Bahamas opposition leader slams government

Tuesday, October 7, 2003

NASSAU, Bahamas: Mr. Carl Bethel, leader of the opposition Free National Movement, has slammed the ruling Progressive Liberal Party Government, for its role in increasing unemployment in the country. Mr. Bethel says the government's "muddled up mismanagement" has led to the rise in unemployment.

Mr. Bethel cited the 2002-03 Preliminary Force report of the Department of Statistics, which he said revealed that nearly 20,000 Bahamians are unemployed. Citing a 3.4 percent decline over the previous year that increased the number of unemployed from 167,980 to 173,795, Mr. Bethel was quoted in the Nassau Guardian as saying that in two "short" years, the PLP has presided over "an explosive rate of growth" of unemployment from 6.8 percent, where the FNM left it in May 2002, to 10.6 percent.

"While this tragic unemployment upsurge is hurting ordinary Bahamians," Mr. Bethel said. "Millions of dollars are being wasted on imported rental bleachers, big-spending travel by ministers and other PLP members of Parliament; a Minister of Government is positioned to collect monthly rent from BaTelCo in an outrageous conflict of interest, roadways and other public buildings are (with) potholes and deteriorating, and the Government seems unable to come to grips with serious problems, such as crime." 

The opposition leader added that Prime Minister Perry Christie's "big talk" of "unprecedented economic growth and development" and his pondering "whether there would be enough people for all the jobs" he intended to create, did not square with the current situation, as unemployment statistics showed that his "empty words" were "nothing but pie in the sky."

And he urged government to stop the "talk" and "jump-start the national economy" to relieve the current "economic depression" and reduce already high and growing levels of unemployment. 

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