Renward Wells is the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) member of Parliament for Bamboo Town. He also serves as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Works.
On July 4, Wells signed a letter of intent with Stellar Waste to Energy (Bahamas) to create a $650 million waste-to-energy plant at the New Providence landfill. The matter has become controversial. In our system of government, parliamentary secretaries do not have the authority to sign such documents on their own. If Wells negotiated with Stellar, helped formulate the agreement and signed it alone without the consent of Cabinet, the prime minister should fire him.
The minister Wells works under, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works Philip Brave Davis, has said he did not authorize Wells to sign the agreement. We would be surprised if an intelligent man such as Wells signed a letter of intent for such a large investment without being properly authorized. However, no one has come forward in the weeks since this story broke to say they told Wells to sign.
Several weeks ago Prime Minister Perry Christie asked Wells to resign in a private meeting. But he has not. And Christie has not fired him. The last thing Christie said on the matter was that he was looking into it and that he, the prime minister, didn't tell him to sign.
Now we hear from Wells and Davis again. Davis said last week that the Ministry of Works investigation into the matter is done and the results of that probe were sent to the Office of the Prime Minister. Wells told this newspaper on Monday that he is waiting to learn his fate following the completion of that investigation.
Davis said he expects Christie to turn his attention to the matter after the government has dealt with several pieces of legislation.
Christie has tried a "wait-them-out" strategy on this issue. He hopes the focus of the media and population will eventually turn away from this matter so that he does not have to make a decision.
If the facts remain as they are, that Wells was not authorized to sign this deal but did so nonetheless, the prime minister would be forced to terminate him. But doing so could make Wells an enemy. He might then bring things into the public sphere that are harmful to the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). Wells might also become a PLP critic in Parliament - something Christie does not want.
If Christie fails to act and he lets this go with no sanction to Wells, if the MP acted beyond his authority, the prime minister demonstrates to us all that he is not up to the job he has been elected to. The Bahamian people deserve the facts on how their money will be spent. By now, the prime minister should know exactly what happened and he should be able to make a decision.

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