Ingraham slams PLP 'hypocrisy'

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham yesterday said he finds Prime Minister Perry Christie “hypocritical” for supporting outgoing Financial Services Minister Ryan Pinder, who resigned from Cabinet for a job in the private sector.

Mr Ingraham told The Tribune it is “unbelievable and unthinkable” that Mr Pinder would leave his Cabinet post for a job in a sector he was responsible for as minister.

He also highlighted the contrast between the PLP’s response to Mr Pinder’s decision to leave Cabinet and the criticism members of the party made several years ago when former Tourism Minister in the FNM administration, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, was engaged as a consultant by the Boston-based I-Group for its development in Mayaguana after leaving public office.

“Mr Christie criticised and complained about Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace being engaged with the Mayaguana development company, the I-Group, a company that had a lease and some transaction work with the government, for having been Minister of Tourism and then working for this company as a consultant,” Mr Ingraham said.

“They said that was terrible and I say Vincent, who was unemployed, having been kicked out of office … has to be distinguished from Ryan Pinder, a serving minister, stepping down going to work for a company he had a relationship with in the course of public duty because it fell under his ministry.

“That is unbelievable and unthinkable,” Mr Ingraham said.

The former prime minister further noted that James Smith, who was Minister of State for Finance during the first Christie administration, also went “to work directly for the Colina Group of Companies” after serving in government, an action which “Mr Christie didn’t care” about.

“I think Mr Christie is being hypocritical,” Mr Ingraham said.

Referring to Mr Christie’s role as a former consultant to the Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC), which wants to drill for oil, Mr Ingraham added: “Mr Christie himself came out in the (election) campaign as a paid consultant for a company they gave a licence to during their first term.”

Mr Christie’s involvement with BPC raised conflict of interest concerns during the lead up to the last general election given that the company was given exploratory licences during his previous term. Mr Christie served as a consultant with the firm Davis & Co, which represented BPC, after his party lost the 2007 general election.

Mr Christie dismissed Mr Ingraham’s concerns outside the House of Assembly yesterday.

Said Mr Christie: “(The truth is) 20 to 30 of the major institutions in this country and outside this country would have offered him (Pinder) jobs for a very long time. And it’s the regulatory part of it that Allyson Gibson deals with as attorney general, that is the one that you might say does favours for people. But if you look at the record, and you look at what (Mr Pinder) has been saying, what he would have been doing, it’s very difficult to say that he would have been feathering his nest or the nest of the people he’s going to work for.”

Mr Pinder will demit office at the end of the month to take up a senior position at Deltec Bank.

Comments

TalRussell says...

Papa Hubert Da Fisherman From Cooper's Town - I'll be Back.

.........//https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YEG9DgRHhA

Posted 18 December 2014, 12:32 p.m. Suggest removal

stillwaters says...

Although I can no longer ever vote for Christie or Ingraham, I still tend to believe at least a small amount of what Ingraham says. Christie......I believe none of what he says. He has become one creepy, shady character to me.

Posted 18 December 2014, 1:39 p.m. Suggest removal

CANDACESCOTT says...

Love Him or Hate Him...but when Mr. Ingraham speak we all listen...

p.s. I love Him...lol

Posted 18 December 2014, 1:50 p.m. Suggest removal

Honeybun says...

That's my papa lol!

Posted 19 December 2014, 8:48 a.m. Suggest removal

TalRussell says...

Posted 18 December 2014, 2:02 p.m. Suggest removal

Cobalt says...

Mr. Hubert Ingraham!!
Please go and sit down, and shut your mouth! The entire reason that Perry and the PLP are in power now is because of you!! Please get gone; and stay gone!

Posted 18 December 2014, 2:21 p.m. Suggest removal

UserOne says...

Mr. Ingraham has the right to speak as any citizen does. He is speaking now as a citizen of the Bahamas.

Posted 18 December 2014, 3:10 p.m. Suggest removal

Cobalt says...

How shortsighted can you be?
Mr Ingraham isn't speaking as a concerned citizen! He's speaking as an ousted Prime Minister who has a political agenda! Don't let Hubert fool you.

Posted 18 December 2014, 4:07 p.m. Suggest removal

Cobalt says...

Hubert Ingraham abdicated his MP status in Abaco! Embarrassed the FNM party by leaving them in the lurch! Refused to give the Bahamian people a plosable, dignified explanation for his departure! Failed to acknowledge that his actions were consistent with that of a spoiled, immature, petulant child throwing a temper tantrum! And now all of sudden he crawls out of his hovel of shame and wants to hurl acussations at Perry Christie??? Please!!! Don't get me started on this blasted website!!!!

Posted 18 December 2014, 4:25 p.m. Suggest removal

TalRussell says...

C'mon Comrade Hubert who you fooling? While few could be pleased over how minister Ryan's leaving cabinet was conducted, still there are no similarities between the why your tourism minister Vincent was forced out cabinet and the voluntary resignation of a crown minister in good standing with his PM and colleagues. Now, is there? I don't recall you ever addressing your minister's leaving his cabinet post? Now, did you?

Posted 18 December 2014, 2:56 p.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

Roads ,hospitals ,ports ,habour dredge ,Airport ,Chinese money in Baha mar all during a recession ,,PGC Bamsi ,,like Ingraham or not he got things done ,BEC would of been privatized by now ,,Perry has given us 50 million dollars of buildings in the bush in Andros ,,,

Posted 18 December 2014, 3:10 p.m. Suggest removal

TalRussell says...

Comrade in bush might be okay but is there anywhere anything up and standing that even resembles anything like completed buildings to account for the $50 million reportedly done spent?

Posted 18 December 2014, 3:25 p.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

Tals as a builder ,and only from the pictures i,ve seen ,i see about 3 to 8 million dollars worth of buildings in the bush

Posted 18 December 2014, 5:50 p.m. Suggest removal

Honeybun says...

@concernedcitizen...Amen!

Posted 19 December 2014, 8:49 a.m. Suggest removal

birdiestrachan says...

I say Doctor Minnis should watch out, for his Papa, His Papa will pull another Tommy Turnquest on him. Their papa must have his "Ingraham is back " Shirts all ready printed.

Posted 18 December 2014, 4:24 p.m. Suggest removal

SP says...

Hubert Ingraham needs to tell us what happened to the $5 Million that disappeared from the peoples treasury **THROUGH HIS MINISTER OF TOURISM'S SHELL COMPANY UNDER HIS WATCH**.**

Otherwise please **STFU** **!!**

Posted 18 December 2014, 5:41 p.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

Do you think anyone ,including Mr Ingraham ,is going to give up their freedom of speech b/c you type in capitals or use profanity ?

Posted 18 December 2014, 5:52 p.m. Suggest removal

WETHEPEOPLE says...

ofcourse not, but just how Ingraham is allowed to express himself, so is SP. Freedom of speech, aint it cool.

as he was saying Ingraham please STFU!!!!

Posted 18 December 2014, 6 p.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

So you quickly progressed to profanity and name calling , hmmm most interesting .

Posted 18 December 2014, 8:53 p.m. Suggest removal

TruthHurts says...

@concerned..

You said your piece... now STHU!

Posted 19 December 2014, 11:53 a.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

AH shouting at people always works ,just watch Jerry Springer ..Why do you think we are becoming so violent ,we shout at and beat the crap out of small children teaching them conflict resolution is done through volume and force ..

Posted 20 December 2014, 2:30 p.m. Suggest removal

The_Oracle says...

Pot calling the Kettle black.
Pardon the Pun.
This back and forth between Ingrahamites and Perristas is pointless,
The old frying pan/fire argument.
Both horrible incompetents just in different directions.
We really aught to be able to do better.

Posted 18 December 2014, 7:39 p.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

Both have done good things and bad , but its time for new blood .At this point in time i think it best to hide American dollars your in socks , the big alligator to the south is waking up and he is hungry .

Posted 18 December 2014, 8:56 p.m. Suggest removal

John says...

Hubert Ingraham is testing the waters to see if he should come back. It will be a tuff 2017 election. Oil prices will be around $45.00. This alone will stimulate the world economy. If Bah Mar and other local projects are successful many Bahamians will be over employed in 2017. If Perry Christie and the PLP can shake off the reputation of being corrupt, bring crime under control (crime will go down as the economy improves) and restore themselves as being a caring, people orientated government, they will be hard to beat. On the other hand Hubert Ingraham administration may be the best during a booming economy because it knows how to spend money and get value for it. The Christie administration tackled the difficult issues gambling immigration the referundum BoB? and if their efforts are successful 2017 may be one of the best economies the Bahamas ( and the world) has seen in decades.

Posted 19 December 2014, 3:29 a.m. Suggest removal

realfreethinker says...

This is a joke right ? " shake off the reputation of being corrupt" what are the chances of that happening. All forecast say we will have a weak economy for the next 3 years,so that is all wishful thinking for the plp.

Posted 19 December 2014, 9:29 a.m. Suggest removal

SP says...

**.................This Tribal Democratic Dictatorship Is Foolishness For Stupid People.................**

I cannot believe anyone with an iota of sense would even begin thinking about voting for Christie and Ingraham......For what?

Hubert Ingraham, Perry Christie and their PLP & FNM parties .......FAILED!

What businessman would repeatedly rehire someone that consistently fail at their job?.....For What?

**Look** at where these two people and their parties have led our country......WHY would anyone want to keep them?......For what?

What do you expect them to do differently now after 40 years of pure political stupidity, unbridled corruption, failure in tourism, banking, immigration, mining and natural resources, education, crime, BEC, BTC, civil services, a judiciary that has unquestionably collapsed long ago.........For what?

We are afraid to go out and more afraid to stay at home. The average Bahamian is worse off today than 30 years ago. Living without jobs, lights off or struggling to pay astronomical electricity and food bills.....WHY would anyone want to recycle the PLP and FNM again.......For what?

Under PLP and FNM administrations our country has consistently regressed in every area imaginable.....They want us and our children to seek employment in hotels and service industries.....Where are their children working?....Where are their children educated?....Where are their children living?

Pull your heads out of you backsides for a second and take a look beyond the red and gold T-shirts. Are YOU pleased with where the country is after 40 years of Christie and Ingraham?

We should be seriously discussing how to form a coalition of proven businessmen to run the country......NOT contemplating which 40 year proven failure to recycle!

**No more Christie and Ingraham......They have proven beyond all doubt incapable of responsibly managing our affairs and moving the country forward.**

Posted 19 December 2014, 5:32 a.m. Suggest removal

duppyVAT says...

Yep ... we need new blood in the FNM and PLP (with their own identities) to step up. The two party system will persist but the electoral system needs some tweeking

Posted 19 December 2014, 11:12 a.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

We as a people are failing ,,Ingraham or Christie are not running around making eight children w/ 4 different women and being pulled into court every six months for child support .Nor are they selling work permits to hatians to anyone w/ a couple grand .The people in the judiciary are not from mars ,they are us , the government spent untold millions on courts ,judges etc and still we lose transcripts ,cases ,judges show up late leave early ,,the English were much better at administrative , we got Independence but didn,t learn responsibility ..Where do you think the PLP,FNM ,Police ,Judiciary ,teachers ,BEC ,BTC ,ETC ETC came from ,from us Bahamians ,they are a representitive cross section of us ,as any third party will be ,,

Posted 19 December 2014, 11:47 a.m. Suggest removal

TruthHurts says...

@SP

You're so on the money with that!

Posted 19 December 2014, 11:58 a.m. Suggest removal

TruthHurts says...

I say we hand PLP, FNM, out to the dogs next election.. and put DNA on the watch list and just vote independent! Let REAL LEADERS have a chance to step up to the plate. I'm so tired of these hotshot major parties and their arrogance and 'blame throwing' freak-show!

PLP...OUT!

FNM...OUT!

DNA...ON THE WAY OUT??! (*We'll see)

Let's show these bunch of comedians Bahamians mean business.

Posted 19 December 2014, 12:03 p.m. Suggest removal

asiseeit says...

Just take a look at Perry's area and Hubert's old area. One got things done the other gave away refrigerators.

Posted 19 December 2014, 9:27 a.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

Like HAI or hate him you can,t deny he got things done ,from when he was a PLP and PING picked him to put together NIB

Posted 19 December 2014, 11:50 a.m. Suggest removal

SP says...

You are either the blindest, die hard, brown nosing, ass kisser in the country, soft headed or suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's!

What did your HAI Man-God do RIGHT is the question.

HAI was a decision maker, but the little emperor clown couldn't make a RIGHT decision in the best interest of the country, and was too pig headed to listen to anyone.

HAI was more interested in helping Haitians and foreigners than Bahamians hence the name Foreign National Movement.

How many blue collar work permits at $1,200.00 did it take for HAI to make $40M? Do the math and you might begin to understand our unskilled labor unemployment problem.

HAI and PCG are both disasters we would very well have done better without!

Posted 20 December 2014, 2:13 p.m. Suggest removal

concernedcitizen says...

Again with the name calling and unproven claims , I have voted both PLP and FNM .What is it with you and name calling ?Do you shout at people when in a debate and equate volume with being right ? Do you know other ways to make dogmatic statements without profanity .??Do you presently reside and earn a living in the Bahamas ??

Posted 20 December 2014, 2:38 p.m. Suggest removal

duppyVAT says...

Yep, if you judge SLOP, PGC and HAI on how they have impacted the lives of their constituencies ................. hands down, HAI wins. Now look at the potential PM/leaders of the PLP and FNM ............ Killarney vs Cat Island

Posted 19 December 2014, 12:31 p.m. Suggest removal

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