The Bahamas could face “substantial” infrastructure costs should it join the Venezuela-sponsored Petrocaribe initiative, Minister of Energy and Environment Dr. Marcus Bethel said the senate on Monday.
“My understanding is that there are no secret deals. There are no secret deals, and I think that itﾒs important that that be emphasized,” Dr. Bethel said.
“There may well be side letters, and there may well be confidentiality clauses, but I know of no secret deals.”
Dr. Bethel, government leader in the Senate, was responding to FNM Senator Tommy Turnquest, who renewed his denunciation of the Christie administration for signing “secret deals,” as he insisted on terming them.
Mr. Turnquest said he had revealed almost a year ago that the government had signed secret deals with Baha Mar, and challenged the government to make those deals public. He said that to date, no such publication of those deals has taken place.
Mr. Turnquest has a number of questions on the senate orders; Question 5 is addressed to State Minister for Finance Senator James Smith and concerns certain agreements between Baha Mar and the government.
Mr. Smith provided an “update” on the matter for Mr. Turnquest, explaining that private investors were reluctant to put proprietary information into the public domain.
Mr. Turnquest said that the “side letters,” which Mr. Smith explained would include the “proprietary information,” are not what he meant by “secret deals.”
He said the public wanted to see the agreements between the prime minister and Baha Mar concerning crown land being “given away;” the treasurer and Baha Mar regarding government land being “given away inclusive of the existing public roadways;” the Water and Sewerage Corporation concerning the land “where the well fields are located,” and BEC and Baha Mar concerning the land “where the high-tension electricity lines are located.”
Mr. Turnquest also attacked the government on what he termed the “astronomical” salaries of so-called “political consultants,” which he said are a strain on the governmentﾒs revenue collection.
Mr. Turnquest gave a comparison of the number of “contract officers” ﾖ some of whom he dubbed “political consultants” ﾖ on the government payroll over the last several fiscal years.
He said that in fiscal year 2001/2002, there were 1,167 “consultants” with a total wage bill of $34 million; in 2002/2003, 2,409 “officers” were paid $74 million; in ﾑ03/04, there were 3,711 “consultants” paid $109.6 million, and in 04/05, 3,825 “consultants” with a wage bill of over $116 million.
Minister of State for Finance James Smith intervened to “clarify” that included under the heading “contract officers” would be teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers and others in The Bahamas on contract.
Minister Smith suggested that perhaps such people ought to be left out of Mr. Turnquestﾒs count, as their inclusion distorts the picture being painted.
Mr. Turnquest acknowledged the ministerﾒs point, and expressed a desire to find the number of political consultants in the budget.
By: Quincy Parker, The Bahama Journal
