Press Statement by Senator Dion Foulkes

Minister of Labour and Social Development

31 January 2012

 
Mrs. Griffin’s Claim is Ludicrous  

The Opposition typically has at least two empty ready-made responses to the compassionate and effective policies and programmes implemented or proposed by the Ingraham administration.  

Either they say that they had the idea first or that they are planning to implement what they failed to do in the past.  Both responses are part of an elaborate public relations programme to cover up their massive failures in office and their extraordinary failure of leadership.  

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has announced that a re-elected FNM Government would introduce Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) to improve the relevance of social safety nets and public assistance programmes by linking cash assistance to recipients with their meeting certain criteria.  

The former Minister for Social Services, Melanie Griffin, claims that CCT is a PLP idea.  This is ludicrous.  CCT is an internationally-accepted method of providing social benefits to the poor that has helped to reduce poverty around the world.  What else will the Opposition claim as their unique idea – urban renewal?  

Frustrated at her own party leadership and deeply envious that the Ingraham administration is proposing to introduce CCT, Mrs. Griffin is seeking to distract attention from the massive incompetence of the former Christie administration.  

Rather than endless talk, the current Government has engaged the Inter-American Development Bank to assist with the development of a CCT programme in The Bahamas.  Unlike the Opposition, planning is well on the way, and will be implemented in a re-elected Ingraham administration.  

Bahamians know from bitter experience that the Opposition does not have the leadership or the credibility to deliver on its promises.  Under any new PLP administration, a CCT programme would certainly be given a lot of lip service but would not be implemented any time soon, if ever at all. Bahamians in need cannot rely on the Opposition for real care and compassion.