Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis chastised the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) administration in the House of Assembly yesterday for inefficient, rash spending and complete disregard for the poor.

According to Dr. Minnis, the Bahamian people do not just want talk of a stronger Bahamas but they want to see a new and better Bahamas.

During his contribution to the debate on the 2015/2016 budget, Dr. Minnis said he would rather lose an election than lose a country as he highlighted the budget’s flaws.

“I cannot imagine how a PLP party born out of the struggles of the poor and which for so many years survived on the backs of our poor could now turn its back on them,” he said.

“How could this Christie administration be so mean, as to put a VAT tax on a loaf of bread, a tin of corned beef and on all of the bread basket items we in the FNM made tax free.”

Dr. Minnis said what he and his team did expect, was a blue print.

Instead, the government presented a diet of promises and empty words.

“We expected them to provide their solution to the senseless killings that go on day after day. We expected them to tell us how they will reduce the joblessness and hopelessness that everyday confront thousands and thousands of Bahamians. We expected them to explain how this PLP government would assist the poor and protect the middle class,” Dr. Minnis said

Dr. Minnis also noted that it seemed to him that the PLP government appeared more interested in winning an election rather than governing.

“They are more interested in saving their own high-paying jobs, than creating decent work for the thousands of Bahamians who really need jobs,” he said.

The opposition leader used an example that alleges that the sitting Member of Parliament for Marathon ignored his constituents needs following an oil spill.

“The Member for Marathon who admitted in one of the Nassau dailies that though he knew of the Rubis matter for at least a year, he did not tell his constituents because he would have gotten fired,” he said.

“What a shame. He was thinking of himself. He was not concerned with how many became ill and suffered.”
Marathon Member of Parliament Jerome Fitzgerald condemned the opposition leader however calling the claims, false allegations and a tactic of using his constituency as a political football.

“That same group Justice for Marathon Mr. Speaker, I could tell you Mr. Speaker, the constituents who now know that that’s a political issue have disassociated themselves with that completely,” he added.

Mr. Fitzgerald further explained that Dr. Minnis and the FNM’s tactic is the precise reason the opposition were pushed out of the area.

Dr.Minnis noted, moving forward, the cry of the FNM will be a cry for a new and better Bahamas.