PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell. (File photo)
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell yesterday said the government’s plans to extend the country’s state of emergency is a convenient way for Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to “fight an election”.
Mr Mitchell’s comments came after Dr Minnis gave notice in the House of Assembly of his administration’s intention to extend the country’s state of emergency until May 23.
Senator Mitchell said that nothing has emerged which indicates the emergency measures should continue and people are now treating the protocols as a “nuisance”.
“You are manipulating people’s lives and also being able to manipulate more importantly the political process so that your opponents are bottled up,” he said.
“They can’t move around, but you have the right, the power and authority to move wherever you want in these circumstances because our view is it is clear the prime minister is preparing the country for an election.
“These orders are convenient for him to fight an election because you know he thinks that the opposition has one hand tied behind its back with these orders.”
The PLP has previously said it believes Dr Minnis will call an early election. Mr Mitchell has accused Dr Minnis of campaigning during the pandemic and believes a general election will be called before the next budget debate.
Recently Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Carl Culmer said Dr Minnis will not call an early election unless his party is ready for one.
Meanwhile, the PLP chairman also questioned the rationale behind extending the state of emergency.
“The concern is at this point the vaccination programme should have started. Question is, where are the vaccines? The last position we took was that we did not vote for the extension of the orders, so it doesn’t seem to us there’s any rationale for extending it. We’re convening a parliamentary meeting tomorrow to look at the details of what they are suggesting,” Mr Mitchell said.
“You know a lockdown and a curfew is not a plan. For example, the third wave has affected countries across the world. What is The Bahamas doing to prepare for that?”
Comments
Topdude 3 years, 2 months ago
This line of thinking is most unfortunate and downright unacceptable. Mr. Mitchell’s thinking is essentially a projection of what the PLP would do if they were in office. They have to recognize that the FNM will not play politics with the life of the Bahamian people.
This COVID-19 pandemic is not something to play politics with. Right now everything is on the back burner as far as National priorities go. The FNM led Government is doing its level best to arrest and control it. Once we are successful then everything is fair game. Until then it should behoove the PLP to get on board and put the National interest ahead of their nasty, narrow, partisan politics. Can I get bow please? Merci.
tribanon 3 years, 2 months ago
Tutti Frutti Fred has a point. The word has been out for many months now among the more honourable and reputable scientific community that there's no running away from, hiding or otherwise escaping the Red China Virus and its rapidly evolving mutations.
There is now general agreement that not even the costly vaccines, which have been so quickly developed by the greedy big pharma companies and mostly paid for by taxpayers around the world, will prove effective at stopping the rapidly mutating strains of the original virus at the end of the day.
And just think, the rapidly mutating Red China Virus was very deliberately engineered by the sinister Communist Chinese Party with the help of their friends like Fauci and Gates, who have been deeply involved in promoting the most evil kinds of virology research for decades. It's all about demented and very evil global deep state actors wanting to create biological tools for controlling the numbers of elderly and sickly in the global population as well as the mobility and other freedoms of the vast majority of mankind.
This all suits 'their' agenda of global domination, and of course we all have come to learn the extent to which Minnis is both deferential and subservient to his Communist Chinese masters.
DDK 3 years, 2 months ago
Maybe so. Minnis is a wannabe dictator full stop
DDK 3 years, 2 months ago
Lockdowns, masks, vaccines: ALL NONSENSE put out by the power mongers of the world, and their idiots. Not to mention Big Pharma😂🤣😂
tribanon 3 years, 2 months ago
See my post above to wannabe, maybe, possibly.....a post by none other than Topdude Minnis himself. LOL
Hoda 3 years, 2 months ago
I don’t know if the parties are campaigning. PLP seems to do what they always do try and run nasty smear campaigns and appeal to Bahamians - or maybe whoever their bases is - ignorance and assy-ness. I guess all parties have assy supporters. However, for ppl to be carry on bout PLP all day has to be a sign of Stockholm syndrome or idiocy. I guess they have forgotten the past fifty years. FNM needs new candidates and a new cabinet. I’m sure they all won’t make it. But Bahamians are ignorant and jealous, always talking about who they don’t like, well you’ll continue to have old washed up men handing you brown paper full of Vienna sausage and white rice cause they are nice and grin up with u when they see you
themessenger 3 years, 2 months ago
@tribanon, man, you and DDK need to sell me some of that weed ya'll smoking and some a da Koolaid ya'll drinkin'. I guess during a pandemic it's less stressful for you if you live in la-la land. @DDK, you need to go ask the caterpillar for a few more puffs and anudder sip or two Lol.
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