This past Wednesday in the House of Assembly, Mr. Bradley Roberts PLP-Grants Town and Leader of Opposition Business in the House, led the Opposition's request for a Select Committee to investigate the national flag carrier of The Bahamas, Bahamasair... Despite Mr. Robert's and his colleagues presentation, outlining the justification for the appointment of the committee - the FNM refused the Opposition's request... Following is the text of Mr. Robert's remarks.
Madame
Speaker, I have advised the Leader of Government Business that I shall this
morning move for the appointment of a Select Committee to look into all the
matters relating to the operations of Bahamasair Holdings Ltd. with powers to
send for persons and papers with leave to sit from place to place and with leave
to sit during recess.
Madame
speaker, this resolution first appeared on the House Agenda in
1998 and was resubmitted following the prorogation in February 2000.
Madame Speaker, this government has with deliberateness ignored Opposition
Matters that has been outstanding on the House Agenda. In fact Madame speaker,
just prior to the prorogation this government rushed to the house to finally
answer long outstanding questions put by the Opposition.
Madame
speaker, this so called transparent and accountable government has with
premeditated feet dragging, failed to make time available for Opposition
Business in this place. For years Madame speaker, this open government has
ignored the Oppositions willingness, desire and responsibility to likewise set
the agenda for this place and the people who send us here to do their business.
Madame speaker, this is a clear example on how this government has treated the
Opposition and the 40plus percent of voters we represent. The Opposition has
been treated with disdain and contempt.
Madame
speaker, I want to make it clear as I have done before in the past that this
Parliament does not belong to, nor is it the personal fiefdom of, the honorable
doctor, the member for North Abaco. And while this may surprise some, it
likewise does not belong to you Madame speaker, or FNM Members in this place.
Madame speaker, the government’s claim that democracy is alive and well in
this country is just an illusion, that even FNM supporters are finding it very
difficult to believe. Madame speaker, the once claim of government in the
sunshine now rings very hallow.
Madame
speaker, the Member for North Abaco was clearly embarrassed when he proclaimed
that time would be set aside for Opposition Business, which brings us to the
point where we are this morning.
Madame speaker, I have spoken so many times in this place to
numerous issues concerning the national flag carrier; much of it to the
annoyance of Members of the Government. It is my opinion that if there is any
shame left in this government, it should say without any attempt to debate that
I and my colleagues on this side, have more than justified numerous cases for
the appointment of a Select Committee on Bahamasair.
Madame speaker, no fair minded person could even in their
wildest dreams or in the dead of night in some lonesome graveyard attempt to say
that the Opposition’s request for a Select Committee on Bahamasair, is not
warranted and must be acquiesced to.
Madame
speaker, several of my close friends put it to me just recently that if this
government headed by the Member for North Abaco had any semblance of a
conscience left in them they must agree to the Opposition’s request, because a
government who in the words of the DPM, claimed that “he had nothing to
hide” and by extension meaning the government, surely they will find it a good
exercise to engage a Select Committee into the workings of Bahamasair.
Madame
speaker, as you are no doubt fully aware your FNM Party in its Manifesto 92 said
that an FNM Government will:
*Hold
an inquiry into all the affairs and financial dealings of Bahamasair. Madame
speaker, I will return to this statement in a moment. Madame Speaker, your FNM
Party also promised that it will:
*Reinstate
jet aircraft on Bahamasair routes between the United States and Nassau and
Freeport. Madame speaker we now know that the FNM government has not been able
to have consistent jet aircraft service because of its ill advised buying of
planes along with the wet-leases of planes that was either under equipped or
phantom planes that were leased and never finding its way to the Bahamas. Madame
speaker your FNM Party also promised that it will:
*Use
smaller cost effective aircraft for interinsular services. Madame speaker, the
numerous complaints from Family Islanders, speaks loudly to Bahamasair running
way behind schedule or not at all, because of the breakdown of small Bahamasair
planes that are designed to service the Family Islands. In fact Madame speaker,
it was only last weekend that I traveled to and from Exuma on a plane that was
wet-leased by Bahamasair. Madame
speaker your FNM Party also promised that it will:
*Discontinue
the practice of bumping ticketed passengers with confirmed reservations to
accommodate the private travel of politicians and their families. Now Madame
speaker this is a perfect opportunity for this government to show some fleeting
honesty by answering themselves if this has stopped, bearing in mind that
recently there was an ugly incident in Fort Lauderdale where a Cabinet Minister
felt it was her right to not only be placed on a flight that she and her party
had no reservations for, but also wanted to put their bags where they wanted to,
notwithstanding that airline regulations stated otherwise. Madame speaker, your
FNM Party also promised in manifesto 92 that it will:
*Remove
day to day political interference in the management of Bahamasair. Madame
speaker, this had to be some type of inappropriate joke on behalf of your FNM
party because from day one of this FNM Administration, all they have done was
use politicians to run the day to day affairs. Those who come to mind are MP for
Malcolm Creek and MP for South Eleuthera. Madame speaker your FNM party also
promised in Manifesto 92 that it will:
*Create
a corporation in which private enterprise will invest and manage Bahamasair and
in which employees will be given stock options. Madame speaker, we know that
this has not happened and we know that stock options are not a reality because
no one in their right mind would invest in a corporation that is ran negligently
by the government and is in fact bankrupt. Madame speaker, your FNM Party also
promised that it will:
*Subsidize
unprofitable interinsular routes so that all Family Islands can have service at
a reasonable cost. Madame Speaker, one only need to listen to Family Islanders
talk about the terrible to no service by Bahamasair to understand why they feel
a ticket to any Family Island on Bahamasair is way too expensive. Likewise
Madame speaker, the fact of the matter is that the government because of its
backwards approach to Bahamasair has in fact been subsidizing all routes,
national and international. Madame Speaker your FNM Party promised that it will:
*Make
Nassau Flight Services a private enterprise, entity or incorporate it into
Bahamasair as a profit making entity. Madame speaker, this promise isn’t worth
the paper it was written on because the Parliament has not seen in a long time
financial statements Nassau Flight Services. Bahamians were invited to submit
bids for the take over of Nassau flight Services. It was said that all bids were
rejected. There has not been any further word from the government on its
intentions for Nassau Flight services. The only thing we have heard about Nassau
Flight Services is that the employees are disgruntled and there had been an
embezzlement scheme going on down there for some time before it became known to
the public and more than likely, known to the government. Madame speaker, your
FNM Party also promised that it will:
*Ensure
that Bahamasair and all other Bahamian airlines hire qualified Bahamians first.
Madame speaker, this FNM Government must have problems identifying who is a
Bahamian because it has hired more outside consultants in its tenure in office
than any other government in the Bahamas. Madame speaker, every time that this
government wants knowledge about the airline, they bring in some consultants and
sometimes more than once, to get information that the consultants must retrieve
from Bahamian professionals who work at Bahamasair.
Madame
speaker, I now revert back to your FNM Party’s first promise in the Manifesto
92 that it will:
*Hold
an inquiry into all the affairs and financial dealings of Bahamasair. Madame
speaker, your FNM party promised to appoint and did in fact appoint a Commission
of Inquiry into Bahamasair. Madame Speaker, millions of hard earned Bahamian
taxpayer dollars was spent on the long drawn out Commission of Inquiry on
Bahamasair. For television viewers it was like a never ending soap opera, where
the inner workings at all levels of the flag carrier was exposed to the Bahamian
populace. Madame Speaker, at the conclusion of the inquiry, the Member for North
Abaco caused the reports to be tabled in this chamber for posterity. I wish to
repeat the statement made by the Member for North Abaco.
Madame
Speaker, if any rational thinking Bahamian was to review the recommendations
made by the Commissioner’s and the government’s acceptance of the same, they
would now analyze and review the progress or lack thereof by this government in
the implementation of those recommendations.
Madame speaker, I would also like to give this House
a few examples of what the DPM had to say simultaneously with the Commission
Proceedings about the former government’s management of Bahamasair. These
remarks were given in this place in 1993 at the first introduction of the Public
Utilities Commission Bill and I quote; “you will be no doubt aware sir that
the excursion by the previous administration into the private sector has proven
disastrous, as is shown from the current hearings being held on Bahamasair”
Madame
speaker, the DPM continued by saying, “those excursions sir have resulted in
tremendous pain and suffering for our people and has contributed significantly
to the fiscal/financial conditions in which we find ourselves as a government to
date. So I just wanna say that to those who continue to talk loosely about
bouncing back, there’s some of us who feel that we had better begin to talk
about paying back. It’s time to pay back.”
Madame
speaker, as if the gloating and posturing of the DPM at the time wasn’t
enough, he continued by saying, “colossal loses have been sustained because of
those excursions because of the interference of those who were not best suited
or qualified in the day to day affairs of the corporation.”
Madame
speaker, never has there been such a complete condemnation in advance upon the
FNM Government as is shown in the DPM’s statement in 1993 about the previous
government’s handling of Bahamasair. I say that Madame speaker because today
as we review the DPM’s statements in 1993, if we didn’t know who he was
talking about we could easily assume that he was talking about his own
government and there absolute and unprecedented mismanagement of the same
Bahamasair, in spite of their Commission of Inquiry to search out the wrongs and
mistakes of the previous government.
And
to think Madame speaker, that the DPM said at that time, that the previous
government should talk about paying back the people for money wasted at
Bahamasair, instead of using the PLP slogan of Bouncing Back, when in fact
he’s never sought to pay back or arrange for the sum of $135,000 to be paid
back because of the fraudulent plane deal under his watch at Bahamasair. Madame
speaker the lunacy of the government’s handling of Bahamasair has further been
compounded by the government promising an investigation into the malfeasance at
Bahamasair. This is a further indication of their contempt for the Bahamian
people by assuming that the people would accept that the government would do an
impartial investigation on themselves.
Madame
Speaker, the DPM in his ill-advised statements of 1993 also claimed that the
previous government had persons in the position of running the airlines, who
were not suited to do so, but yet they had Chairman’s who as political
appointee’s saw fit to run up exorbitant cell phone bills, abuse the
corporation’s credit cards and having lunch for a thousand dollars, all at the
public’s expense and to the detriment of a cash strapped government subsidized
entity. All of this the DPM said about the previous government and today after
more tears and misery not to mention loss of millions of dollars, we find that
not only was this government not suited to run Bahamasair, but the DPM, the one
who pronounced a sentence of condemnation on the previous government was himself
at the helm of what has to be the greatest abuse of public funds to our
knowledge to date and I say to date because only God knows what else has
transpired in this government’s desperation to cover up the nit-wit approach
to handling the people’s finances.
Madame
speaker, the DPM’s statement in this place in 1993 about the previous
government's handling of Bahamasair based on the Commission of Inquiry at that
time was a classic example of the Holy Bible's edict that “when you sow the
wind, you’ll reap a whirlwind,” because the DPM’s gloating over and scorn
of the previous government, has now come back to haunt his government in greater
force because his government has done far worst with Bahamasair than the
previous government and I dare say more than any other government would in turn
do with what’s left of Bahamasair after this government gets through running
it deeper into the ground.
Madame
speaker, one might have thought that as time went on in the tenure of this
government, that they would have chosen to see the folly of their ways in
heaping scorn on the previous government about its handling of Bahamasair by
realizing the yeoman task at making Bahamasair a viable airline entity.
But no Madame speaker, this government carried right along
with its sham pronouncements on Bahamasair, as can be seen from the February 24,
1997 edition of the Tribune, where on the front page a by line story said,
“Bahamasair Carrying Lighter Burden.” Madame speaker, the article said,
“Plans to reduce Bahamasair looses by fifty percent for the 1996/97 fiscal
year are on target according to the then Acting Managing Director Arthur Barnett
Jr.
Madame
speaker, at the time this statement was made, I wondered to myself who could
have convinced Mr. Barnett to put his credibility on the line, but then I
recalled the Member for North Abaco’s uncanny knack to get involved in every
sphere of government and to be able to convince others to say anything,
notwithstanding the consequences. In the article Mr. Barnett also said,
“Compared to last years $16 million loss, the national airline has set a goal
to reduce its business looses to $8 million for 1997 and to turn a profit by
1999. He went on to say, “Although Bahamasair is still facing considerable
losses, that there is hope for the future and was optimistic about achieving all
set goals within the next three years.”
Madame speaker, needless to say that Mr. Barnett was hopefully
wishing, because we have recently heard the new Chairman another political hack
Mr. Frederick Gottlieb, say that last year Bahamasair lost $17million dollars.
One could only hope that this Chairman does not become swayed
by the Member for North Abaco to follow the same paths as the others who have
had his position by saying anything that pleases the maximum leader of the FNM,
while ignoring how angry these delusional statements about Bahamasair makes the
taxpayers, the ones who pay for Bahamasair to function.
Madame
speaker, the former general manager, Mr. Arthur Barnett projected a profit in
1999, but as I just stated the new Chairman put losses for 1999 at $17 million.
This is a classical case of managerial ineptitude at the higher level.
Madame
speaker, one would think that there is nothing more therapeutic then when a
confirmed supporter of the FNM gives them constructive criticism about their
handling of Bahamasair. But in the case of this government under the Honorable
Doctor from North Abaco, they just move on like a freight train out of control
because the conductor does not take a sober approach to steering the train.
Madame speaker, one of the FNM’s young apologists found it
necessary to speak to the issue of the government and Bahamasair. Columnist Mr.
Andrew Allen, in his weekly column of the November 29, 1999 edition of the
Tribune under the by line, “Good For The Goose” said, “Let’s face it,
judged by any business standards the FNM’s handling of Bahamasair has been
disgraceful. The Opposition is right to insist that a government that made
Bahamasair a political issue and the subject of a Commission Of Inquiry ought to
be held to a higher standard than its predecessor with regards to the running of
the airline.” Madame speaker, I look forward to hearing from Mr. Andrew Allen
again to update us on how the Minister of Finance, Sir William Allen is doing as
Minister in charge of the airline.
On
another note Madame speaker, I made mention on several occasions that there has
been one common thread from the beginning of Bahamasair to the present day and
that person is the Honorable Minister for Finance, the Member for Montague, who
now has ministerial responsibility for Bahamasair.
Madam
Speaker, when one looks at the leadership of Bahamasair from its inception to
date, there have been two virtual constants.
1.
A legacy of losses
2.
The involvement of one person.
The
person use to be called William Allan. But
for reasons which still defy many well thinking Bahamians, FNM or PLP, whoever
has an objective sense of history, he is now Sir William.
Incidentally he is Sir William, before, for example, we have a Sir Arthur
as in Arthur Foulkes – just another instance of the Government attempting to
re-write history.
So
Sir William has been a virtual constant at Bahamasair – be it as Deputy
Chairman, Chairman, Minister directly responsible, Minister of Finance and
therefore the company’s primary leader – more roles than anyone else in
public life in the Bahamas. Rules
of great influence.
This
is an important point which we must properly record for the easy reference of
our Historians. They must see this
Minister of Bahamasair in full colors. Historians
must not be fooled as the Honorable Paul Adderley was fooled by this Sir
William.
Yes,
let’s not forget that as Minister of Finance in the PLP Government right up to
the 1992 General Elections, Minister Adderley trusted Sir William as his
principle financial advisor, totally obvious to the fact that the same Sir
William was performing the exact same role for the then Leader of the
Opposition.
I
raise it now, not as any personal attack on the Minister.
I stress – this is not personal.
I
point here to important principles for good governance, and social graces cannot
conceal the fact that this gentleman was unethical and immoral in his conduct.
Madame
speaker, in the Bahamas Journal of January 10th, 2000, entitled,
“Bahamasair Freed From Politics” it was written and I quote, “Finance
Minister Sir William Allen began his first day as Minister responsible for
Bahamasair on Monday by assuring management at the national airline that the
government will not interfere in the management of the airline.
Madame
speaker, the article continued with, Sir William addressing Bahamasair’s
management at the Forging a new Vision forum at the Radisson Cable Beach Hotel,
said that the government will, however continue to assist in the repositioning
of Bahamasair by providing financial assistance to the airline.
Madame
speaker the Minister was quoted in the article as saying, “The government is
there to support Bahamasair. The management is responsible for the management of
Bahamasair and we expect them to do that. The government will not manage the
airline, the government has to put in place a management to do that.
It will not be my role as Minister or my office as the
ministry to manage Bahamasair or get involved in the management of Bahamasair.
We are responsible for the government’s policy for Bahamasair and to see that
Bahamasair carries out its responsibility to the Bahamian public.”
Madame
speaker, the Honorable Minister obviously thinks the Bahamian people are fools,
when we know that any and all letters of worth are copied to the Minister on a
daily basis concerning Bahamasair. Madame speaker, I beg the Minister to please
stop deceiving the Bahamian people. There is nothing worse than for an
intelligent people to be considered fools.
Madame
speaker, the article went on to say, “Minister Allen dismissed recent
allegations made by members of the Opposition Progressive Liberal Party
concerning corruption at Bahamasair.” Madame speaker, if this is true, then
why has the Minister not said one word concerning the ill-fated $135,000
aircraft lease?
Madame
speaker, the Journal quoted the Minister as saying, “Corruption in Bahamasair
is something which the history books can tell you a lot about and it did not
start today in Bahamasair.” Madame speaker, this is true, but does it justify
the continuation of corruption under this FNM Government?
Madame
speaker, the Minster is also quoted in this same article as saying that he has
high hopes that the new management team headed by Mr. Paul Major and Mr.
Frederick Gottlieb as its Chairman, has what it takes to turn the airline
around. The Minister went on to say, “We believe that this management team is
appropriate and timely to deal with the question of management at Bahamasair
today.”
Madame
speaker, I consider Mr. Paul Major to be a friend and I would wish not to do any
harm to him or his family. I am aware that he has been given some credit for the
job he did at the Bahamas Development Bank. Madame speaker, banking has been his
forte for many years and the record so reflects the same.
Madame
speaker, a number of thinking Bahamians however question his experience in the
area of running an airline, particularly one with such a checkered background as
Bahamasair. Madame speaker, this may partly explain or be offered as the
justification for the engagement of the Sabre Consultancy Group for a period of
six months at a cost, I am told of over one million dollars.
Madame
speaker, can this government justify this level of expense, after some 27 years
of the existence of Bahamasair? What can Sabre tell Bahamasair and this
government that it does not know? Madame speaker, my source tells me that
Bahamasair is paying $7,500 per month for the rental of a lavish condo at
Sandyport for a Sabre employee. After one gets over the initial shock of this
all that can be said is wow.
Madame
speaker, is the Sabre Consultancy Group’s main job to hold the hands of the
government’s new management team? Madame speaker, the members of
Bahamasair’s new management team, I am told are paid handsome salaries. I am
advised that the General Manager’s salary is $150,000 per annum plus a car
including expenses.
Madame
speaker, other members of the senior management team earn $80,000 per annum plus
expenses. Madame speaker, I have no difficulty with paying top salaries, but
there has to be a relationship between good salaries, performance and profits.
Madame speaker, shortly after the arrival of the new management team, 3 senior
managers were relieved of their positions as a result of a reorganization
exercise.
Madame speaker, it is worthy of note that sometime in late 1992 or early 1993, the FNM Government engaged the services of Sercair as Consultants. This consultancy provided the government with a report. Following Sercair, the government engaged the services of Mr. Glen Picard as a consultant. Madame speaker, Mr. Picard's legacy is well known to the staff of Bahamasair and the Bahamian people. We in the Opposition have yet to see the report of Mr. Picard concerning the privatization of Bahamasair.
Madame speaker, prior to the FNM Government, Bahamasair has had numerous consultants including:
1. Aer Lingus
2. Dixon Spears
3. American Airlines
4. Pan Am
Madame speaker, significant funds were paid by Bahamasair over the years to consultants and yet the government has burdened the Bahamian taxpayers with yet another group of consultants by the name of Sabre Consulting Group.
Madame speaker, the Bahamian taxpayers are demanding to know when will all this heavy expenditure cease on the hiring of consultants? The people want to know when will all this madness and chaos end? Madame speaker, when will the government stop the pouring of our hard earned taxpayer money down the never ending well?
Madame speaker, after 8 years of FNM Governance, is there one single Minister who is prepared to tell the Bahamian people when this nightmare will be over? Madame speaker, is this expose on Bahamasair one of the reasons why the television cameras were removed from this Parliament in order to keep the people in the dark about this government’s abject negligence over Bahamasair? I cry shame on this FNM Government, for their deceit. Shame-Shame-Shame.
Madame speaker, Bahamasair spend money like there is no end to it. I cite as a few examples:
1. A new car was purchased for the new Managing Director at a cost of $36,000, whilst I am told the vehicles used by the former-Chairman and Mr. Glen Picard sit parked awaiting to be auctioned off.
2. Bahamasair leased three Short 360 Aircrafts, one of which was returned to the owner and the remaining two are out of service, one of which has been that way for a couple of months, the other for several weeks.
Madame speaker, my information is that those aircrafts are due for heavy maintenance, because of a lack of spare parts and the necessary servicing was not performed on time. Madame speaker, this is a clear sign of a lack of proper planning. No parts, no service, no operational aircrafts.
Madame speaker, without aircrafts to fly there are ten pilots for the Short 360’s sitting around doing nothing but still getting paid. Likewise Madame speaker, flight attendants are not being fully utilized.
Madame speaker, because of the lack of proper planning for the maintenance of these aircrafts avoiding the wastage of sizeable taxpayers funds, Bahamasair is obliged to enter into wet lease arrangements with charter services out of the US, to provide aircrafts with foreign pilots and flight attendants, which is something that the Member for North Abaco probably prefers, however at considerable cost to Bahamasair and the Bahamian taxpayers.
Madame speaker such is the current life and times at Bahamasair under the FNM Government, whom you should know promised the Bahamian people better-better at Bahamasair. Instead Madame speaker, the Bahamian people has received bitter-bitter. The Bahamian people have been failed miserably under the leadership of the FNM Government and specifically in this case of its management of our national flag carrier.
Madame Speaker, there is more than ample evidence to
support the Oppositions call for a Select Committee into the affairs of
Bahamasair, the least of which is this government’s reluctance to answer
questions concerning the negligence exhibited on a regular basis at the national
flag carrier.
Madame speaker, this government has become impotent
regarding the answer of questions that require straight-forward and truthful
responses. This government promised to provide immediate answers to the
questions tabled by the Opposition. Madame speaker, look how long the questions
that was finally answered at the end of the last session had been sitting on the
notice paper waiting to be addressed. Is this what should be expected of this
government for questioned to be asked and only answered at the end of every
session, one year later?
Madame speaker, it was the Honorable Doctor, the
Member for North Abaco who when in Opposition claimed that one of the
fundamental changes he’d like to see in this Parliament was the introduction
of a weekly question period in Parliament, during which time any member may ask
and receive on the spot answers to questions directed to Minister’s and the
Member for North Abaco. Madame speaker, as we can now attest to, this promise
which was described as being fundamental is now reposed in the garbage heap
where all the other knee jerk promises of this one man government comfortably
resides.
Madame speaker, I have asked this government some
questions from as far back as one year ago concerning Bahamasair that has yet to
be addressed and either the government is unwilling to answer these questions
for fear of it leading to more questions or they have no credible answers to the
questions. And this Madame speaker is a major reason why a Select Committee must
be convened, because when a government will not answer questions, then those
whom would seek these answers much go further in its attempts on behalf of the
people to garner answers to these questions. Madame speaker, some of the many
questions still unanswered are as follows:
Q. After bringing to the government’s attention
last year that Bahamasair had broken the law and was paying the consultancy fees
and salary for the then-Managing Director, Mr. Glen Picard to an IBC Company,
why did Bahamasair continue to pay funds due to Mr. Picard to an IBC Company
named, Zambezi Corporation?
Q. Why didn’t the Member for North Abaco move to
discontinue the illegal act of paying an IBC company
Q. Why did Mr. Picard have so much influence over the
government that it refused to desist from making illegal payments to an IBC
Company, when clearly they knew they were breaking the law?
Q. When will the Member for North Abaco conclude his
supposed investigation into what happened to the $135,000 still unrecovered as a
result of a fraudulent plane deal?
Q. When will the Member for North Abaco inform the
Bahamian people as to whether due diligence was exercised at all levels of
persons involved in this plane scandal?
Madame speaker, these are questions I asked this
government last year in December, before the plot had thickened concerning
Bahamasair and the additional wild and disingenuous promises by the Member for
North Abaco. And now more questions abound and the initial questions have yet to
be addressed. Which brings me to another question.
Madame
speaker, Bahamasair obtained a $13.7 million dollar loan from Citibank in
Trinidad and Tobago to purchase two 727 Dash 200 ADV jet aircraft’s from PLM
International. $10.5 million of the total sum was obtained on Dec. 31, 1997. The
remaining $3.2 million was obtained on May 28, 1998. The balance of $3.2 was to
cover the cost for hush kits, spare parts, insurance on the fleet, acquisition
fees, pilots, engineering and training aircraft preparation and painting.
Madame speaker, the leader of the Opposition in 1999
requested the government to provide him with a copy of the technical competency
report on the valuation and or purchase of the two planes in question. Madame
speaker, the Opposition has not received a response from the government. The
question is as it is with all questions that shows the government’s negligence
and malfeasance is, why has there not been an answer to such an important
question?
Madame
speaker on May 7, 2000 I wrote the following letter to the Minister of Finance,
who has as his responsibility the national flag carrier:
(READ
LETTER INTO THE RECORD)
Madame speaker, as I should have expected, to date I
have not received a response and I believe I know why. Madame speaker, my
information is that no such report was requested or received by Bahamasair,
notwithstanding that the government paid the sum of $170,000 to one Bristol
Associates, a firm located outside of Washington DC, whom the government claimed
negotiated the acquisition of the two aircraft’s.
Madame
speaker, a competency report is mandatory, when one is acquiring an aircraft.
One would wish to know from an engineering standpoint, the competency of an
aircraft, that one is desirous of purchasing. One would like to know that
money’s worth is being obtained, that the planes are suitable for the work
needed and last but not least, that the planes are safe.
A
competency report is fundamental. It’s like a doctor who is to operate on a
patient, having to ascertain the blood pressure readings, the blood type, any
allergies, etc. etc. But yet Madame speaker, no answer to the Opposition’s
request has been forthcoming, which in itself shows this government’s
institutionalized contempt for the Opposition’s concern over public business
and public safety, not to even mention the government’s scorn and
shamelessness on how they spend the taxpayer’s money.
However
Madame speaker, the questions of negligence concerning this government that has
at times bordered on the criminal, has remained unanswered and when we examine
some other cases of negligence that this government refuses to respond to, it
becomes painfully obvious that if a Select Committee on Bahamasair is not
appointed, this government is prepared to hold court over what could turn out to
be one of the greatest disasters ever experienced in the Bahamas. This disaster,
Madame speaker, would be the unnecessary loss of lives.
NEW MINISTER
AND “JULIET” SCANDAL
Madame speaker, with the reshuffling of the Bahamas
Cabinet in January and the appointment of the Finance Minister as the Minister
responsible for Bahamasair after the unceremonious firing of the DPM as Minister
responsible, along came a new round of shameless public relation announcements
about Bahamasair and what should be expected of it.
Madame
speaker, as I stated previously, the Bahama Journal reported in its Jan. 10th
publication that the Minister Sir William Allen, dismissed the Opposition’s
allegations of corruption at Bahamasair and his rebuttal to these allegations
was and I quote the Journal, “Corruption in Bahamasair is something which the
history books can tell you a lot about and it did not start today in
Bahamasair.”
Madame speaker, if the Minister claims that
Bahamasair has always been plagued with corruption, why does he dismiss the
Opposition’s assertions based on documented facts of corruption under the
FNM’s watch over Bahamasair?
Madame
speaker, for the past eight years the FNM Government has chosen to distance
itself from their promises to change the way Government Agencies and
Corporations are managed, by blaming their inherent inability to function as a
responsible government as they promised, on the misgivings of the previous
government. Madame speaker, when will this government take responsibility for
their own failures? That will only happen when a Select Committee is instituted
in order for the public to get to the truth of the matter of the government’s
negligence towards Bahamasair.
Madame speaker, the reality still remains that if the
previous government ran Bahamasair in a negligent manner and its already for the
most part been proven by the Opposition that the FNM Government is doing the
same, if not worse, then either the practices of both government’s were right
or they both were wrong.
It
cannot be that the PLP was wrong and the FNM is right in their governance where
negligence was claimed to be the order in which the PLP Government operated, but
its not defined as such under the FNM’s watch.
Madame speaker, this is yet another reason why a
Select Committee of this House must be appointed to look into the affairs of
Bahamasair in order to put a definitive stop to this government’s continual
playing of the blame game, while Bahamasair continues to drown in the FNM’s
Manifesto promises of freeing the Government Corporations of political influence
and corruption, when the exact opposite has happened since the FNM’s tenure in
Office.
The
reality is Madame speaker, that no matter what this FNM Government says about
the previous government’s handling of Bahamasair, the PLP at no time ever
entertained much less flirted with endangering the lives of passengers on any
Bahamasair flight.
Which brings me Madame speaker to the saga of a
Boeing 737 jet aircraft known as Juliet that was leased by Bahamasair in 1995.
As if it
wasn’t bad enough that someone with the complicity of a government official
absconded with $135,000 of taxpayers money through a fraudulent plane deal, in
the process of the Opposition revealing this scandal, something even more
horrifying came to light. Madame speaker, something that this government would
have never revealed and something that speaks loudly to the need for a Select
Committee to look into the affairs of Bahamasair.
Madame speaker as a result of a letter written by Mr.
Glen Picard to the then Chairman, the Member for South Eleuthera, I disclosed in
this place on April 3, 2000 during the debate on the Speech From The Throne,
that the aircraft Juliet had been flying from 1996 to 1999 without license to do
so because of lack of maintenance checks.
Madame
speaker the plane was flown by Bahamasair for 9500 hours illegally. People’s
lives were put at risk for three years on a daily basis around the clock. To
this assertion made by myself in this place on that day, the government uttered
not one word.
Likewise Madame speaker, in order not to be deterred
from this potential catastrophic experience being exposed and accounted for, I
again referred to it on April 12, 2000 during the debate on the Contempt of
Court Act 2000. Madame speaker, I said then that the British Civil Aviation
Authority grounded the plane because of this act of flying illegally for 9500
hours over three years.
Madame
speaker, thousands of Bahamians and non Bahamians had their lives put at a
serious risk of finality for 1095 days because the aircraft Juliet was flying
illegally without proper maintenance as is required by law.
Madame speaker, my information, which has not been
denied by this government, has proven to be the most damning condemnation that
any Bahamian government has suffered since the beginning of time.
Madame
speaker, I flew on that aircraft many times in the three years that it was
committing what could only be called a criminal act. Likewise Madame speaker
others in this place including others in private life and their children flew on
the aircraft at that time.
God
forbid Madame speaker, if that aircraft would have crashed with you on it. That
surely would have been a sad day I suppose, for your loved ones and those who
adore you who likewise are supporters of the FNM Government.
Madame speaker, the government’s behavior in this
matter was clearly criminal. If an airline had done this in the United States,
surely criminal charges with malice would have been assessed to the management
and the Board of Directors of the airline because of such corporate and
contemptuous behavior.
Madame
speaker what is even more damning is that the fourth estate, the media,
downplayed this horrendous act. One has to wonder Madame speaker if the media is
so committed to this government’s survival that it didn’t recognize the
government’s lack of concern for even them, when inevitably some if not all of
those in the media flew on that plane at that time?
Madame speaker, I asked this government during the
Contempt of Court debate 8 questions concerning the Juliet aircraft and Madame
speaker, it has now been one day short of a month and this government has yet to
answer those questions nor have they even indicated that they will answer those
questions. Madame speaker, if contemptuous and dictatorial behavior was a
criminal offense by law, this government would have been locked up and the keys
thrown away a long time ago.
The
contempt shown by the government to not respond to questions concerning
Bahamasair or any government agency is beyond any form of logic or decency. But
then Madame speaker, maybe it is quite explainable when we know that the FNM’s
maximum leader uses the private planes of foreigners to travel where he goes and
when he isn’t using a private plane he uses the Royal Bahamas Defense Force
Plane to travel to the Family Islands as he did weekend before last when he went
to Eleuthera to the opening of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers
Union of it new building.
So why
should he be concerned about the safety of others on Bahamasair? When a
government cares not about the lives of its citizens it is child’s play for
the same government to likewise not care about the social and economic
conditions of those same citizens.
Madame speaker, a Select Committee is needed for
Bahamasair because I suspect that the government has no intentions of answering
the 8 questions I asked on April 12, 2000, those questions were:
1.
When did the Boeing 737 Jet Aircraft “Juliet” leave the Bahamas?
2.
When did the lease expire on “Juliet”?
3.
Was “Juliet” returned to its owner in compliance with the terms of
the lease agreement, if not why not?
4.
Will the Honorable Minister of Finance inform this parliament and the
Bahamian people why “Juliet” has been under maintenance from August 1999 to
date?
5.
Will the Minister explain as to what could have been so wrong with
“Juliet” that it has taken more than nine months to complete?
6.
Will the Minister lay on the table a copy of the maintenance report on
“Juliet”?
7.
Will the Minister confirm that Bahamasair continued to pay the lease on
“Juliet” for its departure in August of 1999 to date?
8.
Will the Minister inform the Parliament as to the total maintenance cost
on “Juliet” since its return to the United States in August of 1999?
Madame speaker, I have no illusions about the
government answering these questions, because it has been their modus operandi
that when they feel they should not tell the public the truth, they stall ad
infinitum, or at least until they can come up with some half-baked story to buy
time with the public, in the hopes that the public will forget.
And that
is why Madame speaker, that a Select Committee is needed to get to the bottom of
the abuses at Bahamasair by this reckless government. Madame speaker, this
government has plenty to hide about Bahamasair, because I have been advised that
the plane “Juliet” is still being paid for by the government via its lease
arrangement because the plane must be maintenance ready before it can be
returned to its owner.
Which
should not have been any problem if it wasn’t that the plane reportedly has
over $1million dollars worth of maintenance that needs to be done on it because
of Bahamasair’s neglect toward the scheduled maintenance of the plane. Madame
speaker, this is something that the government has not and never would tell the
public, because it does not line up with there sham public relations slogan of
government in the sunshine and accountability. $1million dollars of maintenance
needing to be done not including the cost of the rental of the plane at $75,000
per month, Madame speaker.
One has
to wonder if the government only authorized Bahamasair to put fuel in the plane
and that is all for the entire time it was in use. It is things like this that
calls for a Select Committee, Madame speaker, because without the Opposition’s
due diligence at investigating the government on behalf of the taxpayer, we
would have never known the status of the plane “Juliet” nor the fact that
people’s lives were put at risk.
THE $135,OOO
PLANE SCAM
Madame
speaker, Select Committee’s become necessary when a government has not been
forthright in its stewardship over a Government Ministry or Corporation or when
a government has become so negligent in its functioning and utterly
untrustworthy in its responses to the natural questions taxpayers would ask
about how their money is being spent.
In the case Madame speaker, of the long gone $135,000 for a
plane from a company that had no plane, the government as I stated earlier has
not been forthright and has been extraordinarily negligent in its response to
the questions asked by the Opposition and the public the length and breadth of
the Bahamas, concerning this fraudulent deal.
Madame
speaker, by now everyone, including most children knows that the government
entered into a deal with a company named Brinks Commercial Aviation to lease a
plane that was to replace the aforementioned plane “Juliet.” Madame speaker,
by now everyone knows that the government signed an agreement to lease the plane
at the cost of $135,000 per month.
Madame speaker, by now everyone knows that the government
could have gotten the same plane from the original owner for the sum of $115,000
per month. Madame speaker by now everyone knows that the government went ahead
and signed the lease and inspected the plane, which made the initial sum of
$135,000 non-refundable.
Madame
speaker, by now every one knows that the government subsequently attempted to
back out of the deal in order to deal with the original owner. Madame speaker
and by now everyone knows that the government has been deceitfully dishonest
about the whole affair, after the Opposition revealed that the government had
thrown away the people’s money on a plane deal that never existed because
Brinks Aviation had no such plane.
But
Madame speaker what we have yet to find out is, what is the status of the Member
for North Abaco’s promise in January that he was personally going after the
money? And what we still don’t know is when is the Member for North Abaco
going to as he said, “chop off the hands” of the person or persons in
Bahamasair who partook in this scam?
Madame speaker, there is now a view spreading like wildfire in
the country that since the Member for North Abaco made that statement while
knowing all along that the money was nonrefundable; he’s probably not able to
chop off anyone’s hands because he had to chop his own off first.
Madame
speaker, the country does not deserve to have to think such a thing about a
government figure who came to power based on his claims of dishonesty and
thievery on the part of the previous government and based on the claims of his
absolute honesty.
But likewise Madame speaker, the people who in fact subsidizes
Bahamasair with its taxes, do not deserve to be danced around the floor for 10
months with story after silence after story after silence about what really
happened in this fraudulent plane deal, that obviously was hatched by persons in
authority at Bahamasair.
Likewise Madame speaker, the taxpayers should not have to hear
the constant FNM scripted messages about the money, when they in effect say; no
matter what the contract says and never mind that we haven’t received the
money back; ignore what your common sense tells you, ignore our track record for
dishonesty and ignore the contract—it is your honest FNM Government that is
telling you the truth.
Madame
speaker, the only mechanism we have to get to the bottom of this scandal is in
fact a Select Committee, because even if by some wild stretch of the imagination
this FNM Government borrowers someone else’s conscience and admits their
negligence and conspiracy to theft; they probably would then rationalize it by
saying the PLP also did it.
Madame speaker there are so many FNM Politicians, supporters
and political hacks that have tried to defend the government’s reasons for not
telling the public the truth about this scandal and many other things concerning
the people’s affairs, that it would be wise to put a stop to it now, because
without a Select Committee I fear this government has no ability nor desire to
end the horrifying acts of malfeasance, thievery and abuse at Bahamasair.
Madame
speaker, I can say with certainty that there is much more to the saga of this
missing money and I can confidently say that this government has never been in
the dark about what has been transpiring at Bahamasair since day one of their
tenure. But it is time that the people hear it for what it really is without
anyone calling it politically motivated and that way is through a Select
Committee.
Madame speaker, when an opposition party makes grand
pronouncements of what they will do as a government and how their governance
would be diametrically different from the government presiding at the time and
then it becomes the government and then proceeds to appoint a Commission of
Inquiry; one should expect that they would not appoint Members of Parliament as
Chairmen of Bahamasair.
Madame
speaker, one would not expect that same government to then play musical chairs
with the position of Chairman and one would not expect that flight delays and
poor customer service would be the norm.
Likewise Madame speaker, one would not expect that same
government, who used the taxpayers money so lavishly, to not have learned from
the perceived mistakes of the former government as exposed by the Commission of
Inquiry and buy two planes under circumstances so suspicious that the Minister
at the time of the purchase was dismissed from that portfolio before the plane
deal was finalized.
And Madame speaker, a political party who becomes a government
would not be expected to hire and rehire foreign consultants to tell them the
same things about the airline that their Bahamian employees had been telling
them.
Likewise
Madame speaker, a political party that became the government and had what they
called the wisdom of hindsight, would not still to this day have persons on the
payroll who are being paid out of petty cash and being given raises for no
apparent reason while being in positions that they have no proven qualifications
for.
Madame
speaker, when a political party that has become a government pronounces through
its written word and public sentiments that wastage of funds at a national flag
carrier would never happen again;
But
yet they hire persons as political favors during election time and fails to
produce any audited accounts for an entity and then turns around and tries to
hide the fact that they were flying illegally for three years, while in search
of a phantom plane that they already paid a deposit on; it is time that the
people tell themselves the truth about that political party that became a
government under the most glorious of promises.
It is time Madame speaker, that the people tell
themselves that as far as that government goes, the truth is not in them.
Madame
speaker, likewise and as a proverbial nail in the coffin, when that same
political party that became a government and bragged about their solidarity,
then finds their DPM accusing his own members of being agent saboteurs,
basically trying to cause trouble for him, because the Opposition found out
about his involvement in what was quite frankly a devious and stupid plan to
defraud the Bahamian taxpayers of $135,000;
When it gets to that stage Madame speaker, where the
DPM known as Honest Frank believes its wrong for anybody to be disgusted by a
stupid plan to defraud the Bahamian people and when it gets to the stage that
the DPM experiences paranoia and lashes out at his Party Colleagues, because he
feels it is more important for them to support his at-best negligence as opposed
to the moral standard of not tiefin from the public treasury.
When it gets to that stage Madame speaker, coupled
with all of the other abuses at the people’s flag carrier by this government,
it is then time for a Select Committee to be appointed into the affairs of
Bahamasair Holdings Ltd.
Madame speaker, anything less than that, will clearly
show the people that this government is in fact what I have been calling it all
along; a renegade and lawless government, who prefers to hide the truth if it
means losing face and power in the eyes of the voters.
And on that note Madame speaker, I move for the
appointment of a Select Committee to look into all matters concerning Bahamasair
Holdings Ltd.
OPPOSITION BUSINESS CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Madame speaker, when an opposition party makes grand pronouncements of what they will do as a government and how their governance would be diametrically different from the government presiding at the time and then it becomes the government and then proceeds to appoint a Commission of Inquiry; one should expect that they would not appoint Members of Parliament as Chairmen of Bahamasair.
Madame
speaker, one would not expect that same government to then play musical chairs
with the position of Chairman and one would not expect that flight delays and
poor customer service would be the norm.
Likewise Madame speaker, one would not expect that government
who used the taxpayers money so lavishly, to not have learned from the perceived
mistakes of the former government as exposed by the Commission of Inquiry and
buy two planes under circumstances so suspicious that the Minister at the time
of the purchase was dismissed from that portfolio before the plane deal was
finalized. And Madame speaker, a political party who becomes a government would
not be expected to hire and rehire foreign consultants to tell them the same
things about the airline that their Bahamian employees had been telling them.
Likewise
Madame speaker, a political party that became the government and had what they
called the wisdom of hindsight, would not still to this day have persons on the
payroll who are being paid out of petty cash and being given raises for no
apparent reason while being in positions that they have no proven qualifications
for.
Madame
speaker, when a political party that has become a government pronounces through
its written word and public sentiments that wastage of funds at a national flag
carrier would never happen again, but yet they hire persons as political favors
during election time and fails to produce any audited accounts for an entity and
then turns around and tries to hide the fact that they were flying illegally for
three years, while in search of a phantom plane that they already paid a deposit
on; it is time that the people tell themselves the truth about that political
party that became a government under the most glorious of promises.
It is time Madame speaker, that the people tell
themselves that as far as that government goes, the truth is not in them.
Madame
speaker, likewise and as a proverbial nail in the coffin, when that same
political party that became a government and bragged about their solidarity,
then finds their DPM accusing his own members of being agent saboteurs,
basically trying to cause trouble for him, because the Opposition found out
about his involvement in what was quite frankly a devious and stupid plan to
defraud the Bahamian taxpayers of $135,000;
When it gets to that stage Madame speaker, where the
DPM known as Honest Frank believes its wrong for anybody to be disgusted by a
stupid plan to defraud the Bahamian people and when it gets to the stage that
the DPM experiences paranoia and lashes out at his Party Colleagues, because he
feels it is more important for them to support his at best negligence as opposed
to the moral standard of not tiefin from the public treasury;
When it gets to that stage Madame speaker, coupled
with all of the other abuses at the people’s flag carrier by this government,
it is then time for a Select Committee to be called into the affairs of
Bahamasair Holdings Ltd.
Madame speaker, anything less than that, will clearly
show the people that this government is in fact what I have been calling it all
along; a renegade and lawless government, who prefers to hide the truth if it
means losing face and power in the eyes of the voters.
And on that note Madame speaker, I move for an
appointment of a Select Committee to look into all matters concerning Bahamasair
Holdings Ltd.
Madam
Speaker, while the government’s decision not to agree to the appointment of a
Select Committee into the affairs of Bahamasair, comes as no surprise to me.
I am sure that there is still someone in the public realm who is not only
surprised but also angry.
Madam
Speaker, if only one person in the public and taxpaying realm still had hopes
that this government was truly committed to transparency, openness and
accountability, then today they are surprised and angry.
But, Madam Speaker, for the most of us, the refusal by the FNM government
to appoint a Select Committee, comes as no surprise because most rational and
realistic Bahamians have stopped believing anything honorable about this FNM
government a long time ago.
Madam
Speaker, most Bahamians recognize a long time ago that this government is the
personification of all that is wrong with government corporations.
This FNM government just does not care about the concerns of the people.
And by the way, they have handled the affairs of Bahamasair, it is
obvious that they likewise care not about the lives of Bahamians. To this lawless, dishonest and renegade government, they
couldn’t care any less about appointing a Select Committee to get to the
bottom of the abuses committed by them at Bahamasair, because they know that
they have been negligent and criminal in the matters concerning Bahamasair.
Therefore,
Madam Speaker, it comes as no surprise to most people, including this member,
that the government would choose other activities to bore the people with, such
as a most inappropriate Hubert Ingraham Day, where the many Marc Anthony’s
attending will far out number the one and only Julius Caesar.
Madam
Speaker, all I can say is the people are not surprised at this government’s
abstinence in the appointment of a Select Committee. But I know they will be relieved to know that when the
Opposition become the government in 2002 or before, the new PLP Government, the
true servants of the people, will hold a Commission of Inquiry within 30 days of
taking office, not for show, Madam Speaker, not for political witch-hunting
Madam Speaker, and not to waste the taxpayers money.
But
Madam Speaker, to get to the bottom of the chaotic affairs of Bahamasair and to
put an end to the wastage of funds and the inherent criminal mindset that has
been synonymous with Bahamasair since the advent of the FNM government.