Last Wednesday, as Prime Minister Perry Christie was telling reporters he had been advised that all contracts related to the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) have insurance, simultaneously, Minister of State for Works and Urban Development Arnold Forbes was telling National Review there is no confirmation those contracts have insurance. That added to the confusion that continues to surround a matter that has held the public's attention in recent times.

Forbes said he has given all the contractors until this Thursday to provide proof from their insurance companies that they have all-risk insurance. He admitted that he had not checked the files to confirm they all have insurance certificates attached. So, who exactly has advised the prime minister that insurance is in place?

Did he, like his deputy prime minister, get wrong information on this? We will not be able to grasp fully the depth of the BAMSI debacle and the failings of the systems of checks and balances within the Ministry of Works without a full reporting on whether all of the BAMSI contracts had insurance at the time the male dorm was set afire on January 15. It is not enough to report that they are now insured.

We suspect, though, that it is unlikely the government will ever report on the insurance status of all BAMSI contracts at the time of that fire.
This is relevant because it would shed light on the extent to which those charged with the protection of public funds allowed abuse of the system and ultimately abuse of public money.

We are told by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works Philip Brave Davis that it will cost $5.5 million to rebuild that dorm. The contractor, Audley Hanna, is liable for $2.5 million, he said. It is also not enough for Christie to deflect by suggesting the Public Accounts Committee of the House Assembly also look into the handling of contracts under Neko Grant, who was minister of works in the last Ingraham administration. There is no place for that kind of politics as many Bahamians up demands for accountability on the BAMSI affair. Christie should be concerned that he and his minister of state are sending conflicting information on this matter.

How is the public to have any confidence in this government when our officials are issuing conflicting statements? Who are we to believe? What are we to believe?

Misleading the House
Christie should show that he is concerned that his minister of works misled Parliament when he addressed the issue last month.
Davis told the House the contractor for the male dorm had insurance at the time the contract was executed and the insurance lapsed due to project delays. He later told the House the contractor never had insurance.

This is egregious, though nothing Christie has said reflects he gets that. Had the PLP been in opposition under these exact circumstances, we have no doubt that its leaders would have been demanding the minister's resignation, as the FNM is now doing.

When water taken from the reverse osmosis plant in Grand Cay in 2011 reportedly proved to be unsuitable for human consumption, the PLP demanded then Minister of State for the Environment Phenton Neymour resign. After a group of tourists was robbed in 2009, the PLP called on then Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest to resign.

In 2008, when mistakes were made in the process of that year's local government elections, the PLP called on Minister of Lands and Local Government Sidney Collie to resign. He eventually did so after court action and the consequent frustration of many Family Island voters.
Obie Wilchcombe, the West End and Bimini MP, told the House at the time that every Cabinet minister should take responsibility for that matter, and more resignations were in order. It is 2015, and millions of dollars of the people's money has literally gone up with the smoke.

The deputy prime minister has shown incompetent handling of the matter in the wake of the fire. When he last reported to Parliament on this issue on March 11, he said the files were provided to him on March 2. That is 46 days after the fire. This is extraordinary.

Is the deputy prime minister concerned about abuse of public funds? Is he concerned about slackness in his ministry? Why did it take him 46 days to look at the files?

More significantly, Davis violated a fundamental tenet of the Westminster system. He misled Parliament, and has so far arrogantly refused to explain what led him to do so. Instead of expressing profound regret, and at the very least reprimanding Davis, the prime minister is pointing to what happened under the FNM administration.

Voters kicked the FNM out of office three years ago. Christie promised better. He promised accountable and effective government. This affair points to anything but that.

Christie's constant claims of accountability are laughable. He demonstrates a considerable tolerance for the irresponsible and flagrant actions by some who sit around the Cabinet table.

Accountable
Forbes, the minister of state in Davis' ministry, told us he took over responsibility for the BAMSI contracts issue two weeks ago. This suggests that Davis, who is the minister of works, is no longer overseeing the review of the files.

Davis has been under fire over this saga. And rightly so. Both he and Christie have been flippant in their disregard for mounting concerns over the fact that Davis misled Parliament. It is not acceptable for him to merely report that he was wrongly advised. He also reported that there is nothing in the files to tell him who took the decision to advance mobilization without the requisite insurance.

As a Queen's Counsel who seeks to become prime minister one day, it is incredible that he would come to Parliament with a full false story before seeing the files. We go back to a question we have been asking for the last two weeks: Who will be held accountable for this?
Forbes insisted that someone will. But he does not think it should be the deputy prime minister.

"I don't see the reason why he should resign," Forbes said. "I really can't say that he should. I don't believe that he should. If you know a minister's job, it is a very hectic job.

"There's a lot to do, and if the minister is going to sit down and scrutinize every contract, every piece of paper that comes through the Ministry of Works, we would be at a standstill. There are individuals in there who should be looking at these matters and protecting [public funds]."

Forbes also told us, "I'm sure that there will be people who are held accountable in the ministry and I am sure you will hear from the deputy prime minister as far as what action will be taken, and I'm sure that action will be taken.

"There is no way that monies, public funds are spent and we are not securing those funds to ensure that the public's interest is protected. So there will be consequences based on this. I'm sure there will be. And again, the deputy prime minister will address these consequences very shortly, and I'm sure he will explain the reasons why he is making these decisions."

Forbes gave no indication when Davis will again address the BAMSI matter. Given the mixed messages the government has sent as this saga played out, we just don't know what to believe anymore.

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