Leader of the Free National Movement Dr. Hubert Minnis demanded the immediate resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis yesterday following what he and party affiliates believe to be a breach of parliamentary conduct.

Dr. Minnis, who during the press conference expressed his heartfelt condolences to Mr. Davis on the loss of his mother, said that it is his party’s duty to “demand accountability when such adverse decisions are made” regarding the recent Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) scandal.

“Prime Minister Christie is aware that the Honorable Phillip Davis misled the House of Assembly when he told the House several weeks ago that the BAMSI contractor Audley Hanna has ‘contractors’ all risk insurance’. It was only after being exposed that, more than a month after the BAMSI insurance scandal broke, Mr. Davis finally “came clean” to the House of Assembly and the Bahamian people, and confessed the truth,” Dr. Minnis said.

“To mislead the House deliberately, or to come to the House and to make a false statement knowingly or unknowingly (having turned a “blind eye” to the facts, by not reading the files in his ministry’s possession) is one and the same thing. It is a fundamental breach of the standards of conduct and the duty of a Cabinet minister,” he added, “By High Parliamentary Convention there is only one recourse when a Cabinet minister misleads Parliament, he must resign.”

Last month Mr. Davis informed parliamentarians that the contractor’s insurance for the BAMSI male dormitory, which was destroyed by fire earlier this year, had expired due to delays.

However, some weeks later, it was revealed that there was merely an invoice on file from a nonexistent insurance company called Southern Alliance.

According to Dr. Minnis, the “insurance scandal will cause the Bahamian people to lose millions in public funds” as the initial $2.5 million male dormitory has now been estimated to cost $5 million to replace.

Dr. Minnis noted that a march for democracy will take place following calls for Mr. Davis’ resignation. He also stated that investigations into the BAMSI matter should be nationally televised to assist in accountability and transparency of the current government.

“To date the country is unclear on how much of this money has been spent and exactly what the balance will be spent on. In light of the recent revelations surrounding the uninsured male dormitory, we are deeply concerned about how the government will allocate and spend the people’s money,” Dr. Minnis said.

“The FNM vows to protect and defend our Parliamentary democracy from the blatant and patent abuse of power contempt for established Parliamentary norms, and breach of the Manual of Cabinet Procedures. Therefore, when the call is made, we urge all Bahamians to join with the FNM and take to the streets, to defend our democracy,” he stated.

The incident, Dr. Minnis said, “further reveals Prime Minister Christie’s weak leadership in allowing an inexcusable pattern of misstatements and untrue comments on the part of the minister of works”. He suggested that the Christie administration “take a step in the right direction” in restoring its image and trustworthiness by accepting Mr. Davis’ resignation or firing him if he does not resign.

“The lack of leadership by the prime minister, who has remained out of touch, has resulted in the PLP inflicting pain and suffering on the Bahamian people. This incompetent government has allowed scandal after scandal and blunder after blunder.

We demand accountability,” Dr. Minnis said.