Dr Hubert Minnis
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Deputy Chief Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
WITH two lives lost this week to senseless gun violence, Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr Hubert Minnis castigated the government for celebrating this year’s murder count, which is comparatively lower than last year.
The country has so far recorded 74 homicides in 2016; by this time last year there had been 107 murders.
However, despite this 30 per cent decrease and no murders during the month of July, Dr Minnis said: “Numbers can lie, as the PLP government’s rosy outlook does.”
He said crime is killing this country’s communities as he pledged that the party would work every day to ensure children, mothers and fathers do not continue to become tragic statistics.
“We at the FNM believe our people are more than numbers,” Dr Minnis said in a press statement on Wednesday night. “Numbers can lie, as the PLP government’s rosy outlook proves.
“The PLP have been in celebration mood that the murder rate is lower than the historical high of last year. The PLP government should try to convince the 74 families who lost their family members to murder this year that things are getting better. To the PLP those people are numbers, to the FNM they are tragic victims of a leaderless government that spends more time on rosy PR than on truly solving problems.”
He added: “It is with great sorrow that I extend mine and the FNM’s sympathy to the families affected by the recent spurt of murders. It is truly a sad day in the Bahamas when our children are involved and killed or shot in shootings in their neighbourhoods.
“Our children should feel safe and not under the constant fear of being innocently caught up in shootings while innocently coming back from the water pump.”
He was referring to a triple shooting off Peardale Street, near Wulff Road, which resulted in the deaths of two men on Tuesday night. They were standing with a group of men in the area when gunmen emerged from nearby bushes and opened fire.
An eight-year-old boy was also shot during the incident as he was walking from a nearby water pump. He is said to be in stable condition in hospital.
McKenzie Telusnor, 22, died at the scene while 35-year-old Mark Davis, a newlywed and father of an infant and seven-year-old boy, died in hospital.
Last Friday 35-year-old Marisha Bowen, a pregnant mother of two, was found dead in her apartment. Police discovered the Guyanese woman shortly after 8am. Sources said she died of a single wound to the throat.
Comments
John 8 years, 2 months ago
Minnis needs to hire himself a press officer. No one is celebrating murder count (at least hope not). But everyone should be acknowledging the fact that murder in this country has drastically declined. Crime is the tail that has been wagging the dog over several administrations both PLP and FNM and murder, yes murder has touched so many people on this island, leaving many individuals who has lost more than one family member, friends or coworkers, walking zombies. Lives snuffed out forever to cold blooded and senseless killings. Minnis, and every other citizen or resident in this country should join forces with the police and the administration and ensure that murder continues to decline and crime in general. Some of the dynamics that has led to the reduction in murder include the fact that many of the old gangsters are either dead or in jail. Others have left the country and others are too old to gang bang. They are fathers and granddads and many have, themselves experienced the tragedy of having family or friends gunned down. The younger males seem to steer away from gangster life styles and many of them are turning to more positive activities. The police continue to garner results on criminal activity and records will show that most of the murders committed over the past several months have been solved. And the courts are doing their role in bringing murderers to justice. They are meeting out heavy jail time to killers. Many of the cases being brought to trial are recent murders and this allows the family and other survivors to bring closure to the loss of loved ones. Yes everyone is concerned that there were 74 murders so far this year. But yet they should be thankful that it is 33 less lives lost than this time last year. Bahamians should work together until there is no killings in this country.
sheeprunner12 8 years, 2 months ago
The (PLP) government cannot gloat over a decline in the 2016 murder count because it was the same two-faced PLP who blamed the FNM for a rise in the 2007-12 murder count, but they conveniently forget the late 1970s-1980s era when this country was a drug boss haven...................... a crime of passion or greed has to do with social maladjustment and dysfunctional homes ............... legislators can only manage the legal regime and facilitate smooth functioning of the courts/police/prison services
Publius 8 years, 2 months ago
This is a stupid statement by Minnis, as usual.
stillwaters 8 years, 2 months ago
Wow.........jeez
HarryWyckoff 8 years, 2 months ago
Of course these worthless f#cks will never release the attempted murder count.
That would show that nothing has gone anywhere but up (just a rise in idiot thugs leaving schools unable to speak, yet along fire a gun correctly), so it won't happen.
And the Tribune's 'reporters' also seem to be a product of those schools, and seem unable to actually leave their air conditioned offices and get those figures.
Welcome to the end game. This country is about to become worse than Haiti ever was.
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