LONG ISLAND| Long Island residents no longer want embattled MP Adrian Gibson to be their voice in Parliament as the former Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) Executive Chairman awaits trial on corruption-related charges.
Constituents claim that while there are a few diehard Free National Movement (FNM) supporters on the island who are standing by their member of parliament, the majority of residents think it is best for Gibson to resign his seat as they cannot support corruption and they do not feel they will get quality representation by someone distracted by legal troubles.
“If Mr. Gibson thinks he has the support of Long Islanders, and I live here so this is no hearsay, tell him to be bold and ask for votes via ballots to see if persons on the island still want him,” said one resident.
“Nobody wants to be represented by a person who has been accused of stealing our monies to enrich himself.”
As for the argument that a sitting member of parliament only has to resign if convicted, residents feel that the evidence against the Long Island MP is “ironclad and only God can deliver him.”
Gibson and six others, including his cousin, campaign general and the former WSC General Manager, were arraigned in the Magistrates Court over the summer on bribery, attempted bribery and money laundering charges.
Gibson is accused of having access to the bank accounts of two companies that received lucrative contracts from WSC while he was executive chairman. Prosecutors allege that Gibson used a large chunk of the funds derived from those contracts to purchase land on Long Island and New Providence, a home off Shirley Street and a fleet of vehicles.
One of his co-defendants has since pleaded guilty to bribing him.
Contracts and other documents detailing payments made from WSC to companies owned by Gibson’s cousin, then-fiancée and campaign general were leaked to the public before the 2021 General Election but then-Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis arrogantly dismissed the allegations in hopes of them fading from newspaper headlines and public memory.
“I don’t understand why he’s still in the House of Assembly getting a salary and constituency funds,” said a Long Island voter who challenged FNM Leader Michael Pintard to step in.
“It shows that either he’s weak or Mr. Gibson has something on the party that can decimate the whole FNM organization and they are afraid to touch him. This is not a good image for the FNM.”
