Minnis calls for Gray to resign
OPPOSITION Leader Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday called on Bahamians to mobilise against the $2.1bn agriculture and fisheries proposal with Chinese investors for Andros that he believed would bring the country one step closer to “being colonised once again”.
FNM Deputy questions NHI delay after hurricane
FREE National Movement Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest questioned yesterday if the Christie administration will use Hurricane Matthew as an excuse to delay the roll out of National Health Insurance.
NHI could be 'slightly delayed' due to Hurricane Matthew
HEALTH Minister Dr Perry Gomez admitted on Friday that due to Hurricane Matthew, which caused damage to public buildings including clinics, it was likely that the implementation of phase one of National Health Insurance (NHI) would be “slightly” delayed.
PM: I'm not easy when it comes to Crown land approvals
PRIME Minister Perry Christie insisted yesterday that he is not “easy” when it comes to Crown land approvals amid revelations that the Bahamas Embassy in China was given the nod to discuss a $2.1bn agri-fisheries proposal with Chinese investors for Andros.
Former Minister says Gray should have been upfront with the people
FORMER Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Tennyson Wells yesterday said he saw no issue with a controversial $2.1 billion Chinese proposal for Andros, but admonished current Minister V Alfred Gray for not being “upfront with the people.”
$2.1Bn proposal ‘came from Ambassador, not Chinese govt’
THE $2.1 billion proposal for the development of agriculture and fisheries in Andros was pitched to the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources by the government’s ambassador to China, and not the Chinese government or investors, according to Agriculture and Fisheries Minister V Alfred Gray yesterday.
V Alfred Gray should resign, says FNM MICAL candidate
IF Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries V Alfred Gray had “a shred of honour left” he would resign from his Cabinet post immediately, Free National Movement MICAL candidate Walt Saunders said yesterday.
$1.4m in applications seeking to utilise Hurricane Matthew exigency order
THE government has received almost $1.4 million in applications submitted by persons seeking to utilise the exigency order declared in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, Minister of National Insurance and Labour Shane Gibson said yesterday. The 180-day exigency order, declared effective from October 7, allows residents affected by the storm to import certain items into the country duty and tax-free. It only covers New Providence, Grand Bahama, the Berry Islands and North and Central Andros.
D’Aguilar: Govt ‘selling souls to the Chinese’
THE Christie administration is “selling souls to the Chinese,” businessman Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday in response to reports that the government gave the Bahamas embassy in China the go-ahead to have talks with Chinese officials about an agri-fisheries proposal for Andros.
Minister accuses the Public Accounts Committee of bias
LABOUR Minister Shane Gibson yesterday rejected the Public Accounts Committee’s report on the Urban Renewal Small Homes Repair project and accused the PAC of “churlish, politically driven, and obtuse bias,” which led it to dismiss credible evidence during its probe.
Govt to borrow $28.3 million to improve water quality
THE government is seeking to borrow $28.3 million from the Caribbean Development Bank to improve the access and quality of water in the Bahamas.
Asue Draw & Spin opts not to renew provisional licence
ASUE Draw & Spin, one of the eight web shop companies granted a provisional licence to operate in the country last year, has opted not to renew its provisional licence, effectively exiting from the sector, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe confirmed yesterday.
Gray: Govt would not give foreigners licence to fish
AGRICULTURE and Fisheries V Alfred Gray sought to defend himself from criticism yesterday, after a letter he wrote to the Bahamian ambassador to China expressing interest in a $2.1 billion Chinese proposal for Andros was published.
Sears hits back at Wilchcombe over festival postponement
FORMER Attorney General Alfred Sears has criticised Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe for “lecturing him on integrity” while not giving full disclosure about the circumstances surrounding the postponement of the Caribbean Muzik Festival.
Turnquest criticises ‘asinine’ comments from Shane Gibson
FREE National Movement Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest yesterday levelled a stinging criticism at Hurricane Matthew Czar Shane Gibson, saying it was “asinine” to accuse him of deliberately attempting to undermine the government’s relief efforts, while suggesting that the government could have a case of misappropriated funds in play.
