By Ginger Moxey
Progressive Liberal Party
Candidate for Pineridge
Grand Bahamians were treated today to another display of contempt from the Minnis government. The Prime Minister tried to pretend he cared about the fate of Grand Bahama today. But believing that he cares would require us to ignore the evidence of the last four years; Minnis leaves behind here no achievements, only a record of neglect and incompetence.
Not only have we had to endure the ravages of Hurricane Dorian, but also the gross mismanagement in its aftermath, coupled with the extreme measures taken against this island during the longest business-killing lockdowns during the pandemic.
To date, we still do not have a functioning hospital; people are still living in tents, and hurricane relief has not reached the Bahamians who need it the most.
The Grand Bahama Shipyard project referred to in the Prime Minister’s address is simply a replacement exercise for docks from the accident that took place in April 2019, as dry docks normally take years to build. It has finally reached this stage, so this is nothing new.
Questions from the people of Grand Bahama include:
- What does this mean for many of the recently terminated, skilled Bahamian professionals?
- Will the cancelled Apprenticeship Program that employed over 200 Bahamians, launched by the last PLP Administration, be reactivated?
- Will we see more permanent Bahamian workers (in comparison to casual workers, with no benefits) versus foreign labour?
With respect to the McLean’s Town project, it was the previous PLP Administration that laid the infrastructure for this much-needed subdivision. This project sat dormant for 4 years and now that an election is looming and the flooding from Dorian has warranted a reduction in pricing, another PLP project is being taken off the shelf.
Grand Bahama and its people are still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, the pandemic and the disastrous response by the FNM Administration and their five Grand Bahama MPs. With the extreme restrictive measures forced upon this island, in particular, many of our people are jobless, hungry, homeless, and hurting.
The challenges facing Grand Bahama are enormous. We need a government that knows how to make and execute a plan. We need a government that cares all the time, not just at election time. This government has shown us only contempt and neglect. We are not so naïve as to imagine they will suddenly discover the capacity for competent, compassionate governance.
It’s time for a change.
