Miami, Florida
— Bahamas Press today is breaking news out of the Ministry of Tourism this morning, and we report our Sunday Special early because firstly; today marks the beginning of Holy Week and we want to tune down the cut hip on the Outgoing FNM REGIME!
Secondly, we want the Torch and in particular, the paid operatives coming on this global portal to spin, to quickly respond to this article before we reveal the rest of the story.
Concerns emanating out of the Tourism Miami Mission Office are frightening to say the least. Sources in that agency confirmed to BP they received letters from Tourism’s head office in Nassau indicating the Government’s unwillingness to continue housing allowance payments for workers stationed in foreign.
The government we are told in explaining the cutback, told staffers the cuts are due to drastic financial problems being felt by the finance department and thus, such benefits are terminated immediately. No notice, no warning, dog each ya lunch; literally.
Workers in that division tell us, they have tried to get a response from almost every senior officer in the government, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Some tell us attempts to contact BPSU President, John Pinder, were fruitless.
Bahamas Press is concern about this because we have since learnt of an interesting appointment in that same Tourism Office.
BP has learnt government officials in the Miami Office recently hired a FOREIGNER as a consultant. The individual BP can allege, is on a contract; making a whopping, one hundred and twenty-five THOUSAND DOLLARS [$125,000.00] every three months. Here’s where the story gets interesting.
Sources in the department tell us the “CONTRACTED FOREIGN CONSULTANT” since his contract began in January this year, has taken the liberty to visit the office only once every other week and during those times have spent less than half a day at the mission.
Sources in the finance department tell us, no one knows what this “FOREIGNER” does. “We don’t know what he is in the department to do, he is definitely not contracted on any project for the Ministry of Tourism, nor does he appear to be lending any of his skills to the department,” a MOT senior person told BP.
Could this “CONTRACTED FOREIGN CONSULTANT” be some political strategist brought in by the OUTGOING FNM REGIME at the taxpayer’s expense?
The same was done back in 1996, when regional political strategist, Roy Boyke, was brought into the country by Hubert Ingraham and was handsomely paid by the Ministry of Tourism leading into the 1997 general elections? Roy served as a consultant then in the Marketing Department at the Ministry.
Has the FNM fallen so dangerous, so CORRUPT that it would abuse the public purse and commit such SCANDALOUS BACKSIDE RAPE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE BAHAMAS; choosing to pay some Foreigner with taxpayers dollars in the thousands, while at the same time throw hardworking government employees under the bus? The thought is chilling!
We call on the minister of tourism, Vincent Wallace, to name the operative contracted at the public expense in the amount of ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS [$125,000.000] for EVERY THREE MONTHS.
We also ask the minister to state the functions assigned to the contracted worker in the Miami Office. We want to know why he is there and what is he doing at such a hefty payroll; PAID MORE THAN A MINISTER?
We also want to know, why is it convenient for the Outgoing Ingraham FNM Regime to hire a foreigner at such a drastic fee, and in the same breathe, tell Bahamians sacrificing distance from their love ones, they now must pay their own way?
IS THIS THE NEW WAY OF THE FOREIGN NATIONAL MOVEMENT; to grease, oil and garnish a foreign operative at the expense of taxpayers while government employees are squeezed? WE DEMAND AN ANSWER!
Ya know, SOME PEOPLE HAVE NO DAMN SHAME!
It seems that corruption is rampant and governments sukk almost everywhere.
But in other places where corruption is the order of the day-Afghanistan, Iraq, Eastern Europe, throw a dart at almost anyplace in Africa and you’ll hit some-they at least keep it in the family. They do not hand tons of money and perks to foreigners.
What kind of self-hate crap is that?
Dis really ain no joke! I live in Fort Charlotte and I really have not decided who to vote for! But if Mr. Vanderpool Wallace carryin’ on like dis now I really ain’ too sure I want him to be my MP! I hope that there will be another, more amenable conclusion to this matter.
After reading this story, I cannot help but think of how heartless this FNM government could be. There are people in this office that have not had a pay increase in 10 years and they could pay a foreigner this kind of money. You mean to say that out of all the smart Bahamian professionals, they cannot find one to do this job.
The P.S. is another one who lacks compassion and even told the staff that no one told them to come overseas and start a family. She probably want them to keep sweetheart like some of her executive team.
Some of these staff members will lose over $1000 per month and they have mortgages and other commitments in place. There was no even the decency of a timely warning so they could prepare themselves.
I am deeply saddened and disgusted with the government and reming them that what goes around, comes around.
If Ingraham has any guts and if Brent let him, he should look into this and try to correct this injustice to his own people.
We dont need tourism offices in Florida or anywhere in the US for that matter. All that’s needed is one marketing representative to coordinated media campains etc. What to you need an office full of dead beat workers for when tourism is still down.
We don’t need to pay a man one hundred and twenty-five thousands dollars either.
BP
more research should have been done before posting this article.. another too this bahamian society is close.. tis one is uncle to that one friend to the other uncle aunty to tis one….we need to bring foriengers into this country to get tings right.. too much slackness gern on.. to much breaks because of who we know. i wanna know what the forienger doing first to make that cant of mind…we’re too senstive as a nation, we lay too long on slackness and when it back fires we want catch feelings. CRITICAL THINKING DREAD
i wanna know…. what is the foriegner doing first and obviously hes doing something important… whos to say its the FNM REGIME and not PLP tryning their hardest not to lose next year election.
We all know how PLP CANNOT TAKE A Loss. im not saying IT isnt the FNM handiwork.. another sip sip around the office making headline…CRITICAL THINKING..
Just a minor correction to your report – the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism does NOT have an office in Miami. The MOT’s only USA-based Bahamas Tourist Office (BTO) is located in Plantation, Florida, just west of Ft. Lauderdale (they closed all of the others, sending staff back to Nassau). The consultant was hired to spearhead marketing initiatives for MOT; only problem, MOT already has some 20 marketing professionals employed between Florida, Canada and Europe who are capable of handling that job. In fact there are an additional 15 or so persons who were returned to The Bahamas in the last few years who are more than qualified to do the job – and some did the job without this level of remuneration for years.
Working on the premise that Bahamians would be happy to just live and work abroad, MOT executives uses up Bahamian talent like toilet paper then trow them away. They really believe that ‘white is right’ and foreign is best, paying consultants and agencies ubber-bucks to come up with the less than stellar campaigns and strategies we’ve seen come out of MOT these past few years. There is bound to be a revolt as staff in these offices are growing tired of the constant ‘restructuring’ that never gets settled and perks for favorite ‘consultants’ while qualified hard-working staff go years without recognition or promotions and endure constant claw-backs, under the guise of restructuring and financial constraints. All while consultants are being hired at 6-figures.
WE NEED CHANGE NOW!
BP, Please investigate the word going around is that the Chinese need 3,000 more work permit on top of the 8,000 they already getting. If this is true what kind of a deal did the FNM sign? Does Hubert really hate his own people this bad? We need the jobs but the FNM trying to give them all away I guess.
Well since they got all that cash just up for grabs, let me be a consultant too then!
This is another reason we need to get rid of the FNM, besides the Minister of Tourism joking, can’t wait for the Bell to ring.
Dr. Rollins will put a good cut — on him in Ft. Charlotte. Hope he making adjustments to his resume, maybe Sandy, will give him a joob at Baha Ma.
I understand this story to be true. I not want, but need, to hear from the government on these issues.
for those who don’t see the FNM THEM DON’T GIVE A RAT’S ASS ABOUT BAHAMIANS. ING-RUM IS THE FIRST MAN WHO WAYS AND FACE IS ALIKE HE IS A CERTIFIED JACK ASS. WE VOTE AND PAY PEOPLE LIKE HIM TO WALK ON US LIKE DOGS THIS MAN TREAT BAHAMIANS LIKE A RENTED MULE HOW YOU WANT THESE PEOPLE TO COME HERE AND RESPECT US WHEN ARE OWN SO CALL PM DON’T THIS MAN HAVE NO HEART THIS SHOULD TELL YALL HOW HE RUN HIS HOUSE. HE SICK AND NEED HELP.
The story speks for itself. I am looking forward to the government responding to this and to the 270k bathroon facilities and to the 65k per month rent for the new cookie as mentioned by “The man”. so many questions, so many cookies going to waste and NO ANSWERS!
BP this cabinet with their road to nowhere Voodoo economics believes that somehow the more you reward the rich and the foreigners the longer you can hold on to power. You don’t even have to point to this foreign consultant to get a clear picture of the FNM because this government has issued more work permits for foreigners to work as domestics than even Sir Stafford’s UBP. If you doubt me just ask the deputy prime minister Brent Symonette?
BP you of all people should know that when they say they have a ministry of foreign affairs what they really mean is a ministry to recruit high paid foreigners. No Bahamian seems to be good enough for this ready to go broke FNM cabinet and they don’t even try to hide it?
Tal I say they paying the man $125,000. I didn’t say $25,000 or $1,250. The minister is not paid that.
BP
What about the $700,000 being paid a year in rent. If that building was rented out to individual companies it would never obtain $700,000 a month.
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