By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 20, 2021 – The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has selected seven excellent women candidates in the upcoming general elections and I predict that they will all win and make a noticeable change in the gender imbalance in the House of Assembly.
However, I am really pulling hard as hell for Patricia Deveaux, PLP candidate for Bamboo Town, because Prime Minister Dr. Hubert A. Minnis has done The Bahamas a tremendous disservice by not firing Renward Wells, the current MP for Bamboo Town, as a member of his cabinet after it became patently clear that not only was Mr. Wells an extremely bad choice to replace Dr. Duane Sands as Minister of Health, but he appeared to be “up to his old scandalous tricks” during the recent disbursements of honorariums to healthcare workers.
So, Bamboo Town you have a very clear choice in the upcoming general elections to elect a representative to the House of Assembly that you can be proud of.
It is not as if Dr. Minnis did not know about Mr. Wells’ shady political background, given the fact that BAHAMAS PRESS recently reminded followers on Facebook on March 22, 2019, that when Wells was a backbencher in the last PLP government before joining the FNM, Dr. Minnis, the then leader of the Opposition FNM, called for his resignation over a corruption scandal related to a “Letter of Intent.”
The current simmering scandal evolved as scores of public healthcare workers on New Providence and Grand Bahama staged a sick-out over the disbursements of honorariums that forced Mr. Wells to admit that his driver and personal assistant were among those receiving honorariums.
However, while designated healthcare workers received $5,000, Mr. Wells was brazen enough to say that his driver and personal assistant each were awarded an honorarium of only $1,158.40, which he later announced that he had asked them to return and they had agreed to do so. Quite possibly, he was ordered by Prime Minister Minnis to have them return the money they received.
This attempt to get away with what quite possibly was a thinly veiled corrupt transaction in giving his driver and personal assistant honorariums was sufficient reason for Prime Minister Minnis to fire Mr. Wells from his cabinet, but with general elections looming, Dr. Minnis obviously thought it would be more prudent to not provide additional evidence to the Bahamian people that he has been an inept and incompetent Pime Minister.
The voters of Bamboo Town certainly deserve a better representative in the House of Assembly than Renward Wells.
Fortunately, Patricia Deveaux is well-positioned to send Mr. Wells into retirement.
A devoted public servant, entrepreneur, and community activist, she is a daughter of Bamboo Town.
As noted on the PLP website: “She has served as a Senior Executive Secretary in the Ministry of National Security for 30 years, maintaining the administration of the Drug Enforcement Unit’s General Investigation Unit, Tracing & Forfeiture & Money Laundering Division.
“Patricia is no strange to politics, having served in numerous roles, including National Vice-Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party, Chairman of the Kennedy constituency and Chairman of Bamboo Town constituency.”
Once again Bamboo Town: Your choice is clear.
