Prime Minister Perry Christie said further investigations will have to be launched into finding out why the male dormitory at the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) was uninsured at the time of the fire that destroyed the building.
Mr. Christie said this investigation will aid in the government’s response to the issue.
His comments came while responding to Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis who recently blasted the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) for being negligent in their responsibility to ensure that the male dormitory at BAMSI was insured prior to the fire that destroyed that building.
“The leader of the opposition has the right to make such an observation, ordinarily in terms of contracts there is a requirement on the part of the contractor, on the person awarding the contract for full compliance, so that is a matter that is subject to further investigation and determination as to how we will respond to it,” he said.
“Whether people pay National Insurance, whether they have their insurance policies in place all of that is a part of ensuring full compliance with the terms of the contract so I don’t have a problem with the leader of the opposition making that point.”
Mr. Christie said that Dr. Minnis is entitled to his opinion. However, he said Dr. Minnis should stop playing politics and be more concerned about the good that BAMSI is destined to do for the country.
“The sad thing about the leader of the opposition for me is that he confuses political commentary and attacks with the goodness of the project and that he has found it difficult to separate himself from how enriching this could be potentially for Bahamians as a source of employment, as a source of buying fresh food, organic farming, that this has an incredible opportunity for us,” he said.
In the House of Assembly last week, Minister of Works Philip Davis admitted that the dorm was not insured and he said that the contractor had failed to pay the annual insurance premium that covered the structure.
The male dormitory at BAMSI was set afire in January.
Dave Dion Moxey, a 50-year-old, of Fresh Creek, Andros, was charged on February 16 with arson in relation to setting fire to the dormitory.
