In an angered response, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Senator Fred Mitchell urged the Minnis administration to “to govern and stop being stupid” as opposed to “attacking people who are not its size.”
Mr. Mitchell’s comments came during a press conference in the Minority Room of the House of Assembly yesterday where addressed allegations made by Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis in the House of Assembly earlier this week.
Dr. Hubert Minnis alleged that the former Christie administration issued millions of dollars in senseless contracts to its supporters.
Some of those payments were allegedly made to former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Irrington “Minky” Isaacs for an almost $2 million Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) contract and Jonathan Ash regarding an $8 million contract for hurricane clean-up.
The allegations, according to Mr. Mitchell, are false as he insisted the motivation behind it all is political.
“All of this is just a smoke screen. You come to office with no plan, no idea what you’re going to do, and so you say, ‘let me just go in here and see what dirt I can throw at the PLP,’” Mr. Mitchell said.
“And then, of course, knowing the nature of the society, with people saying, ‘oh so and so got $1.2 million.’ You hear that, and that’s it. That’s all this is about.
“Why don’t they just get to work and govern? They’re wasting time on foolishness on what the PLP did. The PLP lost the election! Go get a life and govern and stop being stupid.”
Opposition Leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis also refuted those claims in addition to other allegations made by Dr. Minnis this week.
One of those being that the former government allowed the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility payments to lapse, causing the country to forfeit its coverage.
“The facts are that Mr. Isaacs’ company won a contract to assist in the clean-up of petroleum in Clifton Pier and Blue Hills Station at the BEC plant. I am advised that the contract was put out to bid and Mr. Isaacs’ company was the successful bidder. The issue here is not how much was paid, but whether value for money was obtained for the work given. Our advice is that it was,” Mr. Davis said.
“It is important to note that the scope of works, the subject matter of the contract had been in existence from at least 1997, with two other contractors having been engaged before the award of the contract to Mr. Isaacs’ company.
“The contract was issued following the established protocols — contracts were let to other companies during the years 1997 to 2002 and then 2002 to 2007 and then 2007 to 2013. In 2013, after a successful bidding process, Mr. Isaacs’ company received the contract.
“Being associated with the PLP and I suspect being associated with the FNM, does not disqualify one from bidding for work with the state-owned enterprises.”
Mr. Davis, who is also the opposition leader, responded to the education minister’s assertion that the Star Academy project with the Seventh Day Adventists for $20 million was a waste of money.
“It is unfortunate that the minister has created controversy over a perfectly legitimate arrangement with the Seventh Day Adventist Church merely in an attempt to score cheap political points,” the opposition leader lamented.
“The minister intentionally misled Parliament on many assertions about the school and left out many key facts behind the decision such as the fact that there are actually two buildings on the property which the ministry will occupy, one of which is now complete and to be used as an administrative building and the fact (that) when the school is complete it will also be the home of the technical cadets who will use it in the afternoon as they are being forced out of BTVI because of increased enrollment.
“Therefore, the completion of the school is of utmost importance to our troubled youth and the technical cadet program.”
Meantime, Mr. Davis too admonishes the prime minister to stop “whining, complaining and blaming and start governing,” noting that crime continues to be unabated and unemployment continues to create a scourge across the country.
