JEFF LLOYD MUST EXPLAIN ON COLLECTION OF SCHOOL LOANS

The Free National Movement has brass balls.  They must. Last week, the Minister for Education Jeffery Lloyd who is now enjoying a holiday in London was in the press to say that the 100 million dollars or so that is owed by Bahamians who got loan scholarships from the Government should pay up.  He said that in pursuance of collecting the government’s money, he was going to go to a private collections firm. This is typical FNM rewriting history and seeking to change the narrative.  The facts are when the FNM came to power, they met a reconstituted Education Laon Authority under the direction of Don Demeritte as Chair and under the aegis of then Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald.  They created a unit for collections.  They did not threaten people with the law. The got to the point where they were collecting 3 million per year, on average some 300,000 per month. They worked with people. The FNM came and scraped the unit.  Their collections rate fell below 60,000 per month. Now they suddenly have this zeal for collecting.  They are turning it over to a private firm. Of course, you have to wonder now which private firm.  You can bet it’s one of their FNM cronies.  Also note the FNM has appointed an Executive Chairman for the Education Loan Authority, the FNM MP for MICAL Miriam Emmanuel.  There is no authority to appoint an executive chair.  But they wanted to get rid of her at BAIC so they moved her and provided her with a 60,000 dollar salary and a car and driver to keep her quiet.   Remember also that this whole mess of giving out loans like water was caused when Tommy Turnquest was running for Leader of the FNM and Dion Foulkes his running mate who was Minister of State at the time in Education shoved out scholarships to help in the effort.  Some people got scholarships who never even went to school. So, the mess is of the FNM’s making and now like Donald Trump they want to come and declare victory over their own created mess.