Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Senator Fred Mitchell said he is astounded at the government’s claims that the PLP is responsible for the projected rise in joblessness in the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest on Monday revealed that upcoming employment figures may show an increase in joblessness, but put the blame squarely on the previous administration, citing numerous “bogus contracts”.
Speaking to reporters at the PLP Headquarters, Mr. Mitchell fired back saying it was the government who was at fault citing several persons that were fired from the public sector since the FNM took office.
“They deliberately let people go from the public service because they say that’s what’s going to cause the rise and now they’re boasting about the fact that it is the PLP’s fault and pinning it on something they call bogus contracts. This is absolutely false and he should be ashamed of himself.
“Outrageous, there is so much fiction that comes from the Free National Movement, but every job that someone was hired for in the public service had a specific job to do. There was no made up work,” Mr. Mitchell said.
Mr. Mitchell called out the FNM for hypocrisy over Baha Mar, as he said the FNM used the mega resort as a heavy point of contention in the lead up to the May 10th general elections; only to tout its praises in recent months.
“ What is the most laughable thing about what he said is that they would not have any claim for jobs in the private sector had it not been for Baha Mar.
“This is a PLP project, which they tried their best to scuttle and tried their hardest to say that it was fake and it was false and so forth.
“Now they are all standing up in front of the hotel cutting ribbons and talking about employment in the private sector, so many deceits,” Mr. Mitchell said.
Senator Mitchell added that it’s time for this administration to stop playing the blame game and actually start governing.
“This is a government that on every occasion in the last eight months they spend their time going through the trash cans and in the files, I’m asking them to cut it out and start governing.
“They vilify people who were hired by the Progressive Liberal Party for legitimate reasons who were doing a good job.
“They exposed the private dealings of people, putting their security at risk because they’re trying to get at us,” Mr. Mitchell said.
This week PLP leader Phillip Davis characterized the Minnis administration as having failed to offer clear plans to tackle critical issues facing the nation while continuing to terminate vulnerable public servants.
He also pointed out that one of the only major projects to stimulate job growth has been Baha Mar, a multi-billion-dollar project which the former administration initiated.
