PLP ratifies Fitzgerald and Halkits for 2017 race

As of Friday, May 20, 2016

Jerome Fitzgerald

Michael Halkitis

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

THE PLP has ratified its second pair of 2017 general election candidates – Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald and State Minister of Finance Michael Halkitis – as senior party officials declaring that the “new generation” leaders’ mantra was alive and well.

The incumbent MPs were ratified in their current constituencies of Marathon and Golden Isles respectively.

The announcement came during the monthly meeting of the National General Council at the party’s Farrington Road headquarters last night. PLP Party Chairman Bradley Roberts praised the selection of both men, noting that he was proud to have worked with them in Parliament and at the party and constituency levels.

“They have represented themselves, the Bahamas government and the Bahamians people well,” Mr Roberts said.

The selections come on the heels of the ratification of incumbent Yamacraw MP Melanie Griffin and former Education Minister Alfred Sears in the Fort Charlotte constituency.

The ratification of Mr Fitzgerald comes as the Marathon constituency continues to work its way through the protracted Rubis fuel spill debacle. In the wake of the 2013 incident, the government refused the make the findings of a independent Black and Veatch International report into the spill public for more than a year. The report found that Marathon residents were possibly exposed to harmful chemicals, including cancer-causing benzene.

Mr Fitzgerald said the delay in making the Black and Veatch report public was due to the Attorney General not authorising its release.

Mr Fitzgerald is going to be challenged by Democratic National Alliance (DNA) candidate Emily Williams and Free National Movement (FNM) candidate Romauld Ferreira, an environmental lawyer and advocate for the residents of Marathon.

Mr Halkitis, while not caught in such controversy as Mr Fitzgerald, has come under fire for his handling of a number of national economic matters. Most recently he criticised media outlets for writing “doom and gloom” articles about the government’s finances during his contribution to the mid-year budget debate in the House of Assembly.

The government has faced staunch opposition on the implementation of Value Added Tax, with some detractors blaming the country’s sluggish economic growth on the tax – all of that coming on the watch of Mr Halkitis.

In the upcoming general elections, Mr Halkitis is expected to be challenged by DNA candidate Stephen Greenslade and the FNM’s Kenyatta Gibson.

jackbnimble 10 years ago

To ratify Fitzgerald and send him back to run in Marathon after his debacle with the Rubis leak is mind boggling. I hope the good people of Marathon are not stupid enough to put him back in. That would be a tragedy.

ohdrap4 10 years ago

i hope marathon remembers.

MonkeeDoo 10 years ago

I disagree jacjbnimble. This is the very best thing that could happen to him. All the Kings Horses and All the Kings Men could not put Fitzgerald together again. Justice is in the eye of the beholder and I can see it coming for this SOB.

jackbnimble 10 years ago

Well.... when you put it like that......

licks2 10 years ago

Me and you don't agree on much. . .them people "ger jook stick uppin him" when he go back to them!!

MonkeeDoo 10 years ago

Halkitis is a damned joke. "Ministry of Finance" and doesn't even realize that the revenue is not what it should be. That its been tiefed. Too much time spent out a Simms Point I'd say.

If $5.00 was missing out of these retards wallets there would be hell to pay. But the Bahamian people's wallet can be $47million short and it takes the Auditor General to point it out ???.

These people only looking out for themselves. Really.

Sickened 10 years ago

Fitzgerald too dumb to see the writing on the wall. The PLP want him out so they have handed him a sure loss in Marathon. BYE, BYE old friend.

sheeprunner12 10 years ago

We see clearly where the PLP is headed if re-elected ............. that will not happen

Honestman 10 years ago

Fitzgerald should enjoy what he can of his last 12 months as a Minister because it will be his last period in office. With his duplicity over Rubis he has made himself electable in Marathon.

Emac 10 years ago

Yawn...

birdiestrachan 10 years ago

Time will tell, and who lives the longest will see the most. but calling them retards and dumb is really not true.

pharoah 10 years ago

I am glad that they retified Mr Fitzgerald to run again in marathon. I am sure he will lose!

sheeprunner12 10 years ago

So far who is back in???? ....... Melanie Griffin, Alfred Sears, Fitzgerald and Halkitis ....... can you imagine the PLP Cabinet 4.0??????? ............ God will not let that burden fall on us again

EasternGate 10 years ago

No of them so far worth a sh.t!

Well_mudda_take_sic 10 years ago

If the many hundreds of Marathon voters poisoned by the Rubis leak are fool enough to re-elect "Toxic Fumes" Fitzgerald, they would become the laughing stock constituency of the Bahamas! Clearly, by re-nominating "Toxic Fumes" Fitz, the corrupt Christie-led PLP government thinks the good people of Marathon are as dumb as they come. Hopefully they prove him wrong in 2017 by voting for whomever runs as an independent candidate in their constituency.

Greentea 10 years ago

they may try to change boundaries.... though that never works- they may try...

Reality_Check 10 years ago

They don't come much dumber or more disingenuous than Halkitis when it comes to the subject of finances. Halkitis has fattened up and is clearly living the good life off of kissing Christie's butt; meanwhile things could not be worse for our country's finances and the state of our economy. The grossly incompetent Halkitis needs to banished forever from politics in 2017!

sheeprunner12 10 years ago

The only thing Halkitis did was create a new Budget form that hides all of the heads of department Expenditure details ........ and he seems clueless in tracking government Revenue ....... then he calls it the "modern system" ...... or is it still no accountability and transparency to cover PLP teefin???

SP 10 years ago

Its an obvious "modern system" of piracy!

John 10 years ago

While the PLP is bragging about their successes things to ponder:

While they are bragging about how successfully they implemented VAT: But VAT is the reason why the economy is drying up and the unemployment figures are continuing to increase. VAT is suppose to be a "replacement" tax and notan additional tax. Meaning your government was suppose to remove and/or reduce accustoms duties as the VAT was implemented. But they did token reductions at the beginning and have kept customs duties on most items. So they killing people. .
Gambling Reform: They went against the NO vote and decided to regularize and tax gaming. This was good as it prevented a lot of cash from leaving the country and also allowed government to realize substantial tax revenue from the number houses. However more should be done to regularize and control the number of gaming houses (and liquor stores) in residential areas. Never mind Super Value is now putting gaming kiosks in all of its eighteen stores.
BAMSI....fire, fire and more fire! dormitory not rebuilt yet, money was allocated, no word on government being reimbursed for building loss in fire. Farmers still have same problem as before Bamsi. Getting their produce to market. Social services have thousands of welfare receipients. Why not include Bamsi and local farmer produce in their benefit. Put local stations where they can collect produce every week. Too much money spent for what is being benefitted.
Road traffic department and department of corrections..what do they have in common..ask goddy
Urban Renewal...rainy season, hurricane season back again and still so many have not yet received relief yet they contractors were paid. 6 Bah Mar..can you speak Chinese..hotel no open yet..peenty people no workin yet..no have money to buy pepper snake.. 7.Did this government build any low cost homes in 5 year? just asking. 8 And that brings us to mortage relief..for whom? 9 Is it available at Bank of the Bahamas? 10 Are your lights still on. The DPM says your bill was reduced by BPL and now caused by the world wide reduction in oil prices. 11 Southern Bahamas and hurricane relief..are they still there? 12 Rubis oil spill 13 Dump fires 14 Road works..Wulff Road..Village Road..even parts of Shirley street

But because of a weak or invisible opposition..they stand a chance of winning again.

proudloudandfnm 10 years ago

Isn't Marathon a PLP stronghold?

JAW 10 years ago

God help The Bahamas! Nassau is filthy with roads and buildings in disrepair. Can't even breathe clean air because of the toxic fumes from the dump. Even if we had clean air we can't leave our windows open at night because of the high level of crime. Our political leaders are a failure and the worst thing is they think that they are a success. They expect us to thank them for ripping us off and undermining our democracy and protecting criminals even legalizing their illicit activities.

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