By Youri Kemp
Security is a primary concern for restarting commerce in Abaco and bringing in international cargo, the island's Chamber of Commerce President Ken Hutton warned yesterday.
Hutton told Tribune Business: "Inadequate security is a very big factor in us getting businesses restarted because the place is just not secure. The police don't have enough vehicles to respond to calls on the island."
As commerce tries to restart Hutton believes it is vital police and defence force officers are able to respond to criminal incidents when they are reported.
He complained police don't have enough vehicles to respond to calls and feared the situation is only going to get deteriorate "as more lootings and robberies are taking place".
"My lumber yard was broken into again," he said.
Hutton added: "There is also no security at the ports of entry. The docks are totally and completely unsecured."
Because of this, Hutton says businesses cannot safely import cargo into Abaco and as a result the economy can't get going again.
Hutton was careful to dispel suggestions there were armed militias roaming the island.
"What we do have is armed homeowners who are protecting their property, but there are no armed militias moving around in Abaco," he said.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 1 month ago
The national flag of Haiti now flies over Marsh Harbour and all of Central Abaco. As the saying goes, times have sure changed.
FreeportFreddy 5 years, 1 month ago
Keep blaming....accept some responsibility for the way it currently is.
Stop being racist!!!!
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 1 month ago
Aahh, yes......that tired 'ole racist card gets played whenever a 'true' Bahamian speaks out.
And pray tell, just why should I have to accept any responsibility for the invasion of my country by many thousands of Haitian nationals who are here in The Bahamas illegally, many of whom have fraudulently obtained (bought) documents from corrupt immigration and other government officials??!! These illegal Haitian aliens are a deadly cancer on our society because their overwhelming numbers are crushing our country's finances to the point where our natural heritage and way of life are on the verge of being annihilated. Only a select few wealthy Bahamians have wrongfully benefited from the exploitation of their labour, while the rest of us are left to foot the bill and suffer the very harmful consequences of their illegal presence in our country.
Many 'true' Bahamians do not find it at all amusing that the Marsh Harbour office of our Department of Immigration was for many years prior to Dorian located just across the street from Da Mudd shanty town.
BahamaPundit 5 years, 1 month ago
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Donnaree 5 years, 1 month ago
Wonderful response to the racist card. But the implications was that the Haitians are here in Abaco because the Caucasian brought them in Abaco for cheap Labor many years back and now it's hard to get them out. Only a small group of them was allowed to stay on the land then like sardines and wild fire they smeared all over the place. As for the immigration office being across from da Mudd, it started from the heads in Nassau. Those corrupt officials in the immigration department and those three old heads that minded the port of entry now for decades,suspicious. Hey, why they hasn't been retired as yet? And you are right God give this Bahama land to us just like he gave the children of Israel their land and none other should take this land away from us. God has spoken in action and next time he just might wipe us of the map. Take heed Prime Minister!
BahamaPundit 5 years, 1 month ago
They keep trying to silence this issue. The time for silence is over. Instead, the call should be louder. Any leader that doesn't deal with the Haitian immigration chrisis should be run out of town. Anyone who calls Bahamians racist for speaking their mind about the loss of their country -- this country is already lost BTW -- should hang their head in disgrace. This is not about hate, we simply want to humanely repatriate every Haitian on our shores. Dorian revealed the extent of the problem and only fools would fail to act after receiving this new knowledge.
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