Wayne Munroe QC PLP candidate for Freetown
Remarks
By
Bradley B. Roberts
National Chair
Progressive Liberal Party
National General Council (NGC) Special Call Meeting
Lynden Pindling Center
March 13th 2017
Fellow Councilors, a pleasant good evening to all.
Since we last met in council, we paid our final respects and farewell to a number of long standing Stalwart Councilors here at the Lynden Pindling center and at various churches.
We paid tribute to Mr. Bimini himself, Clement Nathaniel “Piccalo Pete” Saunders, age 102, of Bailey Town Bimini. Many would remember his nephew Ansel Saunders who for years introduced former Prime Minister the late Lynden Pindling at PLP Conventions. Piccalo was the author of many Bahamian songs including ‘You never get a lickin’ ‘til you go down to Bimini” and a recipient of the Cacique award for lifetime achievement in Tourism and Culture.
We remembered Mrs. Sandra North, age 80, of the Fort Charlotte Constituency. She was a community leader, beautician, leader of a youth Junkanoo group and long time and faithful supporter of the Party.
Comrade Norman Duncombe age 91 of the Yamacraw Constituency also passed into eternity. Mr. Duncombe was also a longtime supporter of the Party with family ties going back to Duncombe Coupit South Andros and is a very close cousin to our Governor General Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling whose mom was a Duncombe. Norman was the grandfather of former Senator Yvette Turnquest.
Late this afternoon received a call from SC Athama Bowe informing me that that another long time Stalwart who hailed from Mangrove Cay Andros Ezra Isreal ‘Mr. Bond’ Thompson age 83 of The Carmichael Constituency had passed after fighting prostate cancer. It was good to see Bond one night at our National Convention. I extend condolence to his wife Patsy, The children and the rest of the family. May their souls rest in peace and rise in glory.
After the intervention of the Leader and Prime Minister Perry G Christie Councilors were invited to indicate their support for Senators Frank Smith or Attorney Wayne Monroe, Councilors overwhelming supported the candidacy of Wayne Munroe.
Fellow Councilors,
Our political enemy is not within fellow delegates. Our sacred resolve must be to close the door on Sarkis Izmirlian’s handpicked and parachuted man into the leadership of the FNM and the man who boldly proclaimed that he would never enter frontline politics because Bahamians BEG TOO MUCH.
Dionisio D’Aguilar is clearly Dr. Hubert Minnis’ leading advisor who inspired Minnis and in the process gave him FOOT IN MOUTH DISEASE. This disease must also affect the functioning of the brain because it lead Dr. Minnis to put both feet in his mouth with the unbelievably stupid and na?ve statement on Baha Mar that made the headlines in both of the major dailies today.
Fellow councilors,
With your kind leave I wish to comment on the headline story this morning about Minnis proposing to sell Baha Mar a second time if he becomes Prime Minister. Many of you and Bahamians everywhere are quite aware of the Baha Mar saga. FNM Candidate D’Aguilar sat as a member of the Baha Mar Board and played a part in the failure of Baha Mar to come to completion and open. He admitted publicly that he agreed to deceive the duly elected government of The Bahamas and its people while leading Baha Mar into bankruptcy. He would later arrogantly say that the government should just “get over it.”
In a nutshell the developer could not finish the property; our Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie demonstrated strong leadership in rescuing the failed project; ensured that displaced workers and unsecured contractors were paid in excess of $100 million; facilitated the sale of the property to a globally respected and world class mega resort developer and just this morning the workers in the casino operations began their orientation and training in preparation for the April (next month) soft and phased opening of the resort. It was a journey that took almost two years but there is tangible success and light at the end of the tunnel – all done on behalf of and for the benefit of the Bahamian people.
One would have expected that Dr. Minis would be happy for the Bahamian people and congratulate – not the PLP government – but the Bahamians who are benefitting from this project. Instead Dr. Minnis said that the official FNM policy is to nationalize Baha Mar and sell Baha Mar again to Sarkis Izmirlian, the failed developer.
Minnis could twist, omit, contort, confuse, conflate and misrepresent the truth all he wants, but the policy position of Minnis’ FNM on Baha Mar is to disrupt the lives of many and the Bahamian economy to satisfy one man who proved he was unable to finish the job in the first place. Minnis’ apparent chief advisor on this failed policy is the same D’Aguilar who helped to lead Baha Mar into bankruptcy. TWO FAILURES CANNOT EQUAL SUCCESS!!
THAT IS AN UNBELIEVABLY STUPID AND NA?VE POLICY POSITION TO TAKE!!
So muddled, cryptic and dubious is his policy position on Baha Mar that one is left to interpret and fill in the blanks about what he actually means. What is clear is that the infamous STOP, REVIEW and CANCEL policy of the FNM was a disaster in 2007 and any talk of this still spells disaster for The Bahamas in the future; it is a non-starter.
The PLP government is closing the chapter on a difficult period in the life of Baha Mar. Dr. Minnis and the other opposition forces agreed to go to Delaware and that proved to be a disaster and a failure. The Christie administration scored success on Baha Mar and so we move forward together, ensuring that Baha Mar realizes its full economic potential for The Bahamas.
While Minnis threatens to turn back the clock on Bahamians, the PLP proposes that we must build on the success of Baha Mar and reject Minnis’ ploy to take it back to the dark days of bankruptcy, closure, displacement and uncertainty. Minnis presents himself as change but it is clear that he represents change for the worst. The change he proposes does not represent or protect the wellbeing and interests of the Bahamian people; that much is certain.
WE MUST BUILD ON THE SOLID FOUNDATION WE HAVE LAID TOGETHER - INCLUDING BAHA MAR, EDUCATION, BAMSI, NTA AND NHI AS WE MOVE OUR BELOVED BAHAMAS FORWARD TOGETHER!
Wayne Munroe QC
PLP candidate for Freetown
March 2017
Personal/childhood:
Wayne was born on the 1st March, 1968 in the Settlement of Duncan Town, Ragged Island to the late Edward A. Munroe and Yvonne S. Munroe, nee Wallace. He was baptized at the Anglican Church of the Holy Innocence on Ragged Island. He has three brothers Edward, Warren and Wilbur Munroe and two sisters G. Valencia Steiger and Olive Thompson. He lived the first four years of his life in Ragged Island until his family moved to New Providence to join his father who was the Dock Master of Hurricane Hole Marina on Paradise Island.
Education:
Wayne completed his primary and secondary education at Centreville Primary School and Kingsway Academy, graduating as Valedictorian in 1985.
He received his LLB degree with Honours from the University of Lancaster, UK in 1989. He read for the Bar Finals at the University of Westminster.
He was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales and the Bahamas Bar in 1990.
He was conferred as one of Her Majesty's Counsel learned in the law by Letters Patent from Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling in January, 2015.
Professional:
Principal at Munroe & Associates.
He is a member of the Bahamas Bar Council having previously served as President of the Bar Council for six years.
He is an Associate Tutor in Advocacy at the Council of Legal Education for the West Indies Eugene Dupuch Law School.
He is married to Dorothea C. Munroe, nee Moree who is a banker by profession. They have four children Ashley, Wayne Jr, Richard and Meagan Munroe. Wayne also has two sons Zion and Isaiah Munroe.
Wayne worships at St. Margaret's Church where he is a Lay Reader and Chalice Assistant.