The Tribune

By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

VENDORS at Potter’s Cay Dock are facing a crackdown as officials move to evict owners who sublease their stalls.

Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources Dr Linda Moxey-Brown said yesterday subleasing government property is an illegal offence.

Dr Moxey-Brown said: “You cannot sublease government property if it’s leased to you. That’s a no-no…you’re robbing from the government. And you want to charge who you proposing to lease to a zillion dollars a week or day or month, which is totally illegal. For that we can send a lot of people to jail without passing go, but folks need to understand that certain things need to be done and done in decency and order.”

Dr Moxey-Brown said if there is a situation, vendors should come to the ministry and discuss things with her or the permanent secretary to find out what can or can’t be done.

She said: “And when you don’t do that, and you go beyond that then you have a problem. As I stated earlier you cannot come to the government for a piece of property and the government is charging you under $50 a month. But for 500 years you have not paid the government $50 a month but yet you find yourself in a given situation financial or otherwise and you want to bring someone in to manage your stall...but you want them to pay $500 a day for $50 stall.

“Then when it comes to the point of you know you’re not doing it right and it comes back to me the ministry. And we find out you’re doing the wrong thing then you want to get upset — it’s too late. You know from the beginning you’re not supposed to do that and hence you have a situation. We cannot do it on Potter’s Cay, and we cannot do it on Arawak Cay which I’m responsible for and I won’t let it happen.”

Dr Moxey-Brown said at the moment too many persons are subleasing their stalls and they will all be weeded out in short order.

She said: “The government’s money is the government’s money.”

Meanwhile, Potter’s Cay Fish, Fruit, and Vegetable Vendors Association President Orminique Bowe is calling for a meeting with Minister of Agriculture Michael Pintard and the dismissal of dock manager Bishop Gregory Minnis.

Ms Bowe said: “We come together in solidarity with The Bahamas Docks and Allied Venues Association to talk about this situation happening at Potter’s Cay Dock. Recently a few of the venders got letters, not even to terminate, saying the leasee in their stalls are now the owners of their stalls. These owners of the stalls were paid up with government.

“Yes, we know under the previous administration we couldn’t lease unless we had a letter from them giving us permission to lease. Under this administration they came and said absolutely no leasing. We understand that but they didn’t give people a chance to have people evicted by themselves. They went ahead and entertain the leasee and let them know not to pay the owners anymore and (they’ll) be receiving a letter to own the stall.”

Ms Bowe said if the association’s cries aren’t heard its members will stage a demonstration.

She said: “We haven’t met with the minister because every time we attempt to send a letter to the minister we have the dock manager that goes ahead and plan these meetings for us speaking about the garbage, stall and things that are not irrelevant.

“We have a new manager and he doesn’t want us to get to the minister and I don’t think the minister or the permanent secretary…we don’t that they know exactly what is going on. We need to see the minister and he needs to give us some answers. He needs to [hear] our cry.

“Otherwise we’ll have a demonstration and we’ll close the area down for a few hours. If that is what it’s going to take for us to get their attention, we are willing and able to do so. We are here to stand and fight for the betterment of Potter’s Cay Dock and our vendors.”

She said the two vendor associations are in the dark about what is going on, but they were told seven stall owners have been evicted with five more expected to be evicted soon.

Dwayne Bastian, president of The Bahamas Docks and Allied Venues Association, said it’s unfair that stalls are being taken away and given to other people.

Mr Bastian said: “I guess the manager here on Potter’s Cay Dock had a mandate as to stalls that were rented or leased and I don’t know if they got the proper information on the stalls rented or leased but a lot of people here on the dock struggling and hurting.

“The stalls are being taken and given to people…I guess their friends or families and it’s not fair. These people been on Potter’s Cay Dock for years some of them made Potter’s Cay Dock to where it is right now.”