Although many may have been waiting to hear from the nation’s chief as to what really went on with that multi-million dollar Letter of Intent (LOI) with a waste to energy company, Prime Minister Perry Christie has reportedly announced that the man at the very centre of the controversial scandal, Ministry of Works Parliamentary Secretary Renward Wells would address the nation on the matter.

However, Free National Movement’s (FNM) Chairman Darrron Cash is not at all happy with this and he blasted Prime Minister Perry Christie for what he called a gross act of prime ministerial cowardness and dereliction of duty.

In the wake of mounting concerns over the LOI, during a press conference at FNM headquarters on Friday Mr. Cash stressed that the prime minister should not pass the buck to Mr.Wells to address the country on the issue.

He explained that the country is in need of a heavy dose of leadership and Mr. Christie ought to address the nation on the matter.

“The suggestion that Renward Wells ought to be the person who accounts to the Bahamian people is purely disgraceful because this is the duty of the prime minister,” he said.
“It is the prime minister who has from day one waffled, wavered, meandered obfuscated in every way possible when he has been asked to give an accounting as to what happened, he has not done so, he was the one who demanded an investigation and it is now time for him as prime minister to give an account to the Bahamian people.”
Mr. Christie reportedly said that Mr. Wells would address the matter before the House of Assembly breaks for summer.
He made the announcement on Thursday during the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) council meeting.
Meantime, Mr. Cash strongly believes that the lack of transparency over the whole controversy makes it very clear that the LO1 signing stinks of corruption.
“You don’t have to take the views of the FNM, just look at what has been suggested by their own members, starting with the MP for Tall Pines and Executive Chairman of BEC Leslie Miller who has said publically that if he don’t have his way, if he doesn’t get reappointed, he will spill the beans and tell the Bahamian people what is going on,” Mr. Cash said.
“Talk about the MP for Fort Charlotte Dr. Andre Rollins who has said about what he threatens to reveal, talk about what the United States State Department had said in published documents about concerns of systemic corruption in the procurement process and that is enough to give any right thinking Bahamian cause for great concern about the extent to which corruption is deep within this government.”
Last week Monday, Dr. Rollins had publically threatened to expose administration officials whom he alleged are tied up in that $650 million LOI with Stellar Waste to Energy Limited if his party mate, Mr. Wells is fired over it.

This prompted a stern tongue lashing form PLP’s National Chairman Bradley Roberts who blasted Dr. Rollins for issuing idle threats.

However in a press statement realised on Wednesday, Dr. Rollins said he wanted to make it absolutely clear that he did not impute corrupt motives to anyone but simply wanted to clarify that the unauthorised signing should not be placed solely at the feet of Mr. Wells.

In that very same statement Dr. Rollins urged the prime minister to address the country on the matter, he explained that having the LO1 linger for this long without a statement from the nations’ leader only feeds the perception that the PLP lacks transparency and accountability.

Sharing similar sentiments, Mr .Cash maintained that the prime minister’s failure to address the issue would only continue to erode his leadership credibility.
Earlier this month Mr. Christie had pledged to address the matter following an investigation into that LO1 signing.