'Gov't not for sale

Wed, Jul 17th 2013, 12:10 PM

Minister of Agriculture V. Alfred Gray said yesterday the government is "not for sale" and added that he is not ashamed of his appearance in a controversial video that shows Lyford Cay resident Peter Nygard congratulating several Cabinet ministers for the Progressive Liberal Party's (PLP) 2012 election win.
The meeting took place at Nygard's compound, known as Nygard Cay.
In that same video, Nygard exclaims while watching the PLP's 2012 victory rally, "We got our country back".
Gray told reporters that he did not think his appearance, and that of other ministers, in the video was inappropriate and stressed that the governing party is not influenced by outside forces.
"Mr. Nygard is a Bahamian," Gray said before he went into a Cabinet meeting. "He is a philanthropist and I think he has given more to this country than many other Bahamians, including those who criticize him.
"As a member of the government, I'm always careful of what I do, where I do it, and so I have no regrets having appeared to do what I did. If I had to do it again, I'd do it again."
The Free National Movement expressed outrage on Sunday over the eight-and-a-half minute mini-documentary that has gone viral.
The video shows Nygard, a Finland-born billionaire, congratulating a group of "new" Cabinet ministers on winning the 2012 general election.
FNM Chairman Darron Cash said the video showed the government is too compromised to govern effectively.
Cash insisted the government has pushed certain mandates, including stem cell legislation and the non-constitutional gambling referendum as pay back for special interest groups, some of whom reportedly funded the PLP's re-election bid.
That video has made the rounds in social media over the last few days, although it was uploaded to YouTube on October 9, 2012.
In a separate video during a visit to Bain Town, Nygard said, "I have been dedicated to this country more than any single person in this whole country. There's testimonial after testimonial."
Gray said the criticism from the opposition is hypocritical.
"Mr. Nygard has done nothing wrong of which I know," he said. "If they have anything that they know, they should say so and not criticize him simply because he likes the PLP government.
"Nobody could influence the PLP. We are grounded in principles and we stand on our reputation. What I do not like is the fact that they criticize Mr. Nygard for being in my view generous, and I don't know why some other Bahamians, particularly those in Lyford Cay, do not come to the plate when Bahamians need them.
"This government is not for sale; if Franks Watson and those could have associated with him and they said nothing then, why now? That's the question and I need the chairman of the FNM, (former Prime Minister) Hubert Ingraham, and the rest of them to answer that question."
Watson, former FNM deputy prime minister, told The Nassau Guardian that he and Nygard are "acquaintances" who used to play tennis.
Nygard has been outspoken in his support for Christie and the PLP, but on Monday he said he has backed both major political parties over the years.
However, he was evasive when asked what specific financial donations, if any, he has made to the PLP, the FNM or Christie.
Yesterday, FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis said his party members have assured him that none of them, except one, ever visited Nygard's residence in Lyford Cay.
"[FNM Deputy Chairman Dr.] Duane Sands was the only one who said he was there, but he was there for some award," Minnis said.
The Killarney MP said he asked his party members if any of them accepted money from Nygard and they all said no.
"I never took anything from him," Minnis said.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

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