Andre Rollins speaks in the House of Assembly.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FORT Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins called yesterday for Prime Minister Perry Christie to address the presence of Peter Nygard in this country after the billionaire fashion mogul was videotaped claiming Mr Christie promised him land after he allegedly gave $5m to the Progressive Liberal Party for the last general election.
Dr Rollins’ comments came during a House of Assembly session yesterday in response to Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald, who lamented the FNM’s decision to highlight the allegations made in the Supreme Court documents by the Save the Bays organisation.
“When we decided to run for Parliament,” Mr Fitzgerald said, “and represent the good people of this country, we did so with a good heart, with clear intentions, with nothing more than to serve the best interest of the people of this country. We sacrificed much, all of us in here, on both sides, sacrifice much to represent the people.
“Today is a sad day. We’ve had a few sad days but today is the saddest because of the low we have come to. Accusations can be made about anyone without one thread of evidence, against Cabinet, against the Prime Minister, against me.”
Mr Fitzgerald claimed that all matters of corruption that have arisen in the past 20 years have involved the FNM, a statement not supported by the facts.
He said: “When you talk about corruption, in the last 20 years of government we’ve had conflict of interest, we’ve had people resign for conflict of interest, where have they come from? We’ve had board members who’ve been charged before the courts for corruption. Where have they come from?
“We had the Mona Vie scandal, where a member who was a minister at that time gave preferential treatment to his own family. What government was that in? You had the helicopter ride where the member who was the sitting minister accepted the helicopter ride then gave permission to dredge the land sea park.
“Don’t come in here today and begin this broad thing about corruption and all of us being involved because I didn’t get involved in politics for that.”
Mr Fitzgerald, visibly frustrated by the criticism of corruption, suggested that he has grown so “sick and tired” of the allegations that he will begin levying similar ones at the FNM.
“If that’s the kind of fight they want, no problem,” he said. “If that’s what our politics come to then let it come to that. I got my share of that too. I said in this place before, I did not come in this Parliament to bother with anybody. I came to have intelligent discussions about the issues facing this country that involves our citizens. That’s what we came here for. If that’s what you want to do and come and impugn my integrity, we ain’ gon’ take that. If you touch one of us you touch all of us. It ain’ gon happen like that.”
In response, Dr Rollins accused the government of frequently deflecting criticisms of its actions by evoking past actions of the FNM.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right,” he said. “Just because something may have transpired under another administration that was wrong does not make it acceptable for those wrongs to be committed by a sitting administration.”
Dr Rollins also took a shot at Mr Fitzgerald’s defence that he has never engaged in activities whose propriety could be questioned, noting that he was one of the governing members who appeared on camera in a video that emerged several years ago where they visited Mr Nygard even as the mogul had matters before the government.
Dr Rollins said: “And for the member of Marathon, who himself, a part of an entourage of Cabinet ministers who attended the home of Peter Nygard, he should be the last individual to speak about propriety. We need somebody who has not perceptibly been bought by a permanent resident who means this country no good, we need somebody like that from that side to stand up and repudiate the filth that this man represents.
“And until we get that, we cannot accept this as business as usual. We need a government that is free and clear of men and women who believe that they own this country or that they have this government in their back pocket. And Mr Prime Minister, you should stand firm. If you call for Bruno Rufa (as your Minister of Foreign Affairs has done) to be sent out of this country; if you say Sarkis Izmirlian should be get psychiatric evaluation and should be sent out this country, what then do you say about Peter Nygard? Shame on you.”
Comments
TalRussell 8 years, 1 month ago
Comrade Dr. Andre, wise up cause if your red party does not come clean over the most disturbing allegations contained in court documents, any guilt, if any, by others is unlikely to be exposed because the public will remain confused and suspicious about what, or whatever they want call it, is really going on here and what exactly was the red parties early involvement.
How's it possible that people's elected representatives had knowledge of a 'murder for hire' but kept it a secret?
Your red party are the PLP's saviors. You and your 'Letter of Intent' friend, might have just as well stayed over on the other side House of Assembly. You two could have saved the short walk.
Islandgirl 8 years, 1 month ago
Thank you Andre Rollins for calling these gangsters out on their utter hypocrisy. Mr Fitzgerald, please stick with what is germane here. Distractions are not the order of the day. Accountability is. Anywhere else in the civilized world, decent members of government would step down in the face of these very serious circumstances. This government however? You all already know.
TalRussell 8 years, 1 month ago
Comrade Islandgirl listen to the audio and tell me where it remotely sounds like Nygard sat in the rear of a vehicle with the ' intent' to engage the services of a 'hit man's for hire'? It just didn't happen that way. Now, did it?
I am not defending Nygard, truth is I said years ago that his time in Bahamaland should have expired a long time back.
Nygard back in the 1990's was also much too cozy with the governing red party.
realfreethinker 8 years, 1 month ago
Tal is there a time when the plp screws up and you call them out witout invoking the fnm ? Every time this gov f up they talk about what the previous gov did rather than answer the charges laid at their feet.
TalRussell 8 years, 1 month ago
Comrade Realfree thinker, all I'm saying is let the chips fall whereeve they need to fall.
There is no politician, or government official, who is too big, not to be arrested, charged, tried and if found guilty, jailed.
EasternGate 8 years, 1 month ago
Rollin is the kind of spark the FNM needs!
paul_vincent_zecchino 8 years, 1 month ago
Bravo, Dr. Rollins.
The 'Medical Model' dictates, when the doctor diagnoses cancer, he removes it to save the patient.
proudloudandfnm 8 years, 1 month ago
Nygard has been running an illegal resort in our country for years.
Of course he should be deported......
bluesky 8 years, 1 month ago
Let's see if Rollins and the FNM lead the charge to deport Nygard when the FNM wins the Government. It's different when the shoe is on the other foot.
GrassRoot 8 years, 1 month ago
Nygard should be deported way before that. But the Mitchell does not have the cojones to do so.
Chucky 8 years, 1 month ago
“When we decided to run for Parliament,” Mr Fitzgerald said, “and represent the good people of this country, we did so with a good heart, with clear intentions, with nothing more than to serve the best interest of the people of this country. We sacrificed much, all of us in here, on both sides, sacrifice much to represent the people.
I'm laughing so hard at what Mr Fitzgerald said, Ithink I pi ssed my pant......
He must mean that since they haven't absolutely gutted the all the public service budgets they've forgone many many millions they otherwise could have stolen..... that my friend is their only sacrifice......
realfreethinker 8 years, 1 month ago
I almost shit my pants
sheeprunner12 8 years, 1 month ago
Rollins is old school ................. he calls a spade a spade ........that is a good thing for the FNM
Honestman 8 years, 1 month ago
Nygard has the moral conscience of a slug and has completely manipulated our greedy and corrupt third world politicians. By his utterances on video, and by any standards, he is an unfit and proper person to hold permanent residency in The Bahamas. Christie, Mitchell, Gibson et al would rather query the suitability for residence of a genuine foreign investor who had reportedly invested some $800 million in a project that would have revolutionized tourism in New Providence. Their silence on Nygard is deafening. Meanwhile the country's reputation has descended to a depth not experience since the days of the Commission of Enquiry.
gangof4 8 years, 1 month ago
So true, so true.
MonkeeDoo 8 years, 1 month ago
We need to have another Commission of Enquiry Honest Man. Sooner rather than later. It would be good for the Supreme Court to recommend such after consideration of this non-commendable matter. The evidence is shocking. The police should properly interrogate Nygard, as they would any other assassin or hired gun. Hook the battery leads up to his nuts and see how loud he sings.
Sickened 8 years, 1 month ago
The police need to raid his home and copy all of his tape recordings. I was going to say confiscate his records but you know what will happen to the originals (they will disappear). You know Nygard has a treasure trove of tapes; he could probably make a 10,000 hour reality tv movie with all the crap he's recorded.
bluesky 8 years, 1 month ago
Pintard should have called crime stoppers...
BigSlick 8 years, 1 month ago
Rollins is like a young Bahamian version of Bernie Sanders in the USA.....calling out corruption and telling it how he sees it! In time he will be Prime Minister material.
asiseeit 8 years, 1 month ago
My Bahamian brothers and sisters, lets be real. if you or I had done half of what the money man has done over the years, we both would be sitting in HMP Fox Hill. That is a fact. The man has made a mockery of the laws of this country, they simply do not apply to him so it seems. Must be nice to OWN a government.
TalRussell 8 years, 1 month ago
Comrades just because you keep repeating it does not change the facts as we know them to be that neither the PM, or DPM, had any involvement with the arranging or hiring of anyone to commit criminality.
Godson 8 years, 1 month ago
TO THIS EXTENT, FOREIGNERS AND THEIR FOREIGN INTERESTS, as well as, their disagreements and disputes over the use of a drive-way can become the center focus for our politicians including OUR GOVERNMENT and THE OFFICIAL OPPOSITION, and can also... force attention for discussions in debate in the halls of The Bahamas' Parliament while the interest and the survival of the Bahamians, for want of a more suitable word and expression, don't seem to mean a shit to them.
THIS IS THE ULTIMATE... use your own words to describe___...
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