Tuesday, July 7, 2015
BY SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said he left Prime Minister Perry Christie’s office yesterday morning “extremely upset”, after the nation’s leader showed up nearly an hour late for a planned meeting with the opposition on Baha Mar’s bankruptcy filing last week.
Dr Minnis said he told Mr Christie in a letter that he would be available to meet on July 6 at 10am to discuss the matter. The Tribune has obtained a copy of that letter, dated July 3.
However, Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts said the meeting was set for 11am. Mr Roberts accused Dr Minnis of “letting his super sized ego supersede his good judgment” and “scampering off” from the Office of the Prime Minister before the meeting was scheduled to begin.
Yesterday, Dr Minnis told The Tribune he formally accepted Mr Christie’s invitation to have a briefing “in the interest of transparency” on the $3.5 billion resort. He said he and other members of the FNM arrived at Mr Christie’s office 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting, but the prime minister was not there.
However, a source close to the Office of the Prime Minister said the meeting was only supposed to be with Mr Christie, Dr Minnis and Sir Baltron Bethel – the senior policy advisor to the prime minister.
But Dr Minnis showed up with Member of Parliament for Long Island Loretta Butler Turner, Member of Parliament for Montagu Richard Lightbourn and Senators Carl Bethel, Lanisha Rolle and Michael Pintard.
“My team and I got there at about 9.45 and stayed at the Prime Minister’s Office until 10.30,” Dr Minnis said.
“Mr Christie sent me a letter telling me he would like to meet me at his earliest convenience and I replied and told him I would be available at 10am. He did not show up so we left.”
He added the Official Opposition wants to meet with Mr Christie about the issue, but wants the relevant documents about Baha Mar provided beforehand.
“If the prime minister is serious about moving forward, then we want the communications in respect to Baha Mar in advance,” he said.
“The opposition is serious about the success of Baha Mar, maintaining the jobs of Bahamians and we recognise how important Baha Mar is for the economy, especially after the statements made by Standard & Poor’s, and ensuring the security of our economy. We are prepared to have discussions with the government, however, I require the relevant communication with government and Baha Mar stakeholders in advance.”
However, Mr Roberts had a different version of events.
“Prime Minister Christie, true to his word, and serious about transparency, invited Hubert Minnis and his team to a briefing on Baha Mar at the OPM for 11 am. However, Dr Hubert Minnis, true to his nature, and halfhearted concern for thousands of vulnerable Bahamian employees, left before the meeting even began. What is to be made of this?” Mr Roberts asked.
“The prime minister and his team were present and eager to sit with him. Did Dr Minnis’ super-sized ego supersede good judgment and genuine concern, again? Or is he just afraid to sit at the table with real leaders and discuss the truth? “Whatever Minnis’ reasoning, his behaviour points to the credibility of murmuring in his own camp; that he simply unfit to lead, especially on serious matters.”
Mr Christie extended the invitation to Dr Minnis during an emergency press conference held last Tuesday evening, hours after both the FNM and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) laid blame for Baha Mar’s shock bankruptcy filing at the feet of the government.
Dr Minnis told The Tribune last Wednesday that he would first canvass his parliamentarians and senators for their views on the government’s offer before committing himself to the briefing. At the time, Dr Minnis claimed that Bahamians felt jaded by the government’s repeated failures and had lost both trust and faith in the PLP’s ability to govern.
On Sunday, Dr Minnis revealed in a press statement that he had accepted Mr Christie’s offer.
Comments
TalRussell says...
Don't you have likes it when you can sit back to enjoy a 3.5 billion dollars laugh at the going-on's this Baha Mar thing. Even PM is resorting calling people mentally unstable up in they's head, and this comes from a man who talks publicly about himself being in da third person.
Comrades, being I am not in da camp buying into da pitches Baha Mar is of such import that it must be saved at all costs to taxpayers and damage done whilst ignoring our nations sovereignty, I can't but enjoy a good laugh at the red shirts circus acts that showed-up on da red party's bus at prime minister's office yesterday morning and their questionable clowns behaviors, not just reported but confirmed.
I found Montagu's MP Richard, tying explaining live on radio how it all went down - a laugh a second. He is one funny-ass MP.
Posted 7 July 2015, 1:10 p.m. Suggest removal
duppyVAT says...
It doesn't matter whether HAM meets with PGC or not ............. there is only ONE Prime Minister who can sit with the developer, financier and builder to solve this problem ........ that's why Perry is the Prime Minister .............. it's lonely at the top bro
Posted 7 July 2015, 1:33 p.m. Suggest removal
newcitizen says...
Having PGC at the top is why we are in this situation in the first place.
Posted 8 July 2015, 9:05 a.m. Suggest removal
jus2cents says...
PM never likes to meet before 11:00am gees everyone know that! And he is usually late, everyone knows that as well, Mr Minnis this should not be a surprise, it's not a secret, were all used to waiting for Gov. entities, next time download good book and enjoy the quiet time waiting. Just please stop the whining and acting like brats in a playground.
Do Something Constructive.
Wake up, look around for christ's sake YOUR people are Suffering terribly. Now is a Golden opportunity to actually show what a Leader is and do some GOOD for all the citizens, ok, and your Legacy.
Posted 7 July 2015, 1:45 p.m. Suggest removal
birdiestrachan says...
Minnis should know by now that he does not call the shots. I do not believe he really wants a meeting. if he does obtain the facts. how will he be able to use Bah Mar as a political football.?
Posted 7 July 2015, 2:05 p.m. Suggest removal
Publius says...
Man this headline is hilarious
Posted 7 July 2015, 2:16 p.m. Suggest removal
Reality_Check says...
Minnis demonstrates time and time again just how much of a mad whining buffoon he truly is when it comes to politics. He really makes me one wonder how competent he is at practicing medicine in whatever field he may have specialized in. I would bet the house he's one of those "pushed through no matter what" UWI med school grads who made many in his graduating class cringe!
Posted 7 July 2015, 2:17 p.m. Suggest removal
shortpants says...
Spitty mouth Brad how you get up in this ,always sniffing for shit PM nearby .
Posted 7 July 2015, 2:43 p.m. Suggest removal
MaLambee says...
Now he knows what it is to be kept waiting. So many, many women had to take a whole day off to see him because due to greed he intentionally overbooked patients. I don't applaud the PM for his tardiness but this time, I am having a good time. What goes around comes around. He should be the very last one to complain about lateness. He had absolutely no respect for his patients.....and when he saw them he mostly told him lies... pay back is a ...
Posted 7 July 2015, 3:21 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
Honouable Prime Minister
photographed in
“please help me sweet Jesus”
moment yesterday morning in
Cabinet’s Rose Garden,
right after unsuccessfully trying meet with
Minnis, Loretta, Richard
&
Red Shirts entourage
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2015…
Posted 7 July 2015, 3:44 p.m. Suggest removal
asiseeit says...
What a bunch of spoilt little brats! It is a wonder this country has gotten this far, they all need a good taste of the belt.
Posted 7 July 2015, 4:26 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
Maybe if everyone stops acting like school children and also put petty politics aside and deal with this extremely serious national issue then the country would not be in the predicament it is in today. I went to national insurance the other day and waited THREE hours to see the person who helped me. He said no one else wanted to do my case because they didn't want to do the paper work. Went to Business License and after my third trip had to sit and wait four hours for someone to come in and sign the document (at least so I was told). A family member went to the emergency room at 11 in the morning with an injury he got while doing landscape work. Didn't get back home until 3 a m the next morning. Carnival people waited how long to be paid and the report is not ready yet. The fastest thing ever happened under this government in recent times is the payments to Bah Mar employees.
Posted 7 July 2015, 5:50 p.m. Suggest removal
GrassRoot says...
Maybe PM should have invited Bran, as Bran changed sides and is now part of the bootlicker group too.
Posted 7 July 2015, 6:49 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
Like I want to know if the problem was between Bah Mar Izmirilin and the China Bank and him and the China construction company, why has this man put on boxing and throwing blows on Perry Christie and the Christie government. And why is Christie throwing blows back and what is going to happen to the billion dollars concessions belonging to the Bahamian people with not not red cent of equity in this stalled project
Posted 7 July 2015, 9:46 p.m. Suggest removal
John says...
Minnis should have gone to the press conference and requested an inventory list of all foreign investors whose projects have failed or stalled, for whatever reasons, and the investors continue to hold on to Bahamian people's land or continue to enjoy concessions offered by this country.
Posted 8 July 2015, 8:11 a.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
Least anyone forgets, it was the FNM that lead the country to the brink of economic collapse. The PLP sat in total agreement when the FNM told us we and our children have to learn Creole, so any contemplating voting any of them back in is a non-starter.
Corroborated corruption with this PLP and FNM friends, family and lovers monopoly has destroyed our country.
All this talk about getting rid of Christie and the PLP has to be balanced with the serious question of how we resolve the leadership **and** party options vacuum.
We need to concentrate on creating other viable political party(s) and making the leadership race between at least two or even better three entirely new parties, DNA being one.
Posted 8 July 2015, 9:38 a.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
Comrade SP, least it slips your political awareness, the DNA have gone in reverse gear since day-one of the 2012 General Elections. DNA are no more than a one-man unelected leader fringe political party who sits up in his Village Road law offices and pens press releases for the entertainment deligts Tribune's News Editor and Publisher. Last time I checked, neither of the two upstairs at Shirley & Deveaux, does possess any voters influencing powers.
Posted 8 July 2015, 10:11 a.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
**................................. Whatever Floats Your Boat .......................**
Both PLP and FNM are not credible options that any "thinking individual" would have on the table for 2017!
Posted 8 July 2015, 1:07 p.m. Suggest removal
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