Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis yesterday called the prime minister's response to some of the challenges on New Providence in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew irresponsible, and questioned the need to appoint Minister of Labour Shane Gibson coordinator for the Hurricane Matthew relief and recovery efforts.

"I was not impressed," said Minnis at a press conference at the office of the leader of the opposition on Parliament Street.

"I thought the government dropped the ball in dealing with the storm. The precautionary methods were not taken. Government knew that such a storm was coming. How can you afterward be asking for trucks, volunteers, etc? All of that should have been done in advance.

"You knew the storm was coming, you knew the strength of the storm, you knew the potential damage, you knew what was going to happen to the south, and therefore they should have had already, trucks, chain saws, garbage bins, dumpsters all lined up to deal with [the aftermath] appropriately."

In the days following the storm, long lines formed at service stations in New Providence after a message circulated on social media claiming New Providence was on the brink of a fuel shortage.

Minnis said it was incumbent upon the prime minister to publicly address the issue to calm the hysteria.

"The prime minister had the right, he had the responsibility to tell the Bahamian people that they were rumors... what could have happened, we could have had a disaster, we could have had riots, we could have had people getting killed," he said.

"And the prime minister sat idly by and had not come forth early and informed the nation that there was not a problem with gas in the country and advise all to remain calm and [that] very soon individuals can get their tanks filled.

"So I thought he was very, very irresponsible in dealing with that matter appropriately."

Hurricane Matthew hit the The Bahamas last week. On Saturday, Minnis accompanied the prime minister, who toured the devastation in North Andros and West End, Grand Bahama.

Christie said on Sunday the estimated cost of the damage from the storm could be up to four times greater than the $100 million in damage estimated after Hurricane Joaquin a year ago.

He also announced Gibson's appointment as coordinator.

Minnis suggested the Christie administration will use money donated to NEMA as a slush fund.

"I am not really listening to what they are saying about transparency and they are going to make sure that they will not look at the political landscape," Minnis said.

"And the election is coming. If they have demonstrated overt victimization and cronyism before, immediately after the last election, God help what they will do with the coming election just to ensure they have the advantage to win.

"So the FNM will closely monitor how the PLP and the Bahamas government spend their money. We will monitor the involvement of Shane Gibson, to ensure that all of the PLP generals, as we've seen with Joaquin, are not given their orders as to whom they are to look after. They have a history of that. A leopard does not change its colors overnight."

Call for mandatory evacuations
Ahead of the storm, the prime minister urged residents who live in low-lying areas to evacuate.
Christie later suggested mandatory evacuations were needed.

Speaking to this issue, Minnis said, "The government knew that there was going to be flooding. The government's responsibility first and foremost is the safety of its people. If you know that danger is approaching then you must take all precaution to protect them.

"It's essential for you to ensure that proper centers are available and even utilize people's homes if they are available, but it is essential to get them out of the danger zone and place them in safety.

"The government was not aggressive enough to deal with that."

Minnis said the Free National Movement (FNM) would implement mandatory evacuations under similar circumstances.

"The FNM is more concerned with safety and quality of life and we would do whatever is necessary to ensure that the Bahamians are safe and lives are safe," he said.

Candia Dames, Guardian Managing Editor

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