Yesterday, the Prime Minister falsely claimed that all contracts related to the government’s energy reform, including the controversial Pike agreement, have been tabled in Parliament.
They have not.
When pressed on why the Pike transmission and distribution agreement has still not been made public, the Prime Minister said the documents were already laid in Parliament and accused critics of being “lazy” and wanting to be “spoon fed.”
Today, in a fashion that should surprise no one, the Minister of Energy contradicted him.
In a radio interview, the Minister of Energy admitted that the final energy agreements have not yet been publicly released and will be uploaded online “soon” as directed by the Prime Minister. She confirmed that only a summary document is currently available and that the full agreements are still pending publication.
Those two statements cannot both be true.
The truth is simple. The Pike agreement has never been tabled in Parliament. It has never been fully disclosed to the Bahamian people, and instead of correcting the record, the Prime Minister chose to insult anyone who asked for transparency.
This episode fits a familiar pattern.
On the Grand Lucayan, the public has been told to “wait and see” while deadlines pass without clarity. On energy reform, the government has promised openness while withholding the most critical document. When challenged, the response has been delay, deflection, and now a demonstrably false statement. The restructuring of the transmission and distribution network will affect every Bahamian household and business for decades. Such an agreement cannot be shielded from scrutiny, and it cannot be misrepresented as already public when it is not.
Transparency is not optional when public assets are involved. Accountability is not a favor granted by government; it is a duty owed to the people.
It’s simple: the time for excuses is over. Philip, tell the truth.