I cannot with a good conscience sit by and allow this serious case of misinformation to be spread to the Bahamian Public.
I am appalled that my friend the Leader of the Opposition would attempt to spread untruths to the Public at a time like this when he and others in his Party should be trying to help instead.
The article in Friday’s Tribune September 2nd, 2011 is very poor and untrue as it relates to North Eleuthera Airport.
N. Eleuthera Airport has been open and Operating since 8:00am on Friday morning the day after Irene passed . It has never been without Fuel at any time and it has never been shut down at any time other than what it is shut down normally only at 2 very slow periods the Generator was shut down for normal maintenance for about 2 hours at a time. Also all Flights coming and going into N. Eleuthera know that the F. B. O. that operates there is also open for them to contact by Unicom at all times.
It is sad when any Politician or wanna be Politician tries to deceive the Public to achieve their personal goals. Yes, Mr. Sweeting I believe did offer to send some fuel but there was no need for this other than to make it a politcial gesture because the airport manager was in full control at all times and was doing a super job under the circumstances and had just come from sp. wells on thursday purchasing Fuel when he saw the need to do so, which he took back to the airport.
Also as far as I have been able to determine there has been no interruption of international flights at all due to any reason that can be attributed to something being wrong at N. Eleuthera Airport.
Perry (PLP Leader) said the airport was shut down so I wonder how he and his party landed in N. Eleuthera and where did they land or what rules they broke if they Landed at an airport that was closed, I only know about one in N. Eleuthera.
The people of N. Eleuthera and the Bahamian Public at large know about the Hurricanes between 2002 and 2007 and the kind of Help & Hope that they received. They also know about the Help they received in prior Hurricanes between 92 & 2002 and all of the B.S. that will be thrown at the Public will not change the facts so the Public will decide who was there to HELP.
Also as far as I am aware all of the Islands in the Bahamas besides Andros and Grand Bahama suffered Electrical damage and probably Telephone line damage so as a result the Maintenance crews are spread very thin and are doing a very good job of restoring services to the people.
I have heard a lot of complaining from folks in Nassau about the problems there but if the people of Nassau would learn to cut & trim their trees properly before a Hurricane then their neighbors would not have to be inconvenienced because lines were broken down. No individual in the Bahamas or anywhere else for that matter should be allowed to have trees that grow unruly along the roads where Electric lines and Phone or Cable lines are run overhead. Also it would stop a lot of roads from being blocked by Debris after a Hurricane passes.
We in Spanish Wells learnt from Andrew so it is done before to avoid big Problems after.
By: Abner Pinder
Spanish Well, Bahamas
September, 2011
