The Tribune

MEMBERS of the Democratic National Alliance protested outside Parliament yesterday morning, demanding Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis “Ring the bell” for the next general election.

As the House of Assembly met, protestors walked down West Bay Street towards Rawson Square, chanting “Minnis got to go” and holding placards that read “Ring the bell” as bystanders looked on.

At one point during the protest, there was a tense standoff between police and the protestors, with officers seen pushing demonstrators and moving them away from the building.

Protesters were instructed to leave the property and eventually joined the taxicab union across the street, which also demonstrated yesterday morning.

One DNA supporter told The Tribune yesterday: “We’re willing to get arrested if we have to because… we really want to change things and this corruption needs to come to an end.”

The group say they are tired of “poor decisions” being made by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and want an early election to be called.

“We are here as the DNA representing the frustrations of the Bahamian people,” the party’s leader Arinthia Komolafe said yesterday. “We have to come to ask the honourable Dr Hubert Alexander Minnis to ring the bell. For almost 365 days, we have been under emergency orders and the poor decisions by the Prime Minister have cost jobs.

“It has cost lives. It has cost livelihoods and we are calling on the Prime Minister to free us from this misery, free the Bahamian people from hell and ring the bell... Dr Minnis got to go.”

Pointing to the country’s high cost of living and ailing economy, Mrs Komolafe said Bahamians are tired and fed up.

She said the DNA is the only “alternative” solution to the country’s current woes at this point.

“We are frustrated. Bahamians are losing their jobs every day. The hotel industry is shut down. People are not coming in and the numbers are low. Bahamians are being sent home. They cannot eat. They are being evicted from their homes.

“They cannot get assistance. The cost of travel to Family Islands is too expensive. Bahamians cannot move back and forth. It cost 100 plus dollars just to take an RT-PCR test to go and see our family members on the island when at a time the cost of living is so high, 12 percent VAT. “Food is high. Rent is high. Electricity is high and Bahamians can’t afford to go home. We’re asking Dr Pharaoh Minnis to let our people go.”

Her comments were echoed by other DNA candidates and supporters, who also noted that Bahamians are tired of the failed promises from the government and just want to see a change.

DNA candidate for the Centreville constituency Frederick Sawyer said: “We’re supposed to have a caring government. The FNM came into power and said they will be the people’s government and what have they done? Look at what they have done. I look at my country and cry shame.”

Meanwhile, Kino Lockhart, another DNA hopeful, added: “I’m the candidate for the Bains and Grants constituency. The biggest problem (for us) is the food assistance programme. You still have many Bahamians who are in the Bains and Grants Town area who are not being assisted. Housing is a serious issue.

“We choose to take $21m to build sidewalks (among other initiatives) when we could’ve gone to build homes in the inner city. People are sleeping in their cars. I’ve been to Social Services with my team to get rooms for persons… people are hungry, children are hungry. We need to get serious in this country and (Dr) Minnis got to go. The PLP got to go. Both of them are garbage juice.”

Scores of angry taxi drivers also gathered outside Parliament Square to protest what they consider to be a blatant “disregard” for their longstanding concerns about their industry.

The taxi union has been calling for new taxi plates to be issued to drivers and also for the colour of their taxi plates to be changed.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, the Bahamas Taxicab Union president Wesley Ferguson said the union will continue to take action until their problems are addressed.

“They are playing this game that if we ignore you, we will go away but see they don’t know the Taxicab Union,” he said. “We are not to be ignored. We are not going away. We will be here every week until election and until we vote them out if they don’t fulfil their promises. If we don’t get our promises from the government, we’ll get it from the next one.”