Greg Moss blasts govt

The Nassau Guardian

Greg Moss blasts govt

Marco City MP Gregory Moss yesterday chastised members of Parliament, including his colleagues on the governing side, for debating “nonsense” in the House of Assembly instead of tackling the pressing issues of crime, taxation and gaming.

Moss also hit out at the government for not yet bringing the proposed legislation for value-added tax (VAT) for debate.

He said the draft bill is flawed and he will vote against it in the House.

He called on the government to deal with illegal immigration and to introduce an income tax law that would offset the tax burden on the poor.

Moss said the country is in a “crime crisis” and highlighted the 120 murders that were recorded in 2013 and the spate of violent crimes that have happened since the start of the new year.

 

“What we have going on in this country now is rampant tit for tat,” he said.

 

“I shoot you, you shoot me back. I’m going to court, you’re the witness and I’m going to knock you off. We know it’s happening and why are we not outraged by it?”

Moss spoke during debate on The Bahamas Spatial Data Infrastructure Bill.

The legislation would improve the coordination and use of spatial technologies and data. It would also regulate the distribution of geospatial data for national and international stakeholders.

Moss suggested the proposed legislation was trivial in light of important national issues.

He also challenged the government to enforce the death penalty law instead of using excuses such as opposition from the London-based Privy Council, the highest court of appeal, for why it cannot be carried out.

“We legislate, we define the definitions; if we do not like the way in which our laws are being interpreted we can redefine those definitions and the courts comport to the definitions we define,” he said.

Moss said he was tired of “playing politics” and said he was speaking frankly as a Bahamian.

He added: “At the end of the day this polite approach that we are taking to law enforcement where we are blaming the police, blaming the courts and failing to blame ourselves for [not] passing the proper laws and putting in place prescriptions that need to be put in place to avoid all of these delays, all of these excuses, and to deal definitively with crime, stops here.”

Several times during his contribution, Moss argued with a few seated members of his own party who disagreed with some of his statements.

His statements drew support from opposition MPs.  However, Moss quickly rebuked them and accused the Ingraham administration of doing little while crime escalated from 2007 to 2012.

Moss also challenged the government to quickly bring VAT legislation to the House and other laws for tax reform. VAT is expected to take effect on July 1.

“Bring the VAT debate to this House and let’s talk about that,” he said.

“I made it very clear that I’m going to vote against it. I’m not going to absent myself from the House. I’m going to stand here and vote against it because it’s a bad law in the way it’s presently framed.”

He also urged the government to debate the Gaming Bill, which was tabled in October.

The bill faced criticism for the provisions which discriminate against Bahamians and allow the status quo on gambling to remain.

Moss has previously said he will not support any legislation that discriminates against Bahamians.

Prime Minister Perry Christie was absent from the floor of the House of Assembly when Moss gave his speech.

When asked by The Nassau Guardian to respond to the critique, he said Moss had the right to speak his mind.

He stressed that crime was top on the government’s agenda, but said the bill that was debated yesterday morning was important to nation building.

“I’m one of those who encourage members of Parliament to speak and to speak strongly,” Christie said.

“If I disagree with what they say you can trust on the occasion of the debate I will tell them so they can hear me say it.”

He also suggested that he was not too concerned with Moss’ plan to vote against the VAT bill.

“Whatever he decides to do, I am sure because he is a highly intelligent man, that he would have thought about it very carefully,” Moss said.

“So if he decides to do that then we wait until it happens and see what happens after that.”

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