Bradley Roberts on MOE Contracts Reply

NEWS STATEMENT

OCTOBER 11, 2001

Bradley B. Roberts

Members of Parliament

RESPONSE TO DENIALS BY MINISTER OF EDUCATION & PERMANENT SECRETARY

Photo Caption 1- BRADLEY Roberts (right) at Gambier House with the PLP's candidate for Bain Town Rev. C.B. Moss

I wish to state from the outset, that my initial purpose for gathering the media here today, was to speak to the issue of the recent Resolution in Parliament of a $40.2 million dollar loan from the IDB to the Government of the Bahamas for the construction of new road corridors as tabled, debated and passed in the Parliament on October 4, 2001. While it is still my intentions to speak to that issue today, in view of the continuous charges of corruption by myself and others concerning the FNM’s granting of contracts for school repairs in August of 2001 and in view of the Minister of Education’s continuous denial of such charges, I deem it necessary for the maintaining of credibility as a Parliamentarian and the necessity of journalist being given fodder to do investigative work; that I first respond to the denials of the Minister of Education concerning contracts awarded for school repairs.

While the other matter related to questions raised by myself concerning the rental of a building’s ground floor by the Ministry of Education from one Mr. Herbert Styles, who is likewise embroiled in the school repairs scandal; and while the Minister of Education and the Permanent Secretary of the Education Ministry and Mr. Styles have vigorously denied the said transaction, it is important that I start from the initial charges of corruption in the school repairs contracts, to bring the whole affair of corruption to a logical conclusion.

To that end, I state that it is tragic that corrupt FNM Party politics has found its way into the operation of government affairs. It is likewise unfortunate that a Civil Servant has chosen to give the perception of collusion with the Minister of Education, to in effect, allow corrupt FNM Party politics to permeate like a deadly virus, what the Constitution of the Bahamas considers to be a pristine organ of government business, the Civil Service. However, I do believe that there are sever ramifications for a Civil Servant who chooses to drag the Civil Service into Party politics, for the sole benefit of the Politicians in which he serves under. In fact, the severe ramifications can take on a criminally sanctioned consequence, when a Civil Servant deems it proper to assist a Cabinet Minister in covering up an act for the purpose of the party organ of the government to engage in corruption unimpeded.

For the past three weeks or thereabout, the society has been inundated with charges of corruption by myself and the Member’s of Parliament for Bamboo Town and Shirlea, concerning the issuance of school repair contracts to some who were delegates to the FNM Leader-designate Convention and contracts to those not delegates, lending to the suspicions that kickbacks may have been granted to a person or persons capable of awarding the said school repair contracts. There has been much discourse in the public domain, as well as two full days of charges and denials being levied at and by Member’s of the Government. Mainly the Prime Minister and the Minister’s of Tourism and Education. It is however, the Minister of Education who seems to be experiencing the most heat and he sought in Parliament on Saturday, September 29, 2001 to clear his name by not only claiming that he did not play a role in the corrupt practice of using public funds to influence the outcome of the FNM Leader-designate Convention; but to likewise clear his name from having deliberately deceived the Parliament and the public by laying on the table of the Parliament, documents that he knew did not give a full view of what transpired in the process of school repair contracts being awarded.

The Minister of Education, on Saturday, September 29, 2001 feigned outrage at the charges laid squarely at his feet by first myself on September 27, 2001 in the Parliament and then by the Member for Bamboo Town in more abundance on the same date. On that fateful date of September 29, 2001, the Minister of Education called himself “incorruptible” and lashed out in feigned righteous indignation at his accusers for all the world to see. To that end, I now would like to read to the public and for the perusal and dissemination by the media, a communication forwarded on October 1, 2001 from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Creswell Sturrup, to the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr. Walker, of whom I can only assume is the Deputy at the Ministry of Education. (Read Communication).

My colleague in the Senate, the Honorable Senator Fred Mitchell tabled in the Senate, yesterday, a copy of the communication that I just read. It is my understanding that Mr. Creswell Sturrup, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, has confirmed to the Press that he is the author of the said communication. Senator Mitchell has labeled this communication as an attempt of a massive cover-up. In the name of justice for the people and future protection of the taxpayer’s money, I now ask the media and the public to ponder the following questions:

1. WHY IS THE PERMANENT SECRETARY IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, MR. CRESWELL STURRUP, BACKTRACKKING OVER THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION’S STEPS, TO WHAT HAS BECOME AN ISSUE OF CORRUPTION BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, TO THE BENEFIT OF STAISFYING A POLITICAL OBJECTIVE OF THE FNM PARTY?

2. WHY IS THE PERMANENT SECRETARY AS SHOWN BY THIS COMMUNICATION PREPARED TO EXACT A PUNITIVE MEASURE ON ANOTHER CIVIL SERVANT, DPS WALKER, FOR INFORMATION THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY A CIVIL SERVANT, CONCERNING THE PRACTICE OF THE FNM PARTY ACTUALLY CORRUPTING AND COMPROMISING THE AFFAIRS OF GOVERNANCE AND THE HANDLING OF TAXPAYER MONEY?

3. WHY AS EARLY AS AUGUST 20-24, WAS A CIVIL SERVANT, PERMANENT SECRETARY, CRESWELL STURRUP EXPRESSING FEAR AND TREPIDATION ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS, SUSCEPTIBLE TO PUBLIC SCRUTINY, BEING KNOW TO GOVERNMENT BACKBENCHERS, OPPOSITION PARLIAMENTARIANS AND THE PUBLIC AT-LARGE?

4. WHY DID PERMANENT SECRETARY, CRESWELL STURRUP INSIST AND INSTRUCT THAT THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT NAMING INDIVIDUALS BE AMENDED ON AUGUST 23, 2001, ONE WEEK AFTER THE FNM’S LEADER-DESIGNATE CONVENTION?

5. WHY WAS THE PERMANENT SECRETARY, CRESWELL STURRUP CONCERNED THAT THE PROGRESS REPORT AND A SECOND DISK CREATED TO CHANGE THE CONTRACTS FROM INDIVIDUAL NAMES TO COMPANY NAMES, MAY HAVE BEEN OBTAINED BY OTHERS FROM DPS WALKER?

6. IS THE PERMANENT SECRETARY, CRESWELL STURRUP, AWARE THAT IT CAN BE CONSIDERED A CRIMINAL OFFENCE FOR A CIVIL SERVANT TO ENGAGE IN COLLUSORY PRACTICES TO COVER UP POSSIBLE MALFEASANCE OR WRONGDOING CONCERNING GOVERNMENT BUSINESS, INCLUSIVE OF THE ABUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS?

7. WHY DID THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION KNOWINGLY BRING AN AMENDED VERSION OF THE SCHOOL REPAIR CONTRACTS TO PARLIAMENT, AS PART AND PARCEL OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS, WHEN HE KNEW FROM AS EARLY AS AUGUST 20, 2001 THAT THE ORIGNAL CONTRACTS LISTED THE NAMES OF THE INDIVIDUALS AWARDED THE CONTRACTS?

8. WHY DID THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION CLAIM ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2001 IN PARLIAMENT THAT IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL FOR THERE TO BE TWO TYPES OF CONTRACTS, ONE PROGRESS REPORT IN THE NAMES OF INDIVIDUALS AWARDED CONTRACTS AND A FINAL REPORT IN THE NAMES OF COMPANIES AWARDED CONTRACTS, WHEN THE COMMUNICATION I HAVE READ TO YOU CLAIMS A SECOND DISK WAS CREATED BECAUSE OF THE FEAR THAT THE INDIVIDUAL NAMES ON THE ORIGINAL CONTRACTS HAD GOTTEN OUT TO OTHERS FROM AS EARLY AS AUGUST 20, 2001?

9. WHY WAS IT NECESSARY THAT A SECOND DISK BE CREATED FOR THE MINISTRY OF WORKS ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2001, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CHARGES OF CORRUPTION LAID AT THE FEET OF THE MINISTER’S OF EDUCATION & TOURISM IN THE AWARDING OF SCHOOL REPAIRS TO EFFECT BENEFICIAL RESULTS TO BOTH, DURING THE FNM LEADER-DESIGNATE CONVENTION ON AUGUST 16, 2001?

10. WAS THE SECOND DISK CREATED FOR THE MINSITRY OF PUBLIC WORKS, DESIGNED TO ATTEMPT TO COVER ALL THE BASES OF CORRUPTION THAT COULD BE INVESTIGATED BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBLE USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS TO EFFECT A BENEFICIAL RESULT IN THE FNM’S LEADER-DESIGNATE ELECTIONS?

11. WHAT DOES THE MINISTER OF TOURISM, AND FORMER MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS, AND MAJOR BENEFICIARY OF THE LEADER-DESIGNATE CONVENTION KNOW ABOUT THIS DASTARDLY COVER-UP? AND FINALLY,

12. WHY WAS IT NECESSARY FOR THE PERMANENT SECRETARY OF EDUCATION, CRESWELL STURRUP, TO BE FRANTICALLY SEEKING TO PLACE THE BLAME AT THE FEET OF DPS WALKER AND POSSIBLY HIS UNDERLINGS, IF IN FACT THERE WAS NOTHING TO HIDE CONCERNING THE WHOLE AFFAIR? AND WHY ON OCTOBER 1, 2001 AS STATED IN THE COMMUNICATION, WAS THE PERMANENT SECRETARY STILL ATTEMPTING TO ERASE THE STEPS OF THE MINISTER, THE MINISTRY AND HIMSELF IN REGARDS TO THE PUBLIC’S BUSINESS AND MONEY?

I am sure that the media can likewise find some other salient questions to ask concerning this affair. But clearly the communication by Permanent Secretary, Creswell Sturrup could bring reasonable minds to a perceived conclusion that a possible corrupt act may have been committed by the Minister, the Permanent Secretary and by reasons of primary benefit, the Minister of Tourism.

Regarding my recent questioning of the Ministry of Education leasing the ground floor of a building belonging to one Mr. Herbert Styles, I invite the Minister of Education to stop using the nuances of language and tell the public if he in fact, along with others, inclusive of the Permanent Secretary, Creswell Sturrup, in recent times looked over the premises belonging to Mr. Styles? And whether, before my questioning, it was just a matter of government bureaucracy holding up the occupying of the said premises by the Ministry of Education? Such government bureaucracy as the agreement being held up in the Office of the Attorney General? And if in fact the Minister is saying that my question is not legitimate, would the Minister agree that in principle a said agreement was discussed? To that end I ask the Minister to confirm or deny that workmen from the Government have in fact started work to the electrical and plumbing fixtures in the said building? I would like for the Minister to also confirm or deny that the said building is intended to be used by the Ministry as a school for pregnant teenage students? I would hope that the Minister of Education does not persist in denying the legitimacy of my questions, because he’s already proven to the public that he’s not capable of going undetected when he seeks to pervert the tenets of good and responsible stewardship of government affairs. Needless to say, despite the Minister of Education’s denials of such a transaction, I stand by the questions that I have asked and ask the Minister again, if any discussions were held in principle as to the occupying of the premises belonging to Mr. Herbert Styles?

I advise the Attorney-General to look into the behavior of both Minister’s of Tourism and Education and the Permanent Secretary, with a view toward prosecution, where and if it is found that the public trust, the affairs of government and the responsibility of handling the taxpayer’s money has been compromised and corrupted.

I again call on the Minister of Education to release public disclosure of his income, assets and liabilities for the past five years as mandated for those who are Parliamentarians and as a possible consequence of that, then do the honorable thing and resign from the Parliament and be gone.