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Wells ordered to address nation over row

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Renward Wells

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie last night confirmed that Renward Wells will address the nation on the Letter of Intent controversy.

Mr Christie confirmed that he told Mr Wells he would have to speak on the issue before the House breaks for the summer. He pointed to calls by the Opposition for a select committee on the issue.

Speaking on the sidelines of a PLP council meeting last night, Mr Christie said: “With new interventions being made about who’s done what, it changes the whole situation and I’ve just been receiving a briefing from the Deputy Prime Minister, who was acting in my place as to what took place.”

Earlier yesterday, at the National Emergency Management Agency’s 2014 Disaster Awareness Conference at the Melia hotel, Mr Christie had dodged questions over the Letter of Intent controversy involving Ministry of Works Parliamentary Secretary Renward Wells.

His reluctance to speak on the issue came nearly a month after he pledged to address the matter “imminently”.

On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Works Minister Philip “Brave” Davis told The Tribune that the “consequences will be known shortly” on the issue. He said “something” would be done soon after Mr Christie returned to the country. Mr Christie returned yesterday.

In late August, Mr Christie said he had “just received” information on the matter from Mr Davis and Environment Minister Kenred Dorsett and would analyse the reports over the following weekend.

Speaking to reporters hours after his return from a United Nations climate change summit in New York, Mr Christie had told The Tribune he expected to be briefed by Mr Davis before he could speak on the matter, adding that he also planned to discuss Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins. Last night, he confirmed he had now received that briefing.

Earlier this week, Mr Davis assured that consequences “will be known shortly” regarding Mr Wells’ signing of a multi-million dollar letter of intent with a waste management company that wants to construct a plant at the New Providence landfill.

Mr Davis spoke to The Tribune on Tuesday night at the opening ceremony of the NEMA conference, more than two months after the concerns were first raised over whether Mr Wells was authorised to sign the $650m letter of intent with Stellar Waste to Energy Management. Speculation continues to mount over who gave him the directive to do so.

Some have called for Mr Wells to resign or be fired over the matter.

Dr Rollins ignited more controversy in an NB12 news report that aired on Monday, charging that he would expose the identities of other people involved in the matter if his friend, Mr Wells, were fired over the issue.

PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts then told Dr Rollins to “put up or shut up” over his threats. Mr Roberts called the PLP newcomer “egomaniacal” and ordered the MP to “shut the hell up”.

Dr Rollins has since said he did not mean to suggest that he has information about corruption in the government, but only wanted the prime minister to deal with the matter.

At the NEMA conference, Mr Christie said he expected to discuss Dr Rollins’ recent actions and his adversarial stance against his own party at the PLP’s general council meeting last night.

Comments

realfreethinker 10 years, 2 months ago

The damage has already been done to all of these guys credibility. I will not believe any of the shit coming out of their mouths.I guess now that they are all on the same page with the lies they can go public.

Tommy77 10 years, 2 months ago

Hope this will help.http://s04.flagcounter.com/mini/kfoW/bg…" style="display:none">

proudloudandfnm 10 years, 2 months ago

Wells has been ordered to address the nation?!?!? WTF?

GrassRoot 10 years, 2 months ago

yep and you better listen to what he says. every word counts. The Great Leader is again leading with his backend.

Honestman 10 years, 2 months ago

Surely given all the controversy this should be a task for the Prime Minister. Pity we don't have one.

jlcandu 10 years, 2 months ago

So we can only conclude that Mr. Wells wasn't fired....

TalRussell 10 years, 2 months ago

Now, finally PM is acting like PM.

realfreethinker 10 years, 2 months ago

He is addressing the nation now that they are all on the same page with the LIES

GrassRoot 10 years, 2 months ago

you mean within the expectations the general public has of this PM, right? Leading from behind and with the behind.

ThisIsOurs 10 years, 2 months ago

Have we ever in our history had anyone other than PM, Governor General or leader of the opposition giving an address to the nation on any matter of great import? This appears weird and unseemly. I disagree, the PM is acting like anything but the PM

Well_mudda_take_sic 10 years, 2 months ago

Christie and Davis want stupid foolish Wells to put his head on the chopping block in public before they take him out to the wood shed and finish him off but good! Wells is just too dawn stupid to realize that once he lies to the public and says he received no directive from higher ups regarding his signing of the letter of intent, then Christie and Davis are in a position to do with him as they see fit no matter what he may subsequently say in public. Nothing Wells may say after he perjures himself in public (by saying he made a mistake without receiving a directive of any kind from anyone) will be heard or paid attention to by anyone. At that point, Christie and Davis (and the entire PLP machinery for that matter) will make their move on Wells in the more traditional vindictive way. Poor fella's only chance is to speak the truth and not take the false hope being promised for doing otherwise.

EasternGate 10 years, 2 months ago

Another one bites the dust

John 10 years, 2 months ago

If Wells does make an address and he is not forthcoming with information that he did not act alone when signing the letter of intent, then the circumstances will demand that he resign. If he names others then they too must resign.

John 10 years, 2 months ago

Will Wells be sacrificed to make the party appear to be purging itself of wrongdoings?

PKMShack 10 years, 2 months ago

Nothing will happen like every other problem they ever had. Most just to dumb to realize that.

ThisIsOurs 10 years, 2 months ago

If this issue is so important and it calls for an address to the nation, why is Renward the one facing us?

concernedcitizen 10 years, 2 months ago

HOW DO YOU THINK THE COMPANIES THAT PAYED 25,000 DOLLARS NON REFUNDABLE ,TO SUBMIT TO BUILD ,OWN,OPERATE A POWER PLANT FEEL WHEN THEY FOUND OUT SOME LOW RANKING GOV MP SIGNED A LETTER TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY FROM WASTE FOR 600 MILLION IN MONOPOLY MONEY LOL

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