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Fitzgerald back in key department

Wed, Sep 29th 2021, 08:26 AM
Politics Tribune Stories

IN a since deleted tweet, the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit said yesterday that former Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald is the new senior policy advisor and head of the PMDU.

When asked about Mr Fitzgerald’s appointment and the deleted tweet, officials in the Office of the Prime Minister said nothing has been finalised.
# Sources, however, told The Tribune that Mr Fitzgerald himself has informed people of his new role and has been occupying the office of the previous senior policy advisor, Joshua Sears.
# A top position for him in the Davis administration would not come out of the blue as he played a leading role coordinating the Progressive Liberal Party’s “war room” activities during the general election cycle.
# Critics, nonetheless, are certain to pounce on the appointment because of the controversy that ensnared his career near the end of the last Christie administration.
# At the time, Mr Fitzgerald confirmed that he sought contracts from Baha Mar for his family’s business after The Tribune exclusively revealed that he requested brokerage, trucking and limousine contracts worth millions. Critics claim that he breached the Manual of Cabinet and Ministry Procedure, which states that a minister must not “solicit or accept any benefits advantage or promise of future advantage whether for himself, his immediate family or any business concern or trust with which he is associated from persons who are in, or seek to be in, any contractual or special relationship with the government.”
# Shortly before the 2017 general election, The Tribune published emails showing that Mr Fitzgerald advocated on behalf of Bahamas Cargo & Logistics, a company he said was formed by his father years ago.
# Alleged PLP corruption was a prominent theme of the Free National Movement’s 2017 general election campaign and the Minnis-led party seized on the revelations about Mr Fitzgerald while making its pitch to Bahamians. The FNM won that election by a landslide and Mr Fitzgerald lost his re-election bid to the Marathon constituency.
# In February 2019, Mr Fitzgerald announced an end to his political career, telling PLP members at a meeting for aspiring candidates in Marathon that he would not seek a nomination. He said his political career had been “active and exciting, rewarding and painful, dynamic and challenging, but most of all…gratifying.”

When asked about Mr Fitzgerald’s appointment and the deleted tweet, officials in the Office of the Prime Minister said nothing has been finalised.

Sources, however, told The Tribune that Mr Fitzgerald himself has informed people of his new role and has been occupying the office of the previous senior policy advisor, Joshua Sears.

A top position for him in the Davis administration would not come out of the blue as he played a leading role coordinating the Progressive Liberal Party’s “war room” activities during the general election cycle.

Critics, nonetheless, are certain to pounce on the appointment because of the controversy that ensnared his career near the end of the last Christie administration.

At the time, Mr Fitzgerald confirmed that he sought contracts from Baha Mar for his family’s business after The Tribune exclusively revealed that he requested brokerage, trucking and limousine contracts worth millions. Critics claim that he breached the Manual of Cabinet and Ministry Procedure, which states that a minister must not “solicit or accept any benefits advantage or promise of future advantage whether for himself, his immediate family or any business concern or trust with which he is associated from persons who are in, or seek to be in, any contractual or special relationship with the government.”

Shortly before the 2017 general election, The Tribune published emails showing that Mr Fitzgerald advocated on behalf of Bahamas Cargo & Logistics, a company he said was formed by his father years ago.

Alleged PLP corruption was a prominent theme of the Free National Movement’s 2017 general election campaign and the Minnis-led party seized on the revelations about Mr Fitzgerald while making its pitch to Bahamians. The FNM won that election by a landslide and Mr Fitzgerald lost his re-election bid to the Marathon constituency.

In February 2019, Mr Fitzgerald announced an end to his political career, telling PLP members at a meeting for aspiring candidates in Marathon that he would not seek a nomination. He said his political career had been “active and exciting, rewarding and painful, dynamic and challenging, but most of all…gratifying.”

 

Click here to read more at The Tribune

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