PLP STATEMENT:
The PLP condemns Mr. Julian Francis’ vile, despicable, dastardly and cowardly attack on Mr. Leon Williams, a Bahamian of the highest international repute. He should be careful about being perceived as the mouthpiece of the FNM.
Leon Williams outstanding resume speaks for itself. He was elected twice by Acclamation as Chairman of the Board of CANTO (Trinidad 2006, Suriname 2008). He was elected by Acclamation as Vice Chairman in 2005 in Jamaica. He was elected Director in 2003 in Cuba. He was elected Treasurer in Puerto Rico in 1998. He is one of five Honourary Members of CANTO effective 2009 in Trinidad after BTC asked CANTO not to extend him an invitation to the Conference held in The Bahamas in 2008.
CANTO (Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organizations) has as it’s members 116 Telecom Providers and Vendors in 33 Countries on four Continents with a theme “Many Nations one Voice.” CANTO’s membership includes all the Cable & Wireless and DIGICEL Companies in the Caribbean. While Mr. Williams was Chairman a C&W CEO was Vice Chairman and C&W CEO was Treasurer. A Vice President from C&W and a Vice President from DIGICEL were also on the Board.
When Mr. Williams became Chairman of CANTO the Association had a Membership of 70. When Mr. Williams left CANTO’s membership was 113. That is an improvement of over 61%. Mr. Williams leadership made major improvements to an International Association while improving BTC at home.
At CANTO’s Annual Conference and Trade Show held at the Atlantis in July 2008, Dr. Hamadoun I. Toure Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU, the oldest Department of the United Nations) praised and thanked Mr. Williams for his contributions to Telecommunications in The Region and in The Bahamas.
In 2006 Mr. Williams was recommended to the Board of the GSM Association by the President of AT&T. He would have been the first Caribbean National, the First Bahamian to be so honoured. Because of his work at BTC & CANTO, BTC Board felt he was being stretched too thin. As a result he turned down the position. The GSM Association has 800 Mobile Operators in 219 Countries with over 4.5 Billion customers today.
While Mr. Williams was AGM in Grand Bahama & Bimini the Revenues increased from $19 Million to $30 Million.
During Mr. Williams Tenure as Chief Operations Officer (COO), Mr. Williams was Executive Sponsor of many successful Capital Development Projects (DSL/ATM) at a cost of $34 Million; Fiber Optic Submarine Cables connecting 13 Islands of The Bahamas, and Haiti ($60 Million). A Fiber Optic cable connecting Bimini to Grand Bahama ($6.1 Million); A GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network ($140 Million) to name a few projects.
Between December 2005 – April 2008 Mr. Williams was President and CEO. BTC’s Revenues grew from $293 Million to $353 Million; BTC’s EBITDA grew from 26% to 34%. BTC’s Profit grew from $34 Million to $44 Million. BTC’s Money in the Bank grew from $73 Million to over $170 Million.
During Mr. Williams tenure as President and CEO, BTC was name Company of The Year; BTC’s Junior Achievement Companies in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco were voted Companies of The Year. BTC’s CIO was named Boss of The Year.
It is worthy of note that former BTC Chairman Sir Albert J Miller gave glowing written endorsement of Leon Williams just prior to his elevation to President and CEO of BTC.
This attack is more of the FNM like mean spiritedness, vindictiveness and victimization. We doubt that he would have uttered those words about a man from the Eastern Road. The FNM is no stranger to destruction of our customs and institutions. Custom and the law dictate that matters before the Courts should not be discussed in the media (save for reporting the proceedings of the Court). Mr. Leon Williams has a dispute with BTC about his service to BTC before the Courts. Julian Francis is the Executive Chairman of BTC. It is contemptuous of our Judicial System and its customs and conventions (as well as the law) for Mr. Francis to make disparaging comments in the media about Mr. Leon Williams’ long, outstanding and distinguish service to BTC. We call upon Mr. Francis to apologize to Mr. Williams. We also call upon Mr. Francis to apologize to our hard working Judges for his contempt of the judicial system.
Julian Francis should tell the Bahamian Public the reason for his short time tenure as Chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority; inquiring minds would wish to know.
Under the FNM it is not better in The Bahamas for Bahamians.
Say Racist. We are a developing third world country and until you and others of your ILK wake up and smell the roses we will never get anywhere
Donna, Donna, Donna,
I agree that Mr Francis should not have commented on Mr Williams’ performance in public. Very bad form.
But, let’s look at the “facts” in the press release.
As COO, Mr Williams was the executive sponsers of:
a) DSL/ATM. Really. Is ANYONE happy with DSL from BTC? Costs are way out of line, speed is subpar and service is a joke.
b) Fiber. The backbone was actually well constructed (because it was 100% designed and built by a US company which charged way too much). But then what was done with it? Where are the telemedicine applications that would save us agony and millions of dollars? There is none. How many schools were connected to the internet at high speed for at-cost fees? None. But them pay cable channels sure are pretty.
c) GSM/GPRS/EDGE. This is the biggest joke of all. Who out there is happy with their basic voice service? Who likes paying 30% more than any other country in the region? GPRS is a sad joke it’s so slow as is EDGE. There isn’t even MMS available!
Vibe was a slow, very late reaction to the inevitable.
Where is WiMax??? Nowhere.
So from a technology perspective, BTC is a joke, period.
Now re CANTO. It is an organization that is toothless and serves more as a social gathering than anything else. Of course Mr Williams was wooed because he was from the only government monopoly that everyone knew was on the selling block!
Finally from a technology perspective, I’ll say it once more, Mssrs Williams and Roberts made the disastrous decision to fight VoIP until it was too late. A strategic blunder of the highest order.
Finally re your prior comments about Bluewater. I hope by now you understand that the PLP was going to extend the cell monopoly to SIX years. The deal was crafted in total secrecy. Actual price was WAY less that Mssrs Davi and Roberts and Mrs Hanna-Martin and Mr Christie tout.
And fess up and man up Mr Davis: what would your take have been had that lousy deal gone through?
Oh, and why is the average BTC salary twice the national average?
if BTC was so backward we wouldn’t have Cable & Wireless chomping at the bit waiting to get their hands on all those cash, technology and land assets. When will FNM supporters get their head out the sand, and realize that this ‘sale’ is a bad idea? Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater…or like your leader says ‘don’t cut your nose to spite your face’ BTC might have its problems, no one arguing that, but selling it’s majority worth to a foreign entity that has no compunction or reason to behave favourably towards the Bahamian consumer, is dumb and dangerous. We know Cable and Wireless has a bad track record, but I guess they will change the same way Ingraham said he had changed….NOT!
Its a fact that its Backward, nobody in their right mind could deny that. Living in denial is not the way to move forward. As for CW, they are obviously interested in it as they see the potential to turn it into a real telco not the joke it is today, and they have a jump start on having ALL the clients in the Bahamas compared to a new kid on the block – in other words they are buying it for the existing clients (there is no other valid competition right now) and the existing infrastructure even if its just a piece of land – they seem to think they can make it better, im not going to judge them, OR anyone else that comes in with that kind of investment into a business full of lazy fools. I dont care if they give it away as long as it gets better than it is now, right now the technology is so old its laughable. As for being an FNM supporter, if you read my posts here you will know to me the FNM is just as wutless as the PLP. I would never vote for either of those clowns again.
Newsman: Crawl back into your cave with your racist commentary. If we are so third-world, what does that make you and why are you here? G-I-T!
Perhaps the Prime Minister will experience a “road to Damascas” moment and change his position on this decision. It is only a Memorandum of Understanding… not a legally binding contract (yet).
Charles is truly pathetic. When Julian Francis was Governor of the Central Bank he advocated Bahamian banks like Commonwealth Bank, and BOB become affiliated with large international financial houses, and further that he would only recommend future licences to foreign affiliated entities. Suppose they had yielded and joined with a Bear Sterns or Lehman Brothers? They would be in the graveyard with them. Julian is a pompous “uncle tom” whom I have personally heard denigrating Bahamians to a European banker over lunch at Graycliff!!! What a fool!!!
Yet another Ingrahamite imitates his master. What a country!!
Actually BTC and all its leaders and staff are what is pathetic. Working for a real crappy backward so called tech company like that must make them feel really dumb.
http://tamrinswitch.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/mr-ingraham-foc-us-on-btc/
This charles person is one JACK ASS. I also wish Mr Roberts and Mr Wilson could sue your backside. GO TO HELL, OLD FOOL.
if that was the case then Charles could sue you for calling him a derogatory name therefore hurting his feelings. Oh but wait, Charles is or never was a Public official that was paid by us the Bahamian Citizens to run some backward third world telco monopoly.
Charles, I never knew you were so dumb! How can Mr. Williams, the GM “allow” Bradley Roberts and the PLP to do anything? What are you on, my friend. Please, Charles, get some help. If you cannot find help locally, get in internationally, but get some help my friend.
Watching Mr.Laing and Mr.Francis on JCN last night was a sorry sight. It brings back a converstion I had with a friend of mines who is quite an astute politican he said the PM Hubert Ingraham dont have no tools in his tool box. Hes 100% correct no tools to work with. I guess Branville smarter than we think.Shame on you Mr laing & Francis
now that we have seen what mr williams can do,will some body please put up the ststs on the acomplishments of mr francis.as a citizen i am tired of people like mr francis who think they have all the answers in this country.if you ask me he has always been a government puppet,who come around every 5 years when the fnm is in power.who is julian frincis and what has he done for our bahama land.
Mediia,
It would be helpful if you would post what the PLP is responding to. Thanks.
Doesnt matter really, obviously one of them is a PLP and all the dumb supporters are just here to defend him no matter what. Stupid FNMs and PLPs .. they are collectively destroying this 3rd world country.
I also cry shame on Mr. Francis remark on the character of Mr. Williams.
It appears that when one cannot rightfully criticize ones work – He must stoop low and punch below the waist.
Shame on you Mr. Francis
Francis has always been a ‘yes man.’ He now in a cowardly manner attacks Mr. Williams. Maybe Williams was not the perfect GM but then again which GM in any government corporation is stellar? Look at Basden at BEC. BEC is an absolute failure if you ask me. They have yet to sort out the rolling power outages in the summer. The bills are excessively high each month and there is no plan to transition BEC in a more efficient operation. But you see, Mr. Basden is most likely an FNM undercover so he is some how protected from these types of attacks. If any GM should go BEC’s should be the first one on the chopping block.
Thank God for a Government job.The media always critizes the civil servants line staff but never look at the leaders in the civil servants. Julian has been a leader most off his adult working life but we see why he cant work in private sector, even dumb people like Brensil, Neko, Kenneth or Charles would not have fall for that question that Mr. Jones ask and he answered.Now Leon will be Laughting all the way to the bank. THE DUMBO AWARD FOR 2010 JULIAN FRANCIS. Dr. Myles Munroe have to be a man of God for advising Mr Williams not to resign.
No need to worry about Jackass Julian, time will tell on him and his buddy boy Tim. Neither believe black Bahamians can excel in the global world, they’re both graduates of Jim Crowe and Stafford Sands.
No dought about it Mr Leon Williams is one of the most accomplished Bahamians that the telecommunications industry in the region has ever produced. His rise through the ranks at Batelco did not come by chance, it came because of his hard work, dedication and commitment to see BTC succeed with over three decades of service.His leadership skills must have impressed many and thats why he rose to become CEO.He has the rare combination of technical acumin and business savy that few bahamians can comprehend.He is our telecomminications equivalent to MR Vincent Vanderpool wallace in tourism. I have never met him, I do not know him, but it is my personal opinion that he should have been right at Government house the other day collecting one of those medals….until we as bahamians see past politics, recognize and respect our own, we will never achieve as a nation what our bahamian talent and skills can offer us.
hey people of the Bahamas it time god expose the ones who living off the poor, when you see god finish with this country they will stop talking and walking upright as christian not just people who dress in their best and go to church but live as Christ live
BP, this sounds more like your speaking for the PLP with that headline, rather than reporting. LOL
Caught ya!!!
Comments are closed.