Wednesday, May 8, 2019
By MORGAN ADDERLEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
madderley@tribunemedia.net
OPPOSITION leader Philip “Brave” Davis is calling for the Minnis administration to “revamp the entire road traffic regime” — particularly reiterating calls for the government to add an amendment to the Road Traffic Act to increase penalties for those who kill in the course of dangerous driving.
Mr Davis also criticised the government’s position on the Commercial Enterprise Act, amendments to the Immigration Act, and the Investment Incentive Act, noting these “roll back all of the gains and protections this country has secured for Bahamians” over the last half a century.
He added these bills illustrate the Free National Movement’s “ideological mindset” to “pursue a complete open border policy” in the Bahamas’ small, vulnerable economy, with “no consideration” for the economic and social welfare of Bahamians.
Mr Davis made these remarks yesterday during his monthly press briefing at the Progressive Liberal Party’s headquarters.
Noting the Bill to Amend the Road Traffic Act is currently before the Senate, Mr Davis underscored the amendments “effectively criminalise” using a cell phone while driving and driving without a driver’s licence.
“The bill, however, does not address the serious charge of ‘killing in the course of dangerous driving’,” Mr Davis said.
He added the party stands with its spokesperson on transport, Glenys Hanna Martin, “in calling for the government to continue the work of the last PLP government in this area and revamp the entire road traffic legislative regime.”
“We again publicly challenge the government to bring an amendment to the Road Traffic Bill to either the lower or upper House to deal with fatalities in road traffic accidents,” Mr Davis continued.
“I think this morning you saw where someone was just fined $10,000 or thereabouts for the loss of lives. The families of victims who lost their lives in the cause of dangerous driving have suffered long enough and need closure for their loved ones through the administration of justice.”
On Monday, a man was fined $10,000 in a Magistrate’s Court for hitting and killing a motorcyclist with his truck last month while another driver received the same fine for causing the death of a pedestrian in another crash.
The Road Traffic Amendment Act 2019 was passed in one sitting of Parliament on March 26 after being tabled last September. At the time, Mrs Hanna Martin criticised the government for failing to enact legislation drafted by the former Christie administration, adding the Minnis administration chose to use certain part of it.
“Even if this government did not accept aspects of the policies driving the bill, certainly the bill must have provided a solid foundation for reform; after all this time should we have not seen some appropriate version brought forward,” Mrs Hanna Martin said in Parliament.
“The draft bill addressed this vexing issue specifically provided for prison sentences of up to 10 years and disqualification of driver’s licence to replace the current minimal penalties in place for causing death,” she added.
During his remarks yesterday, Mr Davis also said while the lines that differentiate the PLP from the FNM have been “blurred”, there are three bills which “draw very clear and very distinct philosophical, legislative, and policy lines” between the two parties.
These bills are the Commercial Enterprise Act, amendments to the Immigration Act, and the Investment Incentive Act.
“We publicly decry the FNMs who are blindly supporting these proposed amendments to the Immigration Act that supports this smokescreen of a bill called the Commercial Enterprises Bill,” Mr Davis said.
He added as many FNMs are professionals who benefited from the PLP’s “Bahamianisation” policies and a rigid immigration regime, it is “disgraceful” that the government “proposes to pass a bill to allow professionals to walk into this country without a work permit for two weeks on the premise that they are attending a meeting.”
He also said: “The PLP is diametrically opposed to these bills as harmful and injurious to the economic mobility and empowerment of Bahamians. It threatens their ability to own and manage the Bahamian economy.
“They will reduce economic opportunities for Bahamians, a right that Bahamians have been calling for and is their expectation. We, therefore, publicly call on the FNM senators to kill this bill in the Senate.”
Comments
bogart says...
EXPANDS....DA PUNISHMENTS.......NOT PNLY TO DRIVERS DAT KILLS.............VICTIMS SSUFFERIN...FINANCIALLY IN DA HOLE....PAYING FOR FUNREALS....LOSS OF THE BREADWINNER......victims of insurance companies......victing gettin ripped off by business people.....banks....gubbermint....PLENTY BAHAMIANS VICTIMS...FAMILIES.......GETTING DA SHORT EMD OF DA STICK........angry.....victimized....ripped off.....POLITICIANS SHOULD HAVE A PANAMARAMIC VIEW......
Posted 8 May 2019, 5:39 p.m. Suggest removal
TigerB says...
I believe this man was an MP for 10 years, 5 as the DPM... he never address any of these issues he is talking about now, but suddenly he sees them as issues...I love Perry better, Perry had more scruples...a much better leader ahahaha
Posted 8 May 2019, 6:48 p.m. Suggest removal
ashley14 says...
It’s called involuntary man slaughter and you go to jail.
Posted 8 May 2019, 7 p.m. Suggest removal
Well_mudda_take_sic says...
> {Davis said:} “I think this morning you saw where someone was just fined $10,000 or thereabouts for the loss of lives. The families of victims who lost their lives in the cause of dangerous driving have suffered long enough and need closure for their loved ones through the administration of justice.”
Davis knows that PLP and FNM governments alike are responsible for the rundown state of our public healthcare system and that this alone causes many more unnecessary deaths each year than road traffic accidents. Davis also knows that many aged members of his own extended family should not be allowed to have a driver's license because of their poor eye sight and other impairments associated with their old age. But Davis would quickly be singing an entirely different tune if any aged and impaired relation of his caused a road traffic death. LMAO
Posted 8 May 2019, 7:41 p.m. Suggest removal
sheeprunner12 says...
But ............. the wutless lady who sits beside him was Minister of Transport for 10 years???!!!!
Did he insist that she revamp the RT Act then???????? .......... Gravy Davis is a dumbass!!!!!
Posted 8 May 2019, 8:18 p.m. Suggest removal
PTIBahamas says...
A Problem Begging to Be Fixed ..but who is adding up the cost to the Bahamian People surely not the former DPM and his latest 8 million dollars fix that have more holes than ever before. .....
A former Bahamian Commissioner of Police once said "some people don't like your family name" in response to a presentation I was making to members of the police force some years ago that came to an abrupt stop. As I was being escorted to the exit by this former Commissioner, he casually said ..."this is a tough bunch, some don't like your family name, some don't like how you dress, and some don't like your politics.
This reminds me of a more recent experience I had with a former deputy Prime Minister who I met late one night at a restaurant off Poinciana Drive where the former DPM eats dinner. The former DPM met with me very briefly receiving a copy of a proposal that I had presented to the Road Traffic Department to introduce Preordic Technical Inspection of vehicles in the Bahamas. The DPM asked that I meet him at his office the following week which a group from my team did, including someone near to his Election campaign from Cat Island.
But with all the effort, and the will to contribute to my country, a 300-page presentation conveniently went missing, vanished in thin air – with a personal message “you are a diehard” referring to my long history of supporting the opposite local political party. So, as mystery turned into wonder we all learnt that a group with close ties to the former governing party suddenly had a similar proposal that miraculously made its way all the way to the floors of Parliament with terms to again burden the Bahamian people with more Millions, a PPP as they called it - One MP described the deal as "the perfect example" we all remember the headlines:-
"A $25m public-private partnership (PPP) to establish a new Road Traffic Department headquarters on Tonique Williams Darling Highway, but many of the sins of the Christie administration are yet to be told specifically the sins at the RTD"
How convenient after losing that fateful election, who would be the one standing so forcefully in defence of the so-called PPP this rape of the Bahamian people's pockets - must I ask? His words say it all "One would expect you would have seen some sense of urgency to make a decision as to what the administration is going to do or not do on the matter,"
Words that have such a familiar sound, so bold that they didn’t take the time to change the wording – they say their proposal "develop a new administration building and vehicle inspection centre. The project was expected to include a "world-class, 30,000-square-foot administrative facility, vehicle inspection bays with full car lifts, and accommodations for a state-of-the-art information technology system," or is it just a coincidence that these words are so recognizable or may be words that originated from a familiar lost proposal.
I will let you decide on this one.
Posted 9 May 2019, 12:24 a.m. Suggest removal
joeblow says...
Road traffic deaths are not new. The PLP failed to do anything about them 2+ short years ago when they were in power. If they had done something then, lives may have been spared now. Instead of being about the peoples business, they were to busy enabling the theft of a resort, imposing VAT on the population and Pillaging Looting and Plundering the treasury, just for starters.
Posted 9 May 2019, 8:07 a.m. Suggest removal
Well_mudda_take_sic says...
This slime ball has since announced that he wants to put clouded pot heads on our already perilous roads to drive along side those who drive while in a drunken stupor. In doing so, this scoundrel Davis just wants to capitalize on the close connections he has developed over the years with king pins in the marijuana smuggling cartels throughout the Caribbean. Davis is as despicable as they come, bar none!
Posted 9 May 2019, 9:34 a.m. Suggest removal
bogart says...
POLITICIANS....STANDING FER JUSTICE...ALL DESE YEARS...........IN THE SENARIO ACCIDENT SCENE WHERE DA MOTORIST KILLS ............ERRYONE GUBBERMINT....IS PAID SALARY TO INVESTICATE...POLICE OFFICIALS....COURT OFFICIALS..on da scene....trajedy...........Soooooooooooo........why should da gubbermint gets an collects Fine of $10,000..........AN.......da victims family not get one cent of the $10,000....an victim fzmily have to pay funreal...expenses..loss breadwimmer..........VICTIMS FAMILY HAVIN TO PAY VAT....ON DA ITEMS ...EVEN MP....EATIN VAT ADDED FOOD MADE....AT PORE PEOPLE VICTIM REPAS.......INVOLVED IN BURYIN DERE FAMILY WHO GET KNOCK DOWN ........... etc......WHY GUBBERMINT GETS RICHER $10,000.....OFF DA TRAJEDY OF PORE VICTIME PORE PEOPLE....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!........all dese years....!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 9 May 2019, 10:04 a.m. Suggest removal
Tarzan says...
Brave the Bright: Let's loose pot heads on our roads, meanwhile rage about road accident deaths. You can't make this stuff up.
Posted 9 May 2019, 11:06 a.m. Suggest removal
ABOMINATION says...
Dear God, please help us, we have men with no morals, values or ethics Leading our Nation, Lawyers, I mean Liers of all kinds! Seriously Mudda take sic is so spot on...Any tainted Politician that is allowed to Lead a party, should not even think about trying to become head of this Nation.....This one has lots to answer too, and what does PGC do, make him Leader so he could have Diplomatic Immunity, and not answer to his crimes. Shame on Bahamas, we vote these people in power who cannot even run their own homes. Our journalist never ask the right questions when they are in front of them with the camera.. I dare any one of them to be as brave as the Journalist in the United States, who ask the important questions, without fear!
Posted 9 May 2019, 1:08 p.m. Suggest removal
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