By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
LEGISLATION is being drafted to block governments from signing contracts before general elections, which could be for political gain, according to Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday.
Speaking to parliamentarians, Mr Christie highlighted the fact that up to two days after his party won the May 7 elections, the former FNM leadership were still trying to issue jobs.
He said the Ingraham administration had “done foolishness” in that regard and by signing off contracts while the country was on the brink of electing new representatives.
“Never again must we allow this to happen,” Mr Christie said, “legislation is being drawn to prevent any future government from
being able to conduct itself in doing foolishness in this country again. It cannot happen.
“You are talking about a programme that you say we were interfering with. This 52-week programme. A programme that started off with over $25 million and became a $48 million programme. On the day of elections they were trying to unseat PLP members by buying jobs.
“When I became Prime Minister, I had to stop it. They were still trying to give out the jobs two days after the election.
“But you have to be an amazing group of persons to have over spent the roads in the country by $100 million. Not 10, not 20, not 40, not 50, but 100 million. You have to be an amazing group of men to have been signing contracts on the day of the general election. Bordering on criminality.”
The PLP has since last year held this position. Just one week after they took office, Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said that the Ingraham government had authorised around $24 million in contracts.
It has been claimed that the majority of the projects were sealed off between March and May 2012. The FNM had also been accused of using public funds to gain votes. FNM officials later claimed that the figure was highly unlikely.
The Prime Minister made the statement as he lashed out at opposition leader Hubert Minnis over his comments that the PLP had mistreated Sir Randol Fawkes in the late 1950s and 60s. Sir Randol is credited with single handedly changing the political tide in the country when both the United Bahamian Party (UBP) and the PLP were deadlocked during the 1967 elections with 18 votes each.
Sir Randol later decided that he would support the PLP which allowed them to win the majority. Sir Lynden then became the first black premier of the Bahamas.
Comments
proudloudandfnm 11 years ago
Perry just needs his follwers to believe the FNM is as corrupt as his party...
PKMShack 11 years ago
When the old guard is gone new minds will have to fix the mess left behind. Thank you for nothing once again.
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
at least we got roads and part of the overage was fixing the water leaks ,,the IDB shut you down on the roads after Bethel trucking did a few miles for 18 million ,,31 years of PLP no roads ,,,Papa got things done ,you had a million dollar referendum and can,t close the web shops ,,they drilling holes in our Sea bed w/ no referendum ,,thought you was alright just soft Perry ,but when you got Baltron ,the funnel bethel ,cutting the deal with Nygard ,,you crooked and light PGC
Ironvelvet 11 years ago
Did this foolish man just site the 52 week job programme as a waste of money that had to be shut down?! I suppose this National Jobs Program he is about to roll out is nothing like the 52 week job programme. Not to mention his fellow house member Mr. Mitchell is not giving out work permits without labour certificates, i.e. forcing people to hire unqualified people to pay them and the qualified person to do the work for one person.
Befor he starts talking about how the roads project was overspent by 100 milliion, I suggest he checks with his right hand man Brave who just was quoted in the press for how the roads project will not be as overspent as originally thought.
*smt! Give me a break. I'm glad Ingraham left some sort of structure before he left, otherwise we'd really be in a bind. Mr. Christie as you said about COB not knowing about the increases in cost, you seem not to know anything here again.
SP 11 years ago
Is Prime Minister Perry Christie just blowing smoke at us to give the perception they are actually doing something or is he serious?
One Man Band Hubert Ingraham already let the cat out the bag on this one by confirming any legislation passed by one government can be reversed by another government with no problem, making this whole exercise null and void.
Mr. Christie needs to stop playing games and get on the ball with expediting some of the many proposals that have been sitting in his office for many Months awaiting approvals. Many of which has real potential of providing thousands of jobs for our suffering people.
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
how about SGI and the energy barges that promise to lower our electric rates from 40 cent a kilowatt to 28 cents at no cost to us ,,with the money we would save proping up BEC we could pension off half the staff and still save money ,,plus be more competitive in the region ,,no that would cuase PGC votes ,,at least HAI didn,t give a shit and did what he thought was beast for the country even if it hurt him politically ,,
proudloudandfnm 11 years ago
Meanwhile this party in less than a year borrowed 650 million and no one knows why. Now they admit the roads were not as expensive as they thought. So where did the money go then?
This man should be tried for treason.
concernedcitizen 11 years ago
took PAPA 5 years in a recession to borrow 1,2 billion ,and we got ,roads ,habours ,hospitals ,in one year PLP borrowed half of that and we got Fly away Fred and Baltron ,the funnel ,Bethel flyin round the world ..1/2 a billion in one year and we got urban renewal ,,now we irvin lmfao
SP 11 years ago
Wacko PAPA will forever be known for destroying the economy, selling $40 million in work permits which displaced 30,000+ Bahamian workers, flooding the country with Haitians, Pilipino and Latinos, creating the worst unemployment disaster in the countries history, wasting $40 million on a jobs program that trained no one for anything tangible, exorbitant taxing of vehicle imports, killing the banking industry, sleeping soundly while Clico destroyed the future of thousands of Bahamians, stop review and canceling many viable foreign direct investment projects, hiding undercover dealings with BPC, giving away BTC, running BEC into the ground, denying black Bahamians' participation in the economy, major building and restoration of roads with no regard for the city transit system & bus stops, lying to the electorate that the IDB insisted Bahamian contractors be excluded from $200M road works, being voted the worst leader in the region by S&P, Moodys and the IMF, doing absolutely nothing to resolve tourism failure, putting his mouth in fast forward before initiating his brain, seeing numerous holograms, declaring himself a one man band and begging the electorate to allow him to "finish what he started".....
All this in 5 short years...No thanks and good riddance to PAPA, the little emperor!
SP 10 years, 12 months ago
Which one of you ignorant-genius red shirts was bragging about being employed in Exuma tourist industry and now finally saving enough to buy a boat to take tourist fishing and sightseeing?
You better remember the rules for locals: "Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is a NO TAKE ZONE: no fishing, conching, shelling or lobstering - nothing living or dead may be removed from within the boundaries’ of Exuma Park".
Your beloved PAPA allowed a foreigner to desecrate the land and sea park with a 20 slip marina, numerous houses and other improvements. Of course the Kahn can fish and take anything he wants....Authorized by PAPA.
Your dumb, blind, poor black backside better not even stop the boat in the sea park!
Aaahhhhh yes......Thank your PAPA for that too!
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