Statement from Fred Mitchell MP Fox Hill
On Defamatory and Libellous Allegations by DNA Candidate Kendal Smith
9 April 2017
In various chat groups Kendal Smith, the DNA Candidate’s name has been associated with allegations that I (Fred Mitchell) accepted a two million dollar cheque to finish the Fox Hill Community Centre from the Chinese and made promises in exchange for it which would cause my patriotism to be questioned. This is a contemptible lie, falsehood and is libellous and defamatory for which the appropriate action will be taken. In the meantime, please see an excerpt from my statement at the opening of the centre on Saturday 1 April and how it was funded. I have warned this man before that in his desperation to win, he does not have to tell falsehoods and make up stories. His allegations are also racist. The plain and simple story is that this centre is built by contributions from ordinary Fox Hillians, public private partnerships with Bahamian businesses and The Bahamas Government. Here is my previous statement of account:
It was in 1990 that the late George Mackey who was then Minister for Housing acquired this land and conveyed it to the Fox Hill Development Association which has since changed its name to the Fox Hill Community Centre. The Corporation Fox Hill Community Centre has a licence from the Ministry of Finance to operate as a non-profit.
There is a Board of Directors on which sits a representative from every church in this village who wishes to sit. It is chaired by three people Benjamin Rahming, Bishop Carrington Pinder and Maurice Tynes…
These include representatives of the Original Congoes Junkanoo Group and the Fox Hill Festival Committee. These two organizations will have offices in this building.
Mr. Mackey’s Committee which included Clarence Ferguson and Barbara Pierre managed to build a foundation on the land but sadly when Mr. Mackey demitted office in 1997, there was no further action taken until 2002. I came to office in that year and when looking at the land and foundation, the experts told us we had to destroy it and start afresh.
New plans for a building were drawn by Sheldon Maycock, a Fox Hillian and construction began.
I must recognise Ashley Glinton of Woslee Dominion and his sub-contractor Lawrence Hepburn who brought the structure of the auditorium and first floor to the point where we could begin to use the building for various functions following the laying of the cornerstone in 2007 by then Governor General the Hon Arthur D. Hanna.
The structure remained that way when we lost office in 2007 and we pecked away until the year 2012 when we returned with the promise to finish the building. I must give credit to Warren Davis, aka ‘Dancer’, for his pushing to get it finished and he is the project manager on this last phase.
Enter the Minister of National Security and his able aide Barbara Cartwright who told us that the Inter-American Development Bank had provided a loan as part of the Citizen Security Initiative as a long term solution to crime issues. With their generous grant administered through the loan from the IDB we were able to complete the super structure.
The IDB monies will also be responsible for the management of the building and its programmes.
I would ask Barbara Cartwright and Warren Davis to stand at this time please.
The final piece of the puzzle in the Bahamas Government, led by Prime Minister Perry Christie who will address us today. He made a promise when he came to the annual Fox Hill Day celebrations that whatever the shortfall, the government wold finish this building.
This was made possible by two remarkable young men who are the principals of a company Bahamas Striping Group of Companies and their managing director Allan Albury. I wish them to stand and be recognised. They are exemplary.
The swimming pool, the yard work the gazebo and playing area to come; the search for land to provide parking for the facility all the ideas of how to finish came from these two men.
