MINNIS A FAKER ON OIL

The following statement was issued by the Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party on the claim by Hubert Minnis, the Prime Minister that he was always against oil drilling and blaming the PLP:

For Immediate Release

12 December 2020

The Prime Minister has surely lost it. In distancing himself from oil drilling in the wake of the drilling rights issued to the Bahamas Petroleum Company – a license he incidentally approved – his disingenuous words came off as the aimless ramblings of a nincompoop.

The Prime Minister told the media that he was totally opposed to oil drilling during a campaign swing in Abaco earlier today.

Nobody believes him and his comments have attracted sharp criticism, laughter, jeers and even ridicule on social media and around the water coolers.

Here are the facts on the Prime Minister and oil:

The record clearly shows that upon coming to office in May, 2017, the FNM government knew that a condition of the licence was that BPC had to drill by April 2017 and the delay was caused by the insistence of the PLP that the environmental safeguards in new legislation be put in place. The incoming Minnis administration reviewed the matter and decided to proceed.

The point is the country is a country of laws. His administration breached other duly signed contracts. So do not blame the PLP. He must accept responsibility for his own decisions.

The comments in Abaco will show the face of this, the Prime Minister is clueless and once again proves that he doesn’t have the competence to address serious matters on behalf of the Bahamian people.

The PLP says the law should at all times be followed. We support all lawful conduct.

We go further: He signed the failed multibillion dollar Oban oil storage, refining, transhipment and distribution deal so he obviously has no issue with oil.

All the Prime Minister was doing was pandering to his political quacks in that phony Save the Bays organization because he thinks that is the popular thing to do.

In the process, the Prime Minister’s credibility and integrity continue to take a vicious public beating due to his habitual duplicity and hypocrisy on any number of national issues. He must follow the law and not play the blame game.