NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has submitted a request to Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle for additional security at Parliament over a voice note circulated by Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Fred Mitchell that calls on supporters to defend Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis.
Mitchell sent out the call after Minnis told The Tribune he could not wait to get to Parliament to “buss” the prime minister for his comments surrounding the former administration’s food program.
The mid-year budget debate begins this morning.
“On Wednesday, the former Prime Minister [Dr] Hubert Minnis responding to allegations of corruption in the food program made by Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis last week, promises when he gets there on Wednesday in the House to bark the ass of the prime minister and the government,” Mitchell said in the voice note.
“Now, those are his words, not mine.
“And he says we were talking stupidness in the House.
“Well, who is talk more stupidness than him.
Mitchell continued: “Remember fishing on the moon, ‘NPO’, stew fish, Junkanoo results as opposed to taking care of labor issues; the statements he made… about barking the ass are damn foolish and inflammatory, so I invite all PLPs to the public square this Wednesday and show Hubert Minnis, who might get their ass barked if he fools with Prime Minister Davis on Wednesday as he promises to.”
In his letter, Minnis suggested Mitchell’s statement was a threat against his personal safety.
He said the comments “invites all of the supporters of the government party to the public square for this Wednesday’s sitting of the House of Assembly for the purpose of physically attacking, assaulting, intimidating and injuring me”.
He called for police protection from any “unruly person” who may seek to cause him physical harm as he seeks to carry out his constitutional duties on Wednesday.
When contacted last night, Minnis said he planned to address the matter further in Parliament.
Meanwhile in a separate interview yesterday, Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Michael Pintard said: “We have zero interest in anything other than the transformation and the improvement of the lives of the Bahamian people who we have called to serve in a very responsible and respectful way.”
Pintard said this is a time to “tune down the venom in our politics and the temperature of our politics” to allow for “sober heads to address the dire circumstances that many of our brothers and sisters face”.
The FNM leader said the opposition is focused on the prosperity plans the government ought to have brought forward; the government’s strategic plan to reduce the level of unemployment in the country; ownership opportunities for Bahamians; how the government intends to enhance revenue collection; and to generate new revenue streams in concert with the private sector to help the economy recover, among other things.
Last week, Davis said an NGO attached to the food program had close to $2 million in its bank account that has since been returned to the government. A representative of the food program said the comment was unfair to the NGO as there was an accounting error where the funds were miscoded, not misappropriated.
While responding to Davis in an interview with The Tribune, Minnis reportedly said: “It’s a stupid and immature statement, an irresponsible statement to be made by any prime minister and I can’t wait to get in Parliament to buss his a— and their a– for talking stupidness.”
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