By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
PRIME MINISTER Perry Christie said yesterday the FNM government has no moral authority to accuse him or the PLP of conflict of interest when they did the same thing – if not worse – when they were in power.
Mr Christie made his comments in the House of Assembly yesterday.
He also said that in a small nation like the Bahamas conflict of interest is bound to come up.
His comments came after it was alleged that Minister of National Insurance Shane Gibson awarded contracts to PLP supporters and that he hired a firm, run by Mr Christie’s cousin to conduct the NIB forensic audit.
Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner also criticised the government for renting a complex in Freeport from the brother of Dr Michael Darville, PLP MP for Grand Bahama.
“The Member of Parliament for West End Grand Bahama spoke on an issue where we were talking about doing things for friends and doing things for lovers and doing things for people who you know. “You know this is a country of around 350,000 people you are bound to have conflicts when it comes to choices,” he said.
“You are all intelligent men in the opposition, two of you actually sat in the Cabinet of the Bahamas where you had to make a decision to give people associated with one company over 150 million dollars worth of work. The question of morality, the question of ethics, the question of choice of judgment. Where are you going to get the moral authority from to come to me and say I am renting a place from somebody’s brother or cousin? This is fair rent, you don’t question the rent but you had many choices and judgment as well? Where do you get this incredible ability from to fix your faces to tell us anything? How do you do it? What are you expecting young people in this country to think?
“You accuse me of making money unlawfully when I was a lawyer and not in government but the FNM Minister of Tourism who had to design the 2,500 acres given to the I group, is their consultant. You want to dirty me up, when you can actually be a minister in an FNM government, make a decision to give somebody 2,500 acres of land and then become their consultant and nothing wrong with that? But there is something wrong with me while I am in opposition? You have got to be joking.”
Mr Christie said the opposition as well as the government needs to move past these issues.
Comments
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
Truly disappointed with this response...neither side seems to be able to get past " but Teacher, he hit me first..."
justthefactsplease 10 years, 11 months ago
All this tells us is that the current government WILL NOT do anything differently from the past one ... they wasted resources, rented from family, gave perks to supporters ... so we can do it too because they do not have the moral authority to question us ... while all this time the Bahamian people (who they claim to believe in) are the ones taking it up the backside. Time for something new I say ... time for REAL change.
shortpants 10 years, 11 months ago
At least HAI never would say I don't know anything about that .Not one of his MP'S did anything without him knowing .These bunch of crooks running around like a bunch of headless chickens .And this Prime Minister needs to put a bridle on Shame Gibson horse mouth .Everyday he in the news making an ass of himself and this laid back party What are you expecting young people in this country to think? That you Christie are a lair full of promise that you knew you could not make happen. You have got to be joking.” No BUT SOONER OR LATER THE JOKE IS GONNA BE ON YOU . For feeding them poor ass people all them lies about jobs,lower light bills ,no more crime well Christie you better get of your late ass and get to stepping .This is not about you this is about helping the people making life a little more easy .HAI had vision but the people could not wait now all you hear boy I wish he was still running this country better man than Christie for sure .
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
@ShortPants you may be right...but we all have to get past the "but at least" syndrome.
We have to hold all of them to a higher standard..if HAI thinks his performance is acceptable because he is better than PGC and PGC thinks his performance is OK because he is better than HAI, they will all fail to see the true mark of excellence. both could be making failing grades
Establish a standard, same as any job, and mark them against the standard
C_MonMan 10 years, 11 months ago
Did I read the above correctly that the auditor is the PM's brother? That must be a mistake.
Collin 10 years, 11 months ago
I agree, can someone please confirm whether or not the firm used is the PM's brother's firm. If this is so this entire matter just became substantially worse.
Tribune is that typo or fact?
BoopaDoop 10 years, 11 months ago
Grant Thornton is Kendrick Christie and Jerome Gomez (PLP candidate who ran against Dr. Minnis and was resident manager for the Bahamas Oil Company)
TalRussell 10 years, 11 months ago
It's always fun when the resigned and now back again red shirts party Chairman Darron talks, forgetting that they too had their own contract branding problems? There are some of us who truly believe their worst branding was how they went about issuing Bahamaland's Passports?
Red shirts seem to know all about anything related to PM Christie's dealings, while they act stupid on the fact, that every sitt'in PM and Premier of our Bahamaland, regardless of their own personal integrity, have been surrounded by those only too willing to corrupt.
It is the very culture of Bahamaland's party politics that must change. Most difficult when you come to power with a tainted party's history of financial backers, eager to fund your party into or back to higher office? Probably a good enough reason why the DNA failed. No more than a remake of the red shirts?
by TalRussell
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
@Tal /shortPants....when I was a youngster, 8-10 yrs or thereabouts, I loved watching Western movies...I loved to see the Indians riding in on their horses and performing their riding tricks, but I never quite got why they would war with each other...I remember thinking in my naivity, "don't they know they're all Indians?"....
Don't we know the Bahamas lives and dies with all of us?
Call a spade a spade, if FNM did wrong say so, if PLP did wrong say so...lets forget the name calling and hold everybody to a golden standard. On May 7, 2012, The majority of voters told FNM they had failed the standard. In the past year, if everyone gave an honest assessment, the PLP has failed even their own standard, that is a fact it is not a political statement.
The open question is how do we reach the golden standard over the next 4 years? PLP, get each member of the administration a copy of Rules of Ethics ( make sure they read it), put away the shiny suits and put your on working clothes. FNM start actin like you're ready to take on the leadership tomorrow, no more knee jerk reactions and statements. Start preparing a comprehensive plan to deal with all issues: crime, unemployment, service standards, courts, town planning etc.
jackflash 10 years, 11 months ago
Very well said and so true!
lazybor 10 years, 11 months ago
this would be great
http://tinyurl.com/c7l9ck6" width="1" />
Stapedius 10 years, 11 months ago
@Thisisours
Again some great comments. I've said it before and will say again. Bahamians behave in a tribal manner and our sense of reason seems to fly right out the window with politics. But the reality is that we don't enforce rules in this country. In clear cases of misconduct we need to start demanding jail time. The Jesse Jackson Jr case in the US is a good example of how we need to behave. He and his wife were found to be inappropriately using campaign funds and have been found guilty of such. They now await sentencing. With all these crazy scandals in both the FNM and the PLP nobody is ever held responsible. Not every misgiving or mistake warrants criminal charges but firings and resignations need to prevail. We talk about hanging being a deterrent to crime. What's the deterrent to encourage politicians and civil servants to stop their scheming and games?
SP 10 years, 11 months ago
This is total madness!
We must get beyond the "pirates they were and pirates they will remain" syndrome.
The only sensible solution left is for us to put our heads together and form another political party consisting of trustworthy individuals from all three parties and others.
We must very examine Bermudas' example, as they also had the same 40 years of corrupt political stupidity to sort out as well.
Bermuda resolved the problem by forming a 3rd party (OBA) "One Bermuda Alliance" which won the government December 2012 and IMMEDIATELY made sweeping changes to the benefit of the majority, not just the chosen normal few friends family and lovers.
Review "OBA" website below. Bermuda is now rooting out decades of corruption shared by their PLP & UBP.
http://www.oba.bm/index.php/our-plan">http://www.oba.bm/index.php/our-plan
The Bahamas needs to do the same or we will never move forward.
by SP
concernedcitizen 10 years, 11 months ago
MR PGC ,who in their right mind would put Shane Gibson in charge of the biggest cash cow in the country ,NIB,,even though i,m FNM i always thought you were honest ,just a bit too kind hhearted to lead ..now i think you are the slick ring leader of this band of thieves ..
bismark 10 years, 11 months ago
This country needs a leader........................................................................
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
Hear..hear!!!
and I sought for a Man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
I want to see the PM with a straggely beard cuz h'eehn had time to shave, I want to see him running up the steps to parliament in his jogging suit cuz h'eehn had time to change, I want to see his eyes red cuz h'eehn sleep last night..i want to see him drivin his own car cuz he want the police to have full man power investigatin illegal gamin in de .country, I want to hear cabinet contributions start with " we discussed this proposal with Dr Minnis and Mrs Butler-Turner and we were able to agree on 70% of the terms". I want to see ministers rebuked for impropriety, I want to see ministers apologize for impropriety,I want to see Keod Smith say "oh, sorry, I just realized this was your beach too". I want to see Urban Renewal be what Urban Renewal means...revitalization and economic empowerment in depressed communities not a clean yard programme, that's environmental health, not delivering groceries, that's social services, not police walkabouts that's policing. I want a man or woman who truly understands what governance means. I want people to get it out of their heads that they're owed something because they spent personal funds on their campaign. I want people to get it out of their heads that they're supposed to reach millionaire status in office..5yrs? That's drug dealer talk!! How can you ask for a new residence when some of your ardent supporters don't even have homes and some with homes no electricity??? To impress outsiders? Trust me, they're intelligent and they talk to people, they know what a shiny veneer is. They know we prostitute ourselves for the right price. They laugh at how we throw flowing rich purple robes over a decaying body. They laugh at how easily they can have their way with us.
I am on the verge of crying for the state of my country. I never understood biblical references about people crying for the fall of a city...what could bring someone to cry for a country???
I never knew how much it could hurt.
Collin 10 years, 11 months ago
I get you passion and agree with you that we need a revival in leadership in this country and not just politically. However, some of those things you want to see does not augur well for vision, focus, health, preparation and organization...but I get it!!!
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
I want to see him working:)
C_MonMan 10 years, 11 months ago
Well good luck with that. For our current political leader that would be like a leopard changing his spots because he was never known for rolling up his sleeves but miracles can happen.
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