PM Minnis and Nat Beneby
NASSAU| While thousands of Bahamians remain out of work during the Covid-19 pandemic, taxpayers are paying retired banker Nathaniel Beneby $150,000 annually with perks and benefits to train Minister of State for Finance Kwasi Thompson who was appointed to the important cabinet post despite his lack of experience in finance. Beneby was hired as Special Advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister.
In December, Thompson was named Minister of State for Finance after Peter Turnquest resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance amid controversy over a $28 million bogus loan scheme he was allegedly involved in.
Selling dreams Dr. Hubert Minnis.
Always one to read the temperature of public discourse and react accordingly, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis has promised to accelerate the implementation of a sovereign wealth fund, an independent, non-partisan, transparent and accountable entity “to manage some of our most valuable land and our precious natural assets for the benefit of the Bahamian people”.
If the prime minister still widely held the trust of Bahamians, if in fact he ever had, his pledge might have offered some reason for optimism and satisfaction among many who have been quite vocal in recent months about the need for the protection of the country’s natural resources and the exploitation of these treasures for and on behalf of the Bahamian people.