The Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources seem incapable of directly answering the most crucial questions or charges leveled at him or the administration he represents. He specializes in deflection and passing the buck. We wish to remind Mr. Gray that he has an obligation to explain the manner in which he and his colleagues manage the scarce resources of the Bahamian people.

To date he has not satisfactorily answered a series of questions put to him by the Free National Movement and the media relative to BAMSI. Instead he repeats some of the same untruths he did days ago when the Leader of the opposition took a delegation to visit BAMSI. The Minister knows that all of the buildings at BAMSI, including the uninsured burnt down male dormitory, are not at all enclosed by fencing. Furthermore, he is aware that the entrance of the farm, much like the perimeter to the farm, is only partially enclosed and secure. In fact a huge dump truck, much like the ones his Party are unable to give account for at Environmental Health, could drive straight into the farm over a small mound of Andros soil.

His distortions and fluff fails to convince us that he has hired a registered security firm to secure BAMSI in the aftermath of the fire. If he has then he should now be aware that they were not seen once by the FNM team during the extensive tour of the buildings under construction. Moreover, two males were seen at the tail end of our farm tour. Incidentally they were without uniform, ID and the presence of mind to introduce themselves as security. Mr. Gray should lay the facts relative to this incident and BAMSI in general on the table of the House of Assembly.

1. Which security firm is employed by BAMSI and what are the terms?

2. Where can we find the Insurance Company that supposedly insured the burnt down male dormitory and when and for how much was the building insured?

3. Has the government been honouring its commitment to pay the various contractors at BAMSI on the agreed schedule consistent with the work completed at each stage?

4. Is there a shortage of supplies and equipment required to execute the work at BAMSI?

5. What was the basis for the immediate termination of the two Bahamian professionals at BAMSI?

6. What is the status of the Five Year Plan developed by the outstanding staff at the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources in conjunction with the Food and Agricultural Organization at the United Nations?

7. When can Parliamentarians have site of the Business Plan for BAMSI?

8. When can the Public Accounts Committee see what amount of funds that have been spent already on the project?

9. When can we see the signed Memorandum of Understanding between BAMSI and the lecturers at the College of the Bahamas in the Department of Agriculture especially?

10. Can we see the approved site plan for BAMSI and the date of completion?

11. What is the light bill for BAMSI given the fact that the perimeter light for the female dormitory stays on throughout the day?

12. When will the meeting take place between the various agriculture and marine stakeholders and BAMSI so that those persons who earn a living in this area could understand how BAMSI’s output will impact their livelihood and future development?

13. Which quantity surveyor and engineer advised the Minister on the structural integrity of the burnt out building and the cost of repair or reconstruction and can Parliamentarians see the reports?

14. Who makes the decisions with respect to resource allocation at BAMSI and to what extent is the staff at the Ministry involved in the decisions making surrounding the largest cash injection in their Ministry’s history?

The Free National Movement leader Dr. Minnis and his entire team is committed to ensuring food security in the Bahamas and reducing the high import bill for food and other products that service our Bahamian and international guests. However, we do not intend to rubber stamp a blank check for the PLP given their bad stewardship and credibility.