The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

AFTER the majority of members of Parliament rejected a motion to appoint a select committee to probe the 2012 Rubis gas leak in Marathon, Free National Movement Chairman Michael Pintard said it is evident the government will not end its “cover up” of this “crisis” to ensure transparency.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Mr Pintard suggested that there are close ties between the government and operators of Rubis Bahamas which has caused the Christie administration to “seriously mishandle” the underground leak of 12,000 gallons of fuel in Marathon.

He said there could be no other justification to explain why the government, after receiving a report from Black and Veatch International (BVI) revealing that residents were possibly exposed to cancer-causing chemicals, did nothing to allay the fears of Bahamians.

“Government members of Parliament had a wonderful opportunity to help the public heal from this scary realisation that their lives were at risk,” Mr Pintard said.

“In their objection to the select committee they could have made the point that they are pursuing public hearings with citizens of this country at the helm whose reputations are above reproach. Those same people would have the power to recommend prosecution where necessary.

“Now we see the way the vote went and it leaves one to conclude that they are not interested in being transparent on a number of issues resonating from this gasoline leak in 2012. Bahamians should know every detail including exactly when they discovered this leak, what motivated them to refuse to disclose, what were the conversations between the Cabinet ministers and Rubis.”

Mr Pintard said this development proved that members of the governing party do not view themselves as a defender of the people.

The BVI report, completed in 2014, concluded that assessments conducted by Rubis were insufficient and could not be used to determine whether residential and commercial building occupants were exposed to contamination associated with the fuel release.

The report also confirmed that elevated levels of benzene, a cancer-causing compound in gasoline, was found in a test well in a residential home May 2013 and in air samples taken from Cable Bahamas, which has a building adjacent to the station.

Although the report was turned over to the government last year, it was only released after a town meeting two weeks ago. This has led to some to question if the government wilfully suppressed the information.

Mr Pintard added: “The moment you realise a private entity or whomever has contributed to a life (threatening) problem you then take action. You now become the defender of the people. But one thing you don’t do, is give the impression that you are colluding.

“The greatest question here among all others is what is the historical relationship between the operators of Rubis and the government of the Bahamas. I can’t think of any other things that could point to why the government would allow Rubis to get away with this.”

PLP MP Dr Andre Rollins called for the select committee Wednesday evening in the House of Assembly and argued before the vote that it would “remove all speculation that the government is seeking to hide the facts surrounding that spill”.

While seven MPs voted in favour of the select committee, 15 others voted against the formation of the investigative body, including Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald. Fifteen representatives, including Prime Minister Perry Christie, were absent.

PLP MP Renward Wells and the opposition MPs present also voted “yes”.