FREE National Movement Chairman Carl Culmer Sr has lashed out at the Progressive Liberal Party, accusing the opposition of campaigning against the country’s progress.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr Culmer said while Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has answered “the people’s calls for progress and growth” with the signing of a heads of agreement for a multi-billion dollar oil refinery project for Grand Bahama, the “old and tired” PLP is clinging to the past, using “regressive, political tactics in Parliament” to hold the country back.

“The prime minister’s announcement for Grand Bahama brings news of new jobs – in fact over 600 permanent jobs – as well as over 1,000 jobs during the initial construction phase,” Mr Culmer said. “Yet the old and (tired) PLP continues with their smoke and mirror tactics they have perfected when they were running our country into the ground.

“As much as things change in the Bahamas, it would seem that some things will always stay the same, as the PLP continues to turn a deaf ear to the people and their needs. The old and tired PLP is still in the troubling mind-set that if it isn’t good for them – meaning if they cannot directly benefit from it – then they will see that it will be good for no one. Sadly as we saw when they controlled government they always put themselves first.”

He added: “But a new day has dawned, with true leaders that work for the people they serve, instead of serving just themselves. The prime minister and the rest of the FNM government has worked relentlessly to bring about this positive, pro-growth deal in the Grand Bahama and will look to work judiciously with all the parts involved to expedite the timetable for development.”

On Monday, the government signed a heads of agreement to greenlight the $4.5bn Oban Energies project for East Grand Bahama. Dr Minnis said the project has passed the government’s due diligence assessments.

The PLP has raised questions about Oban Energies, asking if the developers have their funding in place.