NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Shanendon Cartwright said yesterday all parliamentarians know The Bahamas Beaches and Park Authority has been used for political gain since it was established in 2014, regardless of whether the Free National Movement (FNM) or Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is in power.
The St Barnabas MP, who chaired the institution during the Minnis administration, was defending his tenure as his successor, Mount Mariah MP Mckell Bonaby, discussed the organization during his budget contribution yesterday.
A lot of the monies has gone towards political patronage,” he said.
We can play games all we want. Let’s not insult the Bahamian people. We all know what happens at the Bahamas Beaches and Parks Authority relative to the programs there and we operating as if we don’t know? — St Barnabas MP Shanendon Cartwright
Bonaby said he was told immediately that major financial problems loomed when he took office.
He also claimed the authority’s “equipment was in a state of unimaginable neglect.”
He said of the 17 scag mowers and bush hogs the authority had, only two were operational.
“These machines and the riding lawn mowers are used to clean New Providence,” he said.
“There were no maintenance records of these machines, no proper records of maintenance of weed wackers and lawn mowers, which are essential tools of the authority.
“All of the authority’s trailers were inoperable.
“Flat tires, broken axels, missing and removed parts, you name it.
“Some of the authority’s property was missing for more than two years.
“For instance, there was a dump truck that was unaccounted for by the purchases and fleet department.
“Inspectors complained about their cars breaking down and having to carpool.”
In response, Cartwright emphasized the persistent challenges the authority has faced.
He said politics has been intertwined in the operation of the agency since its inception.
“A lot of the monies has gone towards political patronage,” he said.
“We can play games all we want. Let’s not insult the Bahamian people. We all know what happens at the Bahamas Beaches and Parks Authority relative to the programs there and we operating as if we don’t know?”
Cartwright said under his watch the authority increased its fleet of equipment and tried to operate a maintenance schedule.
“It’s a constant grind,” he said.
“The authority has been constantly challenged.
“Monies at the authority have been used predominantly for one thing: the roadside program.”
In December, Beaches and Parks officials announced it would terminate all contracts after external investigators found lapses in its internal controls.
At the time, Bonaby said as many as 1,400 contractors would be affected by this.
He said K Christie and Co Chartered Accountants found tens of millions of dollars over budget in its operational review of the organization.
Yesterday, he claimed a file on Cartwright’s correspondences was missing when he sought it.
“What I was trying to do was get a better sense of where the former chairman and the administration was taking the authority,” he said.
“I asked the staff for the former chairman’s correspondence file.
“They told me they could not find it, not one correspondence file.
“The reason why I asked for the file was to get a better understanding as to why certain things occurred.
“A few days later, after inquires, a computer that was attached to my office had all the files downloaded and removed after hours.
“I requested the financial officer and my assistant at that time to file a police report. I was advised that they have.”
Meanwhile, the allocation for Beaches and Parks will increase from $15.2 million ($8.4 million under the Ministry of Works and Utilities and $6.7 million under the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources) to $24 million in the upcoming budget, according to the 2022/2023 budget.
In the fiscal period 2020/2021, the authority expended $28.9 million.
The authority is listed under the Ministry of Works tab in the budget.
It has no itemized breakdown for its allocation.
Bonaby could not be reached for comment on the increase up to press time.
Last December, he said the authority’s budget ballooned under the former administration and its obligation rose to some $37 million.
This article has been amended to reflect the budgetary allocation in the annex of the budget for the Bahamas Public Parks and Beaches Authority.
