In December 2016, Dr. Duane Sands resigned as an FNM senator after internal FNM turmoil in which most FNM MPs moved to oust Dr. Hubert Minnis as Opposition Leader and back Loretta Butler-Turner. Sands said he “served at the pleasure” of Dr. Minnis and resigned when asked, along with other FNM senators.
Earlier that year, in June 2016, Sands said he’d resign from the Senate if Minnis stayed as leader; by late August, he framed it as the leader’s call and a “non-issue.” He resigned in December when Minnis asked senators to do so after the MPs’ move against him. Supporters viewed this as a normal party process; critics call it fence-sitting. This is a clear example that Sands is not to be trusted. You can depend on him to bail you out when the water boils. It is common knowledge that Sands grew up soft, so it stands to reason that he cannot stand too much pressure.
In May 2020, Sands resigned as Minister of Health after authorizing the entry of six U.S. permanent residents who flew in with COVID-19 testing swabs during border closures. Prime Minister, Hubert Minnis, said entry protocol was breached; Sands wrote that he acted “outside the scope of his authority,” accepted responsibility, and resigned. PM Minnis gladly accepted the resignation.
According to the Tribune, after resigning, Sands publicly warned against opening borders to untested arrivals and urged mandatory testing—the opposite of what happened on his watch when six permanent residents were allowed in without prior negative tests. Critics label that a stark inconsistency; Sands’ defence was that he made a one-off, good-faith call to secure scarce swabs during a crisis. LIES!!!!!!!
Sands’ credibility took another shot when he was caught red-handed lying. He said that two passengers came, when in fact, six came. His public statements on numbers shifted; he later said he hadn’t checked the details. Opponents cast this as misleading; he called it a hurried operational miss in an emergency. MORE LIES!!!!!!
The two vs. six passenger discrepancy, the contrast between later ‘no untested arrivals’ rhetoric, and the May 2020 authorisation gave opponents a straightforward narrative of poor judgment/credibility. Sands proves his inability to make sound decisions.
Simply put, DUANE SANDS IS A LIAR!
Sands’ history as a compulsive liar could be drawn from his hard public stance, but under pressure, he withers on the vine and shrinks like a singer on a rock. Under pressure, Sands looks for cover, and he is nothing without Hubert Ingraham.
From his indecision, it is unfathomable how a man whom we trust with life-changing operations like heart surgery is so wishy-washy. This revelation should leave us in disbelief about Sands’ character.
It begs the question of why the Community activist, comedian, talk show host, and Justice of the Peace, the late Rodney Moncur begged Sands, “Please don’t let me die.” What did Moncur know that we don’t know?
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