Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis' comments on the controversy ensnaring Parliamentary Secretary Renward Wells point to a lack of leadership in government, Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis charged yesterday.
Minnis said Davis appears to be "out of order" in those statements, which relate to Wells' fate as a parliamentary secretary.
As previously reported, The Nassau Guardian confirmed that Prime Minister Perry Christie asked for Wells' resignation for reportedly acting outside his authority.
However, Davis said on Monday he still needed to determine if Wells did anything wrong in signing a letter of intent for a $600 million-plus waste-to-energy plant at the New Providence landfill without Cabinet instructions.
Minnis said, "According to the newspaper report, the prime minster had asked Wells to resign.
"The deputy prime minister, on the other hand, said he still needed more time to determine whether Wells did anything wrong.
"It appears that this government is leaderless.
"In either event The Bahamas needs a resolution. The Bahamian people need to know who exactly is in charge of the government and in charge of the country.
"The opposition proposes a suggestion to the prime minister -- call an election.
"If he calls an election, the opposition and the Bahamian people will make a determination and fire the prime minister, deputy prime minister and the PLP."
The matter involving Wells has generated huge public interest, but up to yesterday the government had made no clear statement on it.
While sources with knowledge of the matter told The Nassau Guardian that Wells is expected to make a statement in the House of Assembly today, this could not be confirmed.
When contacted for comment on Sunday, Wells told The Guardian that he was prepared to resign and confirmed that he met with both Christie and Davis, the minister of works who has responsibility for the Bahamas Electricity Corporation.
Wells signed the letter of intent with Stellar Waste To Energy Bahamas Limited (SWTEB).
By signing the document, Wells acted above his pay grade, sources said.
Davis told The Guardian in an earlier interview that Wells did not have the authority to sign the letter of intent.
The document stated that it was signed on July 4 by SWTEB Principal Dr. Fabrizio Zanaboni and Wells, former chairman of the National Energy Task Force.
According to the letter of intent, the final agreement is subject to the project developer having obtained approval by the National Economic Council as a foreign investor in The Bahamas, which approval will be applied for after the signing of the letter of intent "which itself does not require prior approval since it is preliminary to the start of the actual project".
The document added: "The letter of intent is valid for 12 months from the date of its signing and will terminate automatically unless extended by mutual consent of the parties releasing the other from their respective obligations, if for any reason the project does not proceed and the intended project is terminated as a result."
The document states that the letter of intent for the project is "between the parliamentary secretary to the minister of works responsible for [the] Bahamas Electricity Corporation for and on behalf of the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas...and Stellar Waste to Energy (Bahamas) Ltd."
Minnis has said that while it would be the right thing for Wells to resign, he believes that Wells was under orders from someone else.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian