PLP Chairman tells Abaco the people of the Bahamas know Renardo Curry

Remarks By
Bradley B. Roberts
National Chairman
Progressive Liberal Party
Stalwart Councilors Luncheon
Treasure Cay, Abaco
6th October 2012
Mr. Party Leader and Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie

Mr. Deputy Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Brave Davis
Hon Ministers, Senators, Members of Parliament and the next MP for North Abaco Renardo Curry, Stalwart Councilors, Party Officers, supporters and friends, a pleasant good afternoon

As we usher in a new era of political leadership in North Abaco, let us also usher in a new political culture of regularly honoring our frontline soldiers, those men and women of valor, uncommon courage and boldness who routinely risk very real threats to their economic freedom and security by carrying the message of the Progressive Liberal Party.

The Stalwart Councilors in Abaco had a particularly difficult time because they were lorded over by one of the most spiteful, petty and divisive political personalities in the modern political era of The Bahamas and that is the Abaco Dragon, Hubert Ingraham.
You have endured him for 35 years and the battles have made you tenacious, determined and strong. I admire and honour your strength and conviction in the principles and tenets of the PLP for they have kept you grounded for many, many years.

I want to encourage you to teach the next generation of PLP’s about the grand and glorious history of the oldest political organization in The Bahamas. The youth must know that the PLP was formed out of a fundamental human need for social justice, equality, freedom and fair play. It was a grass roots movement of the ordinary salt of the earth people who use their collective will, strength and sheer numbers to reshape the modern political history of The Bahamas.

Many of you were in that struggle and understand that although much has been accomplished politically, economically and socially, there is much work to be done. In the age of technology and a seamless global market where wealth can be created without human contact, there still exists a chasm between the haves and the have nots.

The Government has a role to play in closing this gap as the government is the legal guardian of market efficiency and the great equalizer.

The PLP has taken great pride in being a strong and passionate advocate for the small man – advancing policies and legislation to level the proverbial playing field so that every Bahamian gets a fair shot. To date, one of the most sweeping, transformative and pervasive policies implemented in this country that created the professional class, the middle class, and expanded the franchise in the merchant class is the policy of Bahamianization. The policy was not perfect but it was a tremendous step in the right direction in the course of social justice, economic justice and fair play.

We must now take our achievements to the next level my brothers and sisters.

With this bye-election, we have a unique opportunity to put in place a representative of the PLP to continue the great work on behalf of the Bahamian people and to continue the glorious legacy of this party.

We in the PLP believe that we have presented as our candidate a next generation leader who is a young, exciting and energetic son of the soil in the name of Renardo Curry. He is a father, husband and community leader who served on the local council in North Abaco. He is a youth leader and role model who represents all that is good and positive about Abaconians and especially young Bahamian males in general. Curry is a role model.

The people of Abaco and The Bahamas know Renardo Curry. He has articulated his vision for the continued development of Abaco and the same is widely known through expansive debate and critique in the public domain.

This is in stark contrast to the candidate nominated by the FNM. I have asked who is Greg Gomez?

What does he believe in?

What is his track record in the communities of North Abaco and what is his vision for the constituency of North Abaco that he desires to represent?

Was Greg Gomez a legal resident of the United States?

Does Greg Gomez have a US Social Security No?

Will he share the same with the public?

Regrettably these basic and necessary facts remained a mystery – shrouded in closely guarded secrecy by Mr. Gomez and his enabling FNM for a protracted period of time.
After publicly raising these issues over and repeatedly, the press finally interviewed Mr.

Gomez and the revelations so far have led many to believe that Hubert Ingraham has perpetrated a fraud and a dubious character on the Bahamian people as a parting gift.

Greg Gomez began his election campaign in earnest by beating that old worn out and tired FNM drum of PLP victimization by claiming that his right to work was initially challenged by the PLP and he was eventually fired by this government. Ladies and gentlemen, documents clearly show that Mr. Gomez reported to work here in Abaco sometime in April 2012 and tendered his resignation in July of this year so the charges of victimization were bold faced lies.

In a recent interview with the media, Mr. Gomez claimed that his request for a meeting with the Minister with responsibility for Local Government was refused and he subsequently met with the Undersecretary in the Ministry on the 10th May 2012 who told him he could not work in that ministry because “he wore the color red.”

The problem with Gomez’s story is that MP Alfred Gray was not appointed Minister until the 14th May 2012 so he could not agreed to or refused to meet with Gomez nor could he have instructed anybody to tell Gomez he could not work in that ministry. The Undersecretary denies Gomez’s account of their meeting.

Minister Gray confirmed that Greg Gomez was part of the 52-week program, but that there was no evidence of his employment as a local government administrator as claimed by Gomez. Minister Gray challenged Gomez to produce this evidence to substantiate his claim.

To put it charitably, Greg Gomez has played fast and loose with the truth and this has caused his character to be called into serious question.

The FNM is now refusing to allow Greg Gomez to appear on Radio Shows. Clearly they have concluded that they cannot trust him to speak for himself.

While the FNM fight among themselves to rescue their crumbling campaign, we must continue to extol the virtues of Renardo Curry and share his vision with all we come into contact with. Renardo believes that the foundation for a successful life is in a good education. That is why he will lead the charge in creating pre-schools, a primary school, 21stCentury class rooms and Career Path Academies here in Abaco. Renardo has a passion for our young people and their overall development.

The PLP has committed to the establishment of a BTVI campus here in North Abaco to provide the technical skills necessary to support a growing and dynamic economy.
Fishing is a major industry in Abaco and the PLP has already made great strides in strengthening our border patrol capacity. The $200 million asset acquisition program is well underway with newer and better technology and training for our Defense Force personnel.

The government will add some 150 cadets and officers to the ranks in this fiscal year. There is greater cooperation between the RBDF and the RBPF in the fight against drug trafficking, human smuggling and illegal poaching in our waters.

Our Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Urban Development has already identified some infrastructural deficiencies with the roads in Marsh Harbour, Dundas Town and Murphy Town and is moving quickly to address these vexing problems.

So I encourage you to offer your time and talents to the Curry campaign. We are only nine days from victory and we must ensure that North Abaco is returned to the family of the PLP.

The PLP is convinced that Renardo Curry is the best choice to represent the interests of the people of North Abaco. Given his record of service in his community, his tenacity, commitment and contribution to the civic life of and continued development of North Abaco, this son of the soil will make us all proud.

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