Free National Movement Chairman Michael Pintard is urging Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts to present the information he is threatening to reveal concerning FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis.
According to Pintard, Roberts continues to threaten to reveal information about Dr. Minnis relative to the period he served as minister of health.
“The leader of the opposition is a Junkanoo man and I’m certain would say to Mr. Roberts, ‘Don’t sing it! Bring It!’” Pintard said in a statement yesterday.
“The PLP chairman should have one of his colleagues lay the files on the table of the House since he is unable to do so in person given what may be on his file.”
Pintard said the PLP is trying to distract the public from its errors in the Baha Mar debacle by focusing on Dr. Minnis and a matter that has been addressed repeatedly to the satisfaction of successive governments.
“The fact is that while Dr. Minnis declared his interest in Stat Care and spoke candidly on the floor of the House of Assembly on more than one occasion regarding this matter, the month-to-month contract held by Leechez Investments started in May 2005 under the PLP (Before Dr. Minnis was in active politics) has straddled two administrations and continues now month to month under the PLP,” Pintard explained.
However, he pointed out that in contrast, the attorney general’s family’s interest in Baha Mar became known in greater detail only after the FNM expressed alarm.
But Pintard noted that Dr. Minnis was not conflicted as long as he did not demand a higher standard of behaviour from PLP Cabinet ministers.
Cabinet protocols require that ministers disclose to the prime minister or Cabinet any interest which they or their immediate family may have which conflicts or might reasonably be thought to conflict with their public duty.
In addition, the ministers should recuse themselves from any decisions that relate to their enterprise.
Therefore, Pintard says he believes the FNM leader is on good grounds in this regard and instead, the PLP chairman should explain why the attorney general did not abide by Cabinet protocol.
“If Bradley Roberts, whose reputation is at best questionable, know things we don’t then he should put up or shut the hell up!” Pintard said.
In addition, Pintard requested that while Roberts is seeking to pull Dr. Minnis’ file, he should also pull the file that covers his time at the Ministry of Works and his oversight of the Water and Sewage Corporation and BTC.
He added that Roberts should also authorize the release of his personal file relative to accusations that continue to circulate in the public domain relative to his private conduct.
“Mr. Roberts should also pull the attorney general’s file relative to Baha Mar and all her family’s links directly and indirectly to the parties involved in the dispute,” Pintard said.
Finally, he also requested that Roberts pull the files of Renew Bahamas, Stella Waste, Urban Renewal, BAMSI, Bank of The Bahamas, Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, Rubis, Simms Point in Lyford Cay, the development of the gaming legislation and the possible visa sale in Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
