviction of FNM Senator John Bostwick, which forced him to resign from the senate in disgrace.

Adding to the list of disgraced senators was FNM chairman and Senator Michael Pintard who was caught on tape discussing a diabolic murder for hire plot to an FBI agent and a local criminal. After pretending to be innocent and ignorant of this disgusting affair, Dr. Minnis was forced to come clean and reluctantly admit that he met with both of the criminal gangsters. Pintard was forced to resign from both the senate and as chairman of the FNM for the corrupt role he played.


But the scandal that captured international attention was the conviction of former FNM candidate and Senator Fred Ramsey on the $300,000 bribery charges in connection with a BEC contract with Alstrom for the supply of generators that have caused the Bahamian tax payers millions of dollars in addition to years of pain and suffering which endures to today. To this day, Dr. Minnis still has not explained how the decision of the FNM appointed board was overturned by the FNM Cabinet.
Minnis and the FNM believe that they are above the law and should not be held accountable for their actions as they pretend to embody integrity by lecturing everybody else on integrity and calling others ill names. That is the worst form of deflection and political bluster- not to mention the personification of being delusional.

The FNM delivered debt. They delivered corruption. They delivered to us a country that was weak and we are working on behalf of the Bahamian people to lead this country to a stronger and more prosperous future.

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