By SANCHESKA DORSETT
Tribune Staff Reporter
Sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
FORMER FNM Chairman Darron Cash yesterday blasted Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis for "laying off people who are desperate for a job" only to increase the salaries of Members of Parliament.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Mr Cash said the message this sends to the people is "me first, you last." He said however justified a salary increase might be, "it is still feathering your own nest".
On Thursday, three years after opposing a salary increase for parliamentarians because of the weak economy, Prime Minister Minnis said his administration will raise the salaries of MPs in the next fiscal year.
Dr Minnis' position is a turnabout from 2014, when, in response to the Christie administration’s desire for the same thing, he said: “As long as I am leader of this country the FNM would not support any pay increase with all the pain and suffering that is going on in this country.”
Since 2014, economic growth remains slow and the Minnis administration has frequently lamented the state of the country’s finances.
"If I did not know better I would have sworn I was being punked," said Mr Cash.
"The news is simply unbelievable. Old people say that when you make your bed up hard you have to sleep in it hard. When a new government is striving to distinguish itself from its predecessors in office, a good starting point is to not do all the dumb things that they did. Especially if you were opposed to those things."
Mr Cash continued: "There is something unseemly about a government laying off people who are desperate for a job and then coming behind and raising it's own salaries...the FNM did not run on the message of 'downsize the staff and upsize our own salaries.' Tough decisions cause goodwill and political capital to be eroded. That is to be expected. A new government should spend it's political capital on the tough decisions that matter most to the broader population."
Mr Cash also criticised the Prime Minister for "making a U-turn on the resounding 'no' vote in the last referendum".
Dr Minnis announced in the House on Thursday his administration’s intention to amend the Immigration Act to allow all Bahamian women the right to automatically transfer citizenship to their children regardless of where they are born.
However, this issue – the first of four questions in the last years referendum – was overwhelmingly rejected by the majority of the population.
"Something clearly got lost in translation. The government clearly gets to determine that the no votes were purely anti PLP votes, and they had nothing to do with the FNM. That is a huge gamble," said Mr Cash.
"Perry Christie placed the same bet when he turned his back on the eloquently expressed will of the referendum voters. Prime Minister Minnis, sometimes it ain't what you do, but how. Nevertheless, if, as Clint Eastwood would say, you're feeling lucky today, then go ahead, place your bets."
Comments
Greentea 6 years, 5 months ago
This is an unfortunate state of affairs and a clear sign that nothing has changed within the political class. The people will get screwed again.
Greentea 6 years, 5 months ago
I should also say- aint no way in hell I would ever work for 28Gs unless erryting has gone wrong. Frankly I don't think our politrickans are worth a dime more of pay. Limited creative and thinking skills. No clue about global economics and how to stabilize and grow our economy or what to do about crime and social decay in the country. Neither party can organize a convention much less ORGANIZE the public service to save their life and ours. On a whole they- especially in the system that got them there - are a liability that will leave the country worse and wusser off each election cycle. Side note to PLPs- just shut up and sit small- you all don't have one iota of moral authority to stand on.
proudloudandfnm 6 years, 5 months ago
Teachers and nurses need a raise wsy more than MPs. Bad move Minnis. Really really bad....
Engineer 6 years, 5 months ago
Exceedingly poor timing Dr. Minis.
sheeprunner12 6 years, 5 months ago
Sooooooooo, every civil servant has been given a raise in the past 20 years ........ why do we think it is unnecessary to give the parliamentarians a pay raise?????? ....... Now that big pension package they receive must go as that is a burden on the Treasury...... Why should Perry get 250K per year after ruining this country???? Why should Lady SLOP collect her husband's pension AND her full salary in perpetuity??????? .......... While the regular civil servant gets $300 to $700 per month pension????????? ........ SMDH
DDK 6 years, 5 months ago
$28K is rather low for a full-time job. I would not leave a thriving practice or well-paid job for such a figure. On the other hand, four years at such a salary would be well worthwhile if a guaranteed whopper of a pension and other perks was the real prize. I say NO pay raises without pension eliminations.
sheeprunner12 6 years, 5 months ago
DDK ....... the average full-time Bahamian worker makes LESS than 20K per year .... where do you live???????????? ....... Not in the real Bahamas!!!!
DDK 6 years, 5 months ago
I should have said for a full-time, honest, politically elected representative's job, which is often seven days a week and well into the after hours, not to mention sacrifice to family life to serve constituents and country. It also involves many out of pocket expenses which I do not think five hundred odd a week would adequately cover.
DDK 6 years, 5 months ago
By the way, I live in the real EXPENSIVE land called The Bahamas!
sheeprunner12 6 years, 5 months ago
Only about 20,000 Bahamians work for the Government ......... and 40% are temporary workers who make less than $300 per week. The other 150,000 workers are in the private sector. We are under some impression that most Bahamians work for the Government or the Corporations. That is not the case!!!!!!!!!
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 5 months ago
Repost: Rather than telling us about how he is going to feather the nests of himself and his parliamentary colleagues, Minnis should be telling us about his government's realistic and plausible plans for creating descent paying private sector jobs that are much needed by our people. Has our PM gone mad in his head! Has he forgotten it's the people's time!! What the hell is going on here?!!!
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 5 months ago
Word "descent" s/b "decent".
sheeprunner12 6 years, 5 months ago
Minnis is not seeking to enrich an MP ........ he is simply stating a fact that despite the personal fortunes of an MP, the stipend given to MPs today does not reflect the DEMANDS expected of them by their constituents ...... Are we as Bahamians expecting the MP to fund back-to-school, Christmas parties, town-hall meetings etc. from their private pockets???? ...... How many MPs can live off $2,500 per month + take care of the needs of their 4000 constituents????? ........... and don't tell me it is not their job!!!!!
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 5 months ago
You seem to be unaware that in addition to their annual salaries, all MPs receive generous annual allowances of many thousands of dollars to be used for the betterment of their constituency. Seldom though do they properly account for how they spent the allowances. Edison Key was one of the few MPs who alway made it a point to give a public accounting of how he spent his allowances. In any event, why would we want our MPs to be paid more for the purpose of sprinkling some of it around to their favoured few or to pay for things that our government itself should be paying for.
ThisIsOurs 6 years, 5 months ago
With all due respect this is crazy talk. The argument cannot be they need a higher salary because someone else in the ministry is making more them them and it most definitely cannot be they need a higher salary so they can give it away to their constituents. If you could make the latter argument, in bizarro world, then increase the constituency allowance, which Dr Ninnis has already done by some 90,000 dollars!!! Their argument is based on nothing but all for me-ness. What have they done with the 90,000 EXTRA dollars he's given them? Wasting it on Christmas parties doesn't seem wise to me. Do something that will endure and not end up flushed down the toilet within 8 hours.
I wish more people had seen what was happening earlier. "Give them time" and this talk of "sheriff Minnis" has led us to this. I thought the constituency Increase was great but it needed a plan or it's WORSE than the PLP's UR slush fund. Are they gonna just give it away to young men on the block to jack up the verges or are they gonna give them some training to teach them how to properly maintain grass, so next year they don't need to wait on a contract, someone would hire them for their skill evidenced by the well maintained verges they were responsible for.
Young people are wonderful, but they are young, they always put forward how mature they are and then they do something to let you know they still young. Travis should not have been given a parliamentary position and he most definitely shouldn't have been out under the tutelage of DAguilar. What responsible person runs on with the nonsense he did on national news? And then speaks of his employees as if they're nothing? Can you imagine how the janitors at tourism feel knowing he thinks he's much better than them?
sheeprunner12 6 years, 5 months ago
Excellent points on the discussion of MP salaries/allowances/per diems/etc.
DDK 6 years, 5 months ago
Which was my point exactly, sheeprunner12.
Apostle 6 years, 5 months ago
OK Darren. Be quiet. You had your time. Thank God for the PLP hey?
bogart 6 years, 5 months ago
Demand for a salary increase to hand out cash to constituents should be curtailed. Would this be on line what any political party stands for?..Handouts.
Instead the MP should redirect these persons to the Social Servicrs or Labour Board where they can get long term and constrictive assistance instead of depending on handouts.
Contributing to derailing the govt where the true demands should be planned and extended hides the truth from any govt into how serious poverty and hardship of the people and many govts would not be able to provide adequate budget help or focus on job creation as necessary and the inderlyong displrasure who dont get any hand outs only mean there is a good chance of the MP acting against the interrst of the party to be reelected.. If you give to one give to all.......I am in the Pinewood srea plenty voters in my house and I have friends who are voters off Meadow St. and.....is this the Wesrminister system..?..
truetruebahamian 6 years, 5 months ago
Poor idea Minnis, so is the Grand Bahama hotel situation. Back out of both of these bad calls before you get Perryed!
BahamasForBahamians 6 years, 5 months ago
Hubert sucks!
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