By CELESTE NIXON

Tribune Staff Reporter

cnixon@tribunemedia.net

CONCERN about the fall-out from promises made to shady campaign donors has led to increased security around top PLP officials, opposition leader Dr Hubert Minnis suggested yesterday.

Calling on the governing party to "come clean" about the sources of its funding, Dr Minnis said this would go a long way to explaining why having won the election, the PLP is displaying "an almost paranoid fear" of the Bahamian people.

He said that according to reports reaching the FNM, Prime Minister Perry Christie's security team has been bolstered from the six officers deployed to protect former Prime Minister Ingraham in teams of two officers per shift, to 24 police officers - six per shift.

Dr Minnis said the FNM is in receipt of allegations that the PLP election campaign received "generous financial support from owners of illegal numbers operations, persons known to the police for dealing in or being associated with illicit drugs operations and seedy foreign personalities who seek to influence the formulation of government policies and decisions for their personal financial gain."

He said: "As proof of such illegal activities would require the co-operation of individuals involved in the offending action, co-operation is unlikely to be achieved. We do not expect that those paying or receiving bribes to acknowledge doing so even if brought before the courts to account.

"But we do believe and call upon the PLP to come clean with the Bahamian public and acknowledge the source of the funding of their well-oiled campaign machine."

Dr Minnis added: "The PLP might also explain why three other of its Cabinet Ministers, the DPM, the AG and the Minister of National Security, feel it necessary to have police security - driver's plus aides, some aides being retired police officers engaged on contract.

Indeed, one report suggests that both the Minister of National Security and his Minister of State, Keith Bell, are personally armed with police issued weapons.

"Could it be that certain promises were made during the campaign - promises that certain elements in the society now expect to collect on?

"Mr Bell and his government owe the Bahamian people an explanation. They might begin by stating what their position is on private citizens being licensed to carry concealed weapons."

Messages left for Mr Bell, Deputy Prime Minister Philip "Brave" Davis, Minister of National Security Dr Bernard Nottage and Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson were not returned before press time last night.