Minister of Local Government V Alfred Gray said claims that he took part in victimising Free National Movement (FNM) North Abaco bye-election candidate Glen Gomez are not true.

Mr. Gray told reporters recently that he never gave directives to Local Government Under Secretary Renee Glinton to stop Mr. Gomez’s training and cancel his appointment.

“He (Mr. Gomez) asserted that Mrs. Glinton told him he would never get a job because he wore red,” he said. “That has to be denied.”

“Mrs. Glinton’s position is that it never happened and with respect to my advising her to happen, I was not even in office on May 10 when that purported conversation between Mr. Gomez and Ms. Glinton took place. So you can do the math, it would be impossible for me to give direction when I was not even in office on May 10.”

Mr. Gomez said he was victimised by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Government just months ago after he was axed from the 52-week jobs programme all because he said he supports the FNM.

The FNM has alleged that Mr. Gomez was a participant under the 52-week jobs programme and had begun training for the post of Family Island Assistant Administrator of the Local Government Administration Office in Marsh Harbour, Abaco before the May 7 General Elections.

But the Opposition claimed that after the PLP won, Mr. Gray sent out instructions for Gomez to be removed from the jobs scheme.

“As to Mr. Gomez’s engagement by the Department of Local Government, the FNM confirms that Mr. Gomez had commenced his training to become a Family Island administrator in the office of the Local Government Administrator in Marsh Harbour. The training was undertaken by the Administrator, Cephas Cooper, on instruction from the Under Secretary in the Local Government Department, Renee Glinton,” he said.

“The under secretary’s instructions on the matter originated from the Office of the Permanent Secretary responsible for Local Government,” the FNM said in a recent press statement.

The party further explained that following the May election, Administrator Cooper was told to stop Mr. Gomez’s training as the ministry was no longer proceeding with his appointment.

“It appears that the new PLP Government determined that Mr. Gomez was no longer suitable for the post as he was perceived to be a supporter of the FNM,” the Opposition said.

“All efforts by Mr. Gomez, to gain clarification on his continued employment proved fruitless.  He made an appointment to meet with the minister, but the appointment was not honoured by Minister [Alfred] Gray who left him sitting in the reception area of his ministry. The permanent secretary also refused to see him and the under secretary who ultimately called him into her office offered him advice on how to submit an appeal to the minister for reconsideration.”

Mr. Gray still denied that any of this happened.