PLP leader Philip 'Brave' Davis.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
WITH Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis resuming his Family Island tour in promotion of the budget, opposition leader Philip “Brave” Davis is having second thoughts about doing a taxpayer funded tour of his own, calling Dr Minnis’ travels a waste of money all to serve a purely political agenda.
Dr Minnis had pledged to give Mr Davis money to travel the country through his capacity as leader of the official opposition, but the government has not yet provided the funds, Mr Davis told The Tribune.
Dr Minnis travelled to Acklins and Crooked Island Friday and is expected to visit Inagua and Mayaguana on Saturday.
“…(I’ll) spread the word about the government’s budget,” he said Thursday. “And for the first time, I’ll bring the Family Islands, they would become involved and they will be informed as to what has transpired during my visit to CARICOM.”
Dr Minnis will be travelling to New York next week, but his press secretary Anthony Newbold said he will likely visit the remaining islands in the next few weeks as well.
During the trips, Dr Minnis has refused to take questions from those attending, paid to bus supporters to the meetings, travelled with an entourage and provided refreshments after the events, all at taxpayer’s expense, Mr Davis said.
“The public is paying for the prime minister’s political jaunts,” he added. “He’s bashing the PLP and he’s meeting with supporters of the FNM after his public meetings and he’s not taking questions. Why is he travelling? Just to dictate to people? The more I think about it the more I question whether I should even allow myself to be caught into this exercise, using the people’s funds to promote a political agenda. He’s already said he’s not affording me the same facilities he’s affording himself.”
In the House of Assembly last month Dr Minnis told Mr Davis he will “go alone” during his travels to the Family Islands, saying “we (the government) will support you.”
Mr Davis said yesterday: “He’s only providing me with plane tickets to go to one island I want to go to. That’s one plane ticket. But he’s chartering a plane and taking an entourage with him.”
Mr Davis said at a time when the government is declining to host the popular IAAF World Relays event because of a lack of funds, the prime minister’s expenses for an unnecessary agenda are tone deaf.
Comments
Porcupine 5 years, 9 months ago
I found it so wrong that Minnis would come to Andros, tell us what we already knew, and then refuse to take questions. Is there not even a slight deference to democracy? How very very sad for Minnis and all Bahamians. No excuse. Time after time this man is proving he is not leadership material. How much will his reign really cost us?
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 9 months ago
The dimwitted Doc doesn't take questions because he is incapable of standing on his own two feet and answering them without knowing the questions well in advance so that he can respond by reading a typed script. Remember, the dimwitted Doc is simply unable to think quickly.
TheMadHatter 5 years, 9 months ago
"Dr Minnis had pledged to give Mr Davis money to travel the country through his capacity as leader of the official opposition, but..."
THIS IS INSANE !!!!
This means that the Leader of the Opposition has no operating budget? But must come begging to the PM if he needs to go to south Eleuthera to examine the toxic waste dump there?
That means that we don't have a real opposition as spoken of in the Constitution. This is a Constitutional crisis. Is the well known Q.C. aware of this problem?
I am no fan at all of Mr. Davis, and disagree with him on almost every issue BUT he has a very very necessary role to play in our democracy and not having a budget to spend as he sees fit, very seriously hampers that role. You can do nothing without money.
Of course, if this is policy then we could ask why the PLP didn't FIX this when they were in power. But perhaps Minnis could show he is the bigger man by fixing it now?
geostorm 5 years, 9 months ago
You people will complain for anything. Damn if you do and Damn if you don't. It's so annoying! Stop being so politically charged. Election is over, you have Minnis for the next 4 years. Shut up and go figure out what role you should play as a citizen in all of this.
Brave Davis your real reason for not taking the challenge is you don't have any common sense ideas to give the Bahamian people. Please go away. Sensible people don't want to hear you. You had 10 years to do your job. You failed miserably so please go away!
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 9 months ago
Will you please tell Dr ?Minnis that the election is over and he should stop campaigning?
DDK 5 years, 9 months ago
.......... and now Dr. Minnis is off to New York! Seems he's trying to catch up with Christie. The man cannot sit still! Minnis and Co. are wasting no time spending the extra cash that is burdening the tax payers while seeming to renege on the promised customs duty exemptions. They seem to have no shame. I do wish ALL Government employees, from the PM down, would publish their travel and expense reports in the local newspapers and on television as they occur. They would gain so many fans! Either that or the people would finally take to the streets in revolt!
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 9 months ago
Dr Minnis has no intention of governing this country. He's going to campaign for the next four years off the 12% backs of the Bahamian people.
OMG 5 years, 9 months ago
Mr Davies , you forget the numerous ceremonies and the entourage coming to central Eleuthera for ground breaking after ground breaking for the never to be built nor affordable hospital. So for all those charter trips, car hire, meals and the 7 million investment what do we have to show for it---Nothing except a large pile of curry.
sheeprunner12 5 years, 9 months ago
Brave is correct on this point to some extent ....... Minnis made himself look very foolish going around looking for Out Island people's support ...................But did Brave criticise the gambling referendum tour of the PLP?? .............. The opposing side was even denied funding.
Minnis (very stupidly) even extended funding to Brave to do his own anti-VAT12 tour.
But this whole VAT12 tour debacle should have not even occurred in the first place.
jamani2 5 years, 9 months ago
What Minnis did is call keeping the people in the loop, calling the family together to explain what's going on in the country. I love his fatherhood instincts.
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 9 months ago
Fatherhood?.. These people PLP or FNM don't care about you or me. If you have to walk to the pump, catch the bus, wake up midnight to trek to the outdoor toilet, struggling with food prices, they don't care.
It doesn't affect them.We accustomed to that style of living right,? Their job is to figure out how they gonna cut an under the table deal with the next big investor to the country, like Oban, who getting the finder's fee on that? When you put someone everyone know is a crook in charge of the money, there's no question about who you are.
They gave us a VAT increase that overnight hiked prices 25-50% they don't care. Can you imagine overnight every single supplier in the country raised prices? And I'm not talking about the 4% ncrease. People took the opportunity to hike the base price then put VAT on top of it. You hear anything from Minnis Inspector Gadget undercover agents yet? It een hard to find. It's everywhere.
They care about giving jobs to people who will vote for them and that's it. Running a tax subsidized vote buying scam. Now since you think that's Daddy, I guess they care about you.
Porcupine 5 years, 9 months ago
Well said, and true.
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