URBAN Renewal under the PLP has become nothing more than a scheme for turning trained police officers into delivery boys, opposition leader Dr Hubert Minnis charged yesterday.
Halfway through the PLP administration's 'First 100 Days' initiative, Dr Minnis said the programme was a far cry from the revolutionary crime solution pledged, and was just one of many key issues the governing party had broken its word on.
He said: "They are already failing to keep their most important promises to the Bahamian people - promises of not creating more unemployment but of preserving jobs; promises of introducing NHI within one year of return to office, not of advising that the promise is now being placed on a sliding date schedule; and promising Urban Renewal 2.0, not discontinuing the employment of Bahamians and reassigning trained policemen to perform social assistance tasks - buying and delivering food - instead of fighting crime in on our streets."
Dr Minnis said the PLP won the election assisted by a 'very well-funded glossy platform' which permitted them to begin an early assault on the last FNM government through print and television ads 'reeking with hyperbole and overstatement'.
"They said that they would be ready to govern on Day One. And they promised that they would make specific progress on a list of matters within 100 days of their election to office.
"They won the election; already theirs is a pyrrhic victory. They were not ready on Day One. Mr Christie failed, for a second time, to meet the constitutional requirement to appoint an Attorney General on the first day of his government's return to office.
"Now at the midpoint of the first 100 days, he has yet to appoint chairmen to head the boards of three important public corporations: the Bahamas Electricity Corporation, the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas and the Water and Sewerage Corporation.
"Mr Christie leads a minority government. That is to say that more voters voted against his party than in support of it. The least that he and his government should do now is to concentrate on delivering on their many promises to the Bahamian people."
He said the government knew about the state of the economy, the level of unemployment and the dimensions of government debt - having campaigned on just these issues.
"They claimed that they had a better way; that they could do more than the FNM were doing. On that basis they have been elected to office," he said.
"Now at the midpoint of their self-imposed 100 Days of Action we are being treated to excuses and broken promises. Broken promises this early in this administration do not bode well for this new government."
During the campaign, the PLP said it would introduce National Health Insurance within a year, but the new Minister of Health Dr Perry Gomez has now said there is no set date, Dr Minnis claimed.
He said unemployment levels had not changed since the election, the only substantial increase being those Urban Renewal workers the PLP was laying off.
"The PLP promised jobs for Bahamians, but they have chosen to discontinue the employment of 80 hard-working Bahamians from the Urban Renewal programme, the same programme they claimed was no longer functioning, a programme they claimed the FNM stopped.
"Still they were able to identify some 80 persons in that nonexistent programme to advise that their employment will not be continued past the end of this month June, 2012.
"Are these people not Bahamians? Are these not the people the PLP promised to believe in and to invest in? This is a cruel, cruel twisted outcome of the empty promises made to the Bahamian people."
Comments
Observer 11 years, 10 months ago
Will the leader, Hon. Dr. H. A. Minnis, please state the number of unemployed Bahamians at this present time? Will the Leader also state for the record, the number of people employed in the Urban Renewal programmes, under the immediate past administration?
TalRussell 11 years, 10 months ago
I was hoping the new Hubert A would not follow in the failed footsteps of the original Hubert A, who never could bring himself to act like a statesman, always ripping apart anything his former law partner suggested.
Unfortunately, if you stick around and read the red shirts blog postings here you'll quickly discover that their only objective is to twist everything and anything to their political advantage.
Thankfully, PLP supporters will for the most part ignore their rants and move on with positive posts and yes, even if it means agreeing with an red shirts idea.
Concerned 11 years, 10 months ago
Where is the twist? Everything that Dr. Minnis said is a current fact of the PLP government.
PKMShack 11 years, 10 months ago
@ Concerned The twist Talrussell is taking about is the facts. Like most PLP supporters facts are not what they want to hear. Maybe Talrussell can say what promises have come to light in the first 50 days of this new government.........................ok..........................I will wait......Empty barrell makes the most noise Talrussell.
TalRussell 11 years, 10 months ago
Comrades fifty days is no match for five long suffering years under the red shirts. Just ask the 60,000 out of paychecks natives and the families of the 500 souls murdered under their watch.
This idea of the red shirts to attack PM Christie s not new... the only change is a they are being presented by the "newer" Hubert A., with but one major difference being the "original" Hubert A; was given to time travel, back to connecting his former law partner with every PLP misstep, real and imaginary, under the sun.
The bigger question I have for the "new" red shirts leader is how could he and his merry band of colleagues have sat so dumb while their red shirts leader, held such contempt for his own colleagues? Sat so dumb while one project after another was being introduced and then mismanaged, often with no before or after planning in mind? I guess with all things considered over the past five years, I will put anything the "new" Hubert A; has to say, down as more rhetorical than real concerns for the natives, something they were pretty dumb about while sitting around the "original" Hubert A's cabinet table.
I guess we'll have to wait and see how far back this "new" Hubert A; will travel back in time to inflict damage upon the shoulders of PM Christie? How can you not feel sorrow for these red shirts?
by TalRussell
PKMShack 11 years, 10 months ago
Tal russell once again nothing about the topic, ready to govern is what the PLP came to the table with, truth is they havent started nothing they talked about. I pledge to no party I just call it like I understand it. If you can show me different other than the HAI blame game to why no action to the pledges they talked about then and only then I will have some sort of respect to your comments but until then HOT AIR.
242352 11 years, 10 months ago
Don't worry, the soon scandel with pop up with one of them doing something wrong.
They can't help it, it's part of thier nature.
Five years will be here before you know it and they will still be blaming the FNM for not getting anything done...
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