The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ST ANNE’S MP Hubert Chipman admitted yesterday to being disappointed that he was not informed by the Free National Movement that hurricane relief efforts had been organised by the government and that supplies were issued to constituencies.

His statement came days after Prime Minister Perry Christie told him to resist supposed efforts by FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis to end his career.

Several weeks ago, Mr Christie instructed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to have members of Parliament assemble a team that would help deliver supplies and information to their constituents and to inform FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis of this so he could in turn inform his MPs.

“I directed NEMA, based on personal experience, that every member of the Parliament should have a new team assembled, a multifaceted, multidisciplinary team assembled, and to call the leader of the Opposition and advise,” Mr Christie said last week.

“[Minnis] had three and he didn’t tell his members. Now I understand there’s infamy here in the ranks, clearly he did not count the member for Montagu and he did not count the member for St Anne’s.”

Mr Chipman said yesterday that no one from the St Anne’s constituency association was contacted and informed beforehand.

“I was disappointed when I heard what the prime minister said,” Mr Chipman said yesterday. “I didn’t know anything about the meeting and nothing about it was disseminated to us. I was really disappointed.”

Mr Chipman said the failure to have representatives attend the meeting affected his ability to properly address the needs of his constituents.

An estimate of between 200 to 300 residents in the St Anne’s constituency need tarp, he said.

“We were supposed to identify people who would work with those from NEMA. We were supposed to get two people to work with those people and on that Saturday they were supposed to distribute tarps to the various people. We missed out on that and what other relevant information would’ve come out of that meeting that we would’ve liked to have known.”

Mr Chipman’s comments came as he continued to spearhead clean up efforts in his constituency.

The Christie administration had temporarily suspended a clean up programme after workers began billing the government for too much money, The Tribune was told.

Mr Chipman is hoping the programme is restarted so he doesn’t have to pay workers using money from his constituency allowance.

Last week, the prime minister suggested friction in the FNM led to Dr Minnis not informing Mr Chipman and Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn about the matter.

“When we said that we want to establish the teams, it was a non-political decision to be able to empower the member of Parliament to lead the way, to be able to bring quick relief, and to move out of any thought of political manoeuvring because the MP would have the carriage of what is happening there,” Mr Christie said.

“Much to my surprise, I’m in here having to listen to members tell me they didn’t know, that’s not fair to the government, not fair to the process, that is wrong.”

Dr Minnis said in the House of Assembly last week that he immediately called persons responsible to ensure that constituency association chairmen sent the relevant individuals. The Killarney MP said that he was informed that his instructions were carried out, and as such, did not know why the information did not get out to the respective MPs.