The Tribune

IN a discussion in this column on Friday of how this government, instead of reducing expenditure in an attempt to reduce the country’s “unsustainable” national debt, is increasing it by granting unnecessary perks to reflect the status of certain government MPs, we got two separate Moss families confused.

Gregory Moss, MP for Marco City, Grand Bahama, who was appointed executive chairman of National Insurance, was the focus of our comments. This appointment raised many eyebrows in the department and much discussion outside, not because of the appointment itself, but because of the extra goodies that apparently now come with it— a 2012 model chauffeur-driven Ford Explorer and a large office at Nassau’s head office, which the department’s CEO has had to vacate for smaller accommodation so that Mr Moss’ status can be reflected. In addition there has been a request for a rented house to accommodate Mr Moss while he is in Nassau to carry out these duties. We have been told that this request has been granted.

According to a letter on this page today, written by a “Concerned Citizen,” rented Nassau accommodation is not necessary — nor is the large office, or car as long as space is available in the “multi-million state-of-the-art office complex recently completed in Freeport under the Ingraham Administration.”

The only reason for Gregory Moss to need any assistance would be for his return plane fares between Nassau and Freeport for the days he is required to be present at House meetings.

NIB’s executive duties can be done just as efficiently in Freeport in this new office complex by way of tele and video-conferencing. It’s about time that the Bahamas moved into the efficiency of the 21st century to cut costs rather than trying to find ways to spend more money to coddle government members. Mr Christie should be reminded that this is the taxpayers’ money that his government is distributing so generously. We doubt that the cabinet would be as generous if it were coming from members own pockets.

In Friday’s article we referred to Mr Anthony Moss of Exuma and Ragged Island, now in his third term as a House member. Mr Moss was recently appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources. We presumed he would get the same perks as Marco City’s Gregory Moss. We reported that Mr Anthony Moss was offered rental assistance in Nassau under the Ingraham administration to enable him to perform his duties in Nassau. This was an obvious error as Mr Anthony Moss, a PLP, was not a member of the Ingraham government, therefore, he was not in a position to qualify for such an offer. Other than attendance at the House there would have been no remuneration for anything other than airfare.

And so the statement of an offer to Mr Anthony Moss was not true. We got the name of the wrong Moss. Rather, the offer of executive chairman of BEC, also of the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas was made by then Prime Minister Ingraham to Mr Michael Moss of Freeport, Grand Bahma. It was Mr Michael Moss, who during the Ingraham administration refused the offer of a rented home in Nassau. Freeport is Mr Moss’s home and so for the period that he held the two executive posts in Nassau he commuted from Freeport. Daily for five days a week he was on Bahamasair’s early morning flight into Nassau, returning to Freeport the same evening to be with his family.

Mr Moss said he spent three days of the week at BEC’s offices with BEC paying the Bahamasair plane fare for those three days. The Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation paid the fares for the other two days spent at their offices.

Mr Moss, a qualified engineer with more than 40 years experience, was elected chairman of the Professional Engineers Board. Government appoints two members to the six-member board, the six members then vote for their chairman. Mr Moss’s tenure ended July 31.

When the FNM lost the government on May 7, Mr Moss resigned his government appointments – executive chairman of BEC and Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation —as is the custom when there is a change of government.

He admits that his commuting to and from Freeport was taxing, but he has just returned from a Disney World vacation with his family, which included his 90-year-old mother. He says her last wish is to visit the Holy Land.

Now that he is free from government, Mr Moss will return to consultancy work. Already he is working in the solar generating field with a company in Nassau, and doing consultancy work in Jamaica where for a number of years he was chief technical officer of the Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd.

While Mr Moss was BEC’s executive chairman he received the standard chairman’s remuneration of $1,000 per month plus incremental remuneration of $3,333.33 per month for the executive duties he was required to perform. This would have been a combined annual emolument of $50,000. There were no additional perks. In fact Mr Moss paid his own National Insurance contributions.

The reports now making the rounds is that Mr Moss’s PLP replacement at BEC will receive a salary of $100,000 per annum plus perks.

This is meant to be a year of cut backs, not additions. If Bahamians do not become more protective of their Treasury before they know it they will be under IMF supervision with enforced belt-tightening.

We suggest that the FNM start investigations and report to the Bahamian people.

In the opinion of our letter writer — “Concerned Citizen” — what is now going on is “abuse of public funds.”

We agree. It is now the duty of the Christie government to make a full report to the Bahamian people about this expenditure. Also the cost of contracts given out in the name of Urban Renewal to contractors, many of whom — if rumours are to be believed — are not qualified.

Bahamians are entitled to an accounting and an explanation.