The Tribune

THE FREE National Movement is calling for the reinstatement of two Bahamian specialist employees at the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Sciences Institute (BAMSI) whose terminations in recent weeks the party claims are the result of political victimisation by the Progressive Liberal Party.

FNM chairman Michael Pintard said that his party would “mount an aggressive campaign” to get Lenny McDonald, an Irrigation Specialist and Staff Supervisor, and Micah Valdes, a Bahamian Aqua Technician, reinstated to their positions.

“We believe that the PLP government victimised them because they expressed concerns about the management of BAMSI and were perceived to be supporters of the FNM,” Mr Pintard said in a statement at the weekend. “To address these matters is to put your job at risk. This type of behaviour by the PLP government is despicable and totally unacceptable. Professionals who raise legitimate questions about poor management practices should not be terminated.”

Mr Pintard claimed that Mr McDonald and Mr Valdes were terminated on February 27 and March 3, the former without notice and in breach of his contract, the latter also unceremoniously and without notice. “We cry shame on the PLP for discriminating and victimising Bahamians at BAMSI in North Andros,” Mr Pintard said.

“In light of the brain drain our country is experiencing and the huge food import bill we are facing, one would expect that a wise and caring government would utilise talented Bahamian professionals who wish to contribute to national development. Mr Valdes has at least 14 years experience in aquaculture and tremendous access to information and experts in the field who reside overseas. Why not use him and Mr McDonald to the fullest extent possible?”

“We call on the PLP Government to discontinue damaging Bahamian lives and apologise to both Mr McDonald and Mr Valdes and to reinstate them with full salary and benefits. We will not rest until justice prevails in North Andros and throughout our country.”

Mr Pintard criticised the government, saying it had made “a series of miscalculations” over the establishment of BAMSI. “The project got started with no business plan; no site plan; no memorandum of understanding with Agriculture lecturers at the College of the Bahamas; no students selected to meet the original deadline for the start of school; no accommodations in place to house the students once selected; and no widespread consultation with the various commercial farmers and fisheries practitioners about how BAMSI will impact their livelihood.”

He said this was compounded by the lack of co-ordination between the Minister of Agriculture and Marines Resources, V Alfred Gray, and others, including the Prime Minister. “He (Mr Gray) said the project was a $50m initiative while the Prime Minister indicated it was to be a $100m project,” the FNM chairman said. “Most recently, Mr Gray once again spoke out of turn when he claimed that someone had been arrested for burning down the male dormitory at BAMSI when in fact no one was in custody at that time. He then claimed that a mere $125,000 or so would be required to repair the damage to the male dormitory when clearly the untrained eye could see that more than 75 per cent of a multi-million dollar building had been destroyed.

“Unashamed by his series of blunders and untruths the Minister then expresses shock that the burnt building was not insured and then, along with the Deputy Prime Minister and the contractor, he sought to convince the public that the policy had lapsed despite the fact that the insurance company identified seems not to exist.”

Mr Pintard said that despite the government’s claims about progress at BAMSI workers are without some basic tools. “It is not uncommon for workers to be competing just to use the pickaxe,” he said. “This deficiency in resources can also be seen in the lull in construction of some of the buildings at BAMSI and may explain the long delays before some workers are paid.”