National Security Minister Marvin Dames is hoping to set the record straight on his exchange with parliamentary colleague Frederick McAlpine in the House of Assembly yesterday.
Mr. Dames told reporters yesterday that Mr. McAlpine, the MP for Pineridge, seemed to have wanted to apologize for comments he felt misrepresented him.
Those comments were based on what Mr. McAlpine shared on the Love 97 daily talk show “Issues of the Day” earlier this week.
At the time, Mr. McAlpine agreed that Mr. Dames as well as fellow Cabinet Minister Dr. Duane Sands should resign or be fired after they were roundly criticized by the Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt over their involvement in the Frank Smith extortion and bribery trial.
However, Mr. Dames said he was simply not interested in hearing an apology.
“I’m one of those persons who is not in the business of dealing with nonsense, we were elected to do the job of the people and every day you have the Leader of the Opposition who is giving these outlandish press conferences.
“We are focusing on what we ought to be doing to run this country. We inherited this country in a mess and we have now a vested interest. We have been given a mandate by the Bahamian people to correct all of the wrongs that have been done and to bring back a level of respectability to this country.
“I am one of those who take my oath very seriously, so I’m not going to get involved in the side shows, because that’s what it is.
“You say something in the press and when you’re done saying it and the damage is done, you come back and you try to butter up, that’s standing on the fence,” he said.
However, Mr. McAlpine is not the only FNM MP to call for Mr. Dames to resign or to be fired.
Taking a similar stance are Centreville MP, Reece Chipman and Golden Isles MP, Vaughn Miller. Then there is the repeated request from the opposition.
“I say to the Leader of the opposition and all of who standup. Let’s go anywhere in this world over and lets measure respectability, let’s measure trust, and see who will remain standing at the end of the day; let’s see who will remain standing, so my reputation precedes me.
“I listen to all the nonsense and there is obviously a clear intent on their behalf; they want to see me gone.”
“However I’m representing the people of this country and the vast majority of the people of this country is not satisfied with the status quo,” he said.
