TOPIC: FREEPORT NEWS ARTICLE
“PM SHOULD RESIGN”

SEPTEMBER 30, 2004

I noted with some alarm a front-page story in the September 30, 2004 edition of The Freeport News, entitled, ‘PM Should Resign’ with quotes attributed to one Fred Smith, a lawyer and self-proclaimed human rights activist. My alarm over this story stems from my belief that commonsense is not a rare commodity and is available to everyone. Unfortunately, Mr. Fred Smith has not availed himself of such a commodity available to all.

The facts of the matter concerning my government’s response to relief for hurricane victims has its genesis in the reality that it takes time to mobilize every available agency when wholesale disaster strikes a chain of islands. While Mr. Smith would have the concern of Grand Bahama as his focus, my government likewise has Grand Bahama at the forefront of its concern, along with San Salvador, Abaco, Exuma and any other Bahama island that has been affected by hurricane disaster.

It is easy for someone to sit in their places of comfort and claim that my government should resign. For after a person makes such remarks, he can go back to doing whatever he does for a living, while my government still has to be the one to get the job done.

The government in which I proudly serve is at work in bringing relief to everyone affected by hurricane disaster. Based on reports from the Ministry of Social Services and other agencies, Bahamians and residents in immediate need in Grand Bahama are being accommodated by family, friends and The Ministry of Social Services, Rental Assistance Program. Likewise, for other persons dispossessed by damage to their homes, my government has further moved to have mobile homes used by workers in Exuma dismantled and sent on to Grand Bahama. Though some materials are in hand and proper and legitimate assessment of those in need are taking place, additional orders for building materials have been put in place. But anyone with commonsense would recognize that any delay in receipt of these additional materials would be because of the hurricane damage done to parts of the United States that have our suppliers in their areas.
 

As far as the responsibilities attached to my portfolio, I would believe that fair-minded persons would say that The Ministry Of Works, BEC, BTC, Water & Sewerage and Bahamasair has responded adequately in the extreme circumstances and in some cases, admirably.

It is also alarming to note that Mr. Smith offers no advice nor criticism for the Grand Bahama Port Authority, but yet he demands that my government resigns because of a devastating crisis, that obviously Mr. Smith cannot really comprehend, for if he did he would fathom the magnitude of the problems and the time it will take to resolve them all. However, I believe that if the Bahamian people would recognize that the PLP Government is still dealing with disaster from Hurricane Floyd of 1999, they would then appreciate that my government is working for them on their behalf to restore their lives back to a modicum of normalcy.

Since Mr. Smith is long on advice as to what my government should do, I would suggest that he take his own advice and engineer assistance from his resources and contacts to suffering hurricane victims, or resign himself to the fact that the government is moving with a much haste as is possible under such devastating circumstances and based on that he can best help the nation by staying out of the Press with his unique brand of histrionics.