Witnesses of the April 4th tragedy in Mayaguana say political leaders have never cared enough about remote Family Islanders like them.
They said the poor state of the island’s airport is just one symptom among many of the lesser regard Nassau legislators have for their southern neighbours. Others include unusable roads, crumbling infrastructure and a lack of basic services.
Iris Charlton, a teacher who returned to live there last August, said she found the island of her birth largely the same as she left it a decade ago.
“You would think our lives should be considered important,” she said of the dangerous situation at the airport, where there are no lights and only a portion of the runway is usable.
Her cousin, Audrey Charlton, said Mayaguanans have been volunteering their cars to illuminate the runway for as long as she can remember.
