By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

SENIOR members of the FNM have asked who will pay for the cost of travel for Senator Quinton Lightbourn as he combines his new role at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington with his Senate duties.

Mr Lightbourne was appointed alternate executive director for the IDB’s Caribbean constituency on July 1.

Senator Darren Henfield said the move is not unlawful as the constitution provides that a sitting senator can be given a leave of absence for time off of up to six months by the senate president. However, he highlighted Barry Malcolm, who was a sitting senator in the 1990s, resigned his senate seat to take up his IDB appointment.

“I’ve served alongside the senator for the past three years... and he equipped himself quite well. But we believe despite all of this, the PLP must have a deep enough bench to find someone else to replace him on a more full-time basis that he doesn’t have to stretch himself between Washington and Bahamas to serve in the Senate.”

FNM chairman Dr Duane Sands said: “It also raises the question as to who is going to pay for him to travel to make the Senate meeting. So if the people of The Bahamas are now going to be on the hook for first class or business class travel, ostensibly, to make Senate meetings and they are prepared to let the Bahamian public know what added costs they are having to bear because of this peculiar arrangement, then feel free.

“Now if, on the other hand, he is going to bear the cost himself, then you know, I agree with the chairman of the PLP, let him travel back and forth. Having served in the Senate not once but twice, I can tell you that it is unlikely that he is going to be able to maintain a good attendance record, given the fact that the Senate tends to meet with a very, very less than predictable schedule and then, how do you synchronize what requirements to be in Washington with the requirements to be in New Providence?”

Dr Sands said this administration has proven to the Bahamian people that the public treasury is their “piggy bank” and will squander funds for whatever reason and try to justify it.

He said: “This administration could care less about the amount of taxpayers money that they collect and the amount of taxpayers money that they waste. It is one big party and so when you listen to the chairman of the PLP talk about retaining power.

“It is retaining power not for aspirational governance, not for improving the lot of Bahamian people, but to have a good time, to control the money, to control the power to be able to direct funds to their preferred support. That’s what it’s all about.”

Progressive Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell previously said that he does not foresee any issues with Mr Lightbourne fulfilling his duties abroad while serving as a senator.