Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said yesterday there was no cronyism involved in the award of a contract for the female dominatory at the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) to a company partially owned by former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Minister Darrell Rolle.
Rolle told The Nassau Guardian on Saturday that his law office formed the company and he believes the contract was in the neighborhood of $2.6 million. Fort Charlotte MP Dr. Andre Rollins made the cronyism claim in the House of Assembly on Wednesday and suggested the contract was "padded". But Davis said the government got "value for money".
"The fact [about] the contract with Andarco, my recollection of it was that there was a contractor, Javon Rolle, who formed a partnership and that is the person with whom my team, my engineers, my quantity surveyors were involved," Davis said.
"And most of the persons who advised the previous administration in respect to the award of contracts are the same persons who are advising me today, so, were they advising to waste funds [now and not then]? And as far as I am advised, the funds that [are] being expended are value for money."
In Parliament on Wednesday, Rollins claimed that a former Cabinet minister who previously represented Andros received one of the BAMSI contracts. It was a direct reference to Rolle, who represented North Andros.
In addressing the issue, Rollins pointed to a press release issued by FNM Chairman Michael Pintard on January 31, which alleged that a construction company owned by the former Cabinet minister and a "prominent PLP-linked minister of the gospel" received a "large government contract" for the construction of one of the BAMSI dormitories.
When Rollins raised the matter and challenged the government to refute the claim, no minister responded. However, several ministers challenged Rollins on numerous other points he raised during the debate on several agriculture bills.
Rolle strongly rejected Rollins' claim of cronyism.
"I've never been involved in cronyism," Rolle told The Nassau Guardian. "There is nobody who can tell you that even while minister of works I was involved in cronyism."
Rolle said he does not know whether the contract went to bid. He added that no political influence or intervention was brought to bear with anyone involved in the government. Rollins also urged the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by St. Anne's MP Hubert Chipman, to "do their job and make sure that the government of the day is held accountable".
Yesterday, Davis said he also was disappointed by Rollins' claims and called for more maturity in politics.
"As I indicated in Parliament the other day, when broadsides were being leveled at the government, the opposition unfortunately continues to see things through a lens, their opposing lens, which requires them to look for the worst of everything and highlight the worst of anything or try to characterize as what is the worst," Davis said.
"You have to expect that. When I say, I ought to expect it, I am disappointed that our politics has not matured over the years or evolved over the years where we can look at facts, look at which is good and promote which is good. And yes, they have the opportunity to criticize, but do it constructively. But to say cronyism, what does that mean?"
When contacted yesterday, Pintard renewed the FNM's call for all contracts related to BAMSI to be tabled in the House of Assembly and for the government to provide documentation to show whether all BAMSI buildings had the required all risk insurance at the time they were executed. Davis has only tabled the contract for the male dormitory, which did not have insurance. The dorm was destroyed by fire on January 15, 2015.
Chipman told The Nassau Guardian over the weekend that Davis has yet to provide information related to BAMSI, which the PAC request last April.
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