Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts is challenging Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis to investigate “the apparent waste” of $33.5 million which was earmarked for a solid waste disposal project in New Providence during his term in government.
“The FNM borrowed $23.5 million from the Inter-American Bank and used $10 million from the public treasury to finance this project that to date has produced very little fruit if any. This is a good starting point for Dr. Minnis,” Mr. Roberts said.
He further charged that Dr. Minnis’ tenure as Health Minister and Minister Responsible for the New Providence Landfill does not hold a good record.
“Let us take for example the New Providence landfill fire that burned for two days between 25th and 26th March 2008 while Dr. Minnis served as Minister of Health and Social Development” he said.
“Minnis pontificated about how ‘recycling and mulching techniques could play critical roles in eliminating the amount of garbage that is being deposited at the Sanitary Landfill…’ but alas he never saw his way to implementing a plan to achieve this; he simply talked a good plan,” Mr. Roberts continued.
The PLP Chairman also pointed out that Dr. Minnis had promised a comprehensive report to address the issues at the landfill.
“He said his comprehensive report indicated that at least 40 per cent of the garbage within The Bahamas can be recycled and another 15-20 per cent of that garbage can be mulched. ‘And so therefore, once you have the appropriate programs in place, those two measures can automatically remove 60 per cent of the garbage away from the zones which means that the lifespan of the Landfill can quadruple while eliminating many of the fires we see at the site today, because you would have removed certain things from there,’ pontificated Minnis but alas he never saw his way to establishing this program to address this problem when he sat around the cabinet table with the authority to make executive decisions to positively impact the lives of many families in the southwest corridor of New Providence,” Mr. Roberts explained.
Additionally, Mr. Roberts bashed Dr. Minnis for failing in the area of National Health Insurance.
“Minnis’ record of failure is clear: he never formulated a plan for National Health Insurance and he never formulated a plan to address the environmental and health issues connected with the New Providence Landfill. When questioned about the deficiencies at the Public Hospital Authority as cited in an audit report covering his ministerial tenure, Minnis told the media that he was unaware of these cited deficiencies. Minnis, however, did manage to secure for himself a huge contract where he leased a building his company owns to the Ministry of Health. He has collected about one million dollars from that lease,” she said.
Over the last several months, Dr. Minnis has been reiterating that the FNM is producing a “Change Team” in its slate of candidates.
However, Mr. Roberts charged that the FNM leader represents quite the opposite.
“Dr. Minnis does not represent the change the Bahamian people need. From all data available to us, he is a failed leader and a failed cabinet minister who talks a good game, but fails to deliver. He is not new or fresh – he has been at the cabinet table and has been confronted with governance challenges and has failed over and over again,” said Mr. Roberts.
