The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

OPPOSITION Leader Phillip "Brave" Davis said there is simmering discontent and a growing sense of desperation in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian due to a lack of leadership in the country.

He made his comments in a critical letter sent to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis last Friday, when he also suggested former Prime Ministers Perry Christie and Hubert Ingraham should assist the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. The Tribune has learned a copy of Mr Davis' letter was also emailed to the former prime ministers.

Mr Davis asked the former leaders to "bring your influence to bear in assisting in this our time of unimaginable destruction to our country".

Meanwhile at a press conference yesterday, Mr Davis called on the government to prematurely recall Parliament so the opposition can "assist in the governance" of Hurricane Dorian recovery efforts. He said Parliament provides a free forum where the collective voices of the citizenry can be officially heard through elected leaders.

He said he was not satisfied that the opposition was properly or fully engaged in a support role during the preparation or post-assessment of the monster storm.

Mr Davis' letter read: "It has now been four days since the passage of this devastating Category Five hurricane and there is a sense of disorganisation and a lack of leadership that is fueling simmering discontent and a growing sense of desperation, despair and hopelessness among the general population."

Noting there was a growing view that the National Emergency Management Agency was not up to the task, Mr Davis' letter continued: "You spoke of the resilience of the Bahamian people. Our people possess an indomitable spirit, but the myriad of commentaries suggest that this indomitable spirit is being sapped and weakened by the handling of this national crisis."

Mr Davis' criticisms are not the first to emerge as the country continues to reckon with the national crisis.

Former Attorney General Alfred Sears was also among those criticising the response. Chaotic scenes played out in Marsh Harbour, Abaco on Thursday and Friday, when hundreds descended on its battered airport in hopes of being evacuated.

The Tribune interviewed scores of families, who all expressed dissatisfaction over the level of relief coordination.

"Where is the government?" screamed one mother, who had waited on the tarmac with her two children for hours without food or water on Thursday.

Her friend, Jaliza Albury, 30, explained they had been sleeping in their car with four children for three days following the storm. They had been trapped in a crumbling apartment in Dundas Town and forced to wait out the storm on top of a bunk bed in the flooded home.

Ms Albury said she feared her children would get sick if she did not leave the island, where the stench of death was chokingly thick.

"It's like a cesspit, the smell it isn't nice to the nose at all," she said. "It's like faeces and mud and death, everything just pack in one. It isn't livable because anybody can get sick."

Ms Albury continued: "A lot of people cannot live here, there is nowhere to live. There is nothing. We were living out of my car."

Volunteer David Thompson, 34, was visibly angered by the level of disorganisation at the airport on Thursday.

He had lived on Abaco for 11 years, and had lost more than a million dollars he'd invested into his restaurant the Blue Hole.

Mr Thompson told The Tribune he'd spent the days following the storm assisting relief efforts to clear the road, clean the clinic, and distribute aid.

At that time, he said the level of police and military presence in Marsh Harbour was still relatively low and he felt the town was on the brink of combustion.

"With lack of supplies, it turns to a kind of madhouse," Mr Thompson said. "Persons trying to snatch and grab to provide food for their families...as far as government influence, there has not been much at all. For a private entity to be jumping in here and doing better than what the government is doing is a shame and the only thing (government) done is hindered the process. All that has happened on this island so far has been from locals."

Mr Thompson said the devastation was compounded by reports Bahamasair had been charging for flights off the island. This fee has since been discontinued.

More than 4,000 people have been evacuated from Abaco and Grand Bahama since the monster storm ripped through the Northwest Bahamas.

In his letter last Friday, Mr Davis wrote he personally reached out to Dr Minnis several times in the days before and after Dorian made landfall. He said his formal letter was triggered by personal feedback from people directly and indirectly affected by the storm, specifically Moore's Island and Treasure Cay.

Of particular concern, the letter read, were repeated bureaucratic delays that prevented the distribution of relief to those with the greatest need.

He noted his party's trip to West End, Grand Bahama last Thursday, and Freeport on Friday had to be cancelled due to seemingly excessive delays.

Mr Davis stressed the cancellation was unacceptable for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition - a post he maintained should not be restrained from movement throughout the country to lend assistance.

He said the opposition was provided with an aircraft by the state to move freely through the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

"If the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, a constitutional office, is treated in this manner, one can only imagine the treatment, roadblocks and the resulting frustration of private donors, both local and international," the letter read.

Mr Davis claimed local media headlines and social media commentary were consistent with international reports. He pointed to an observation by CNN reporter Patrick Oppmann, who said he was "not sure there is anyone in charge here", concerning rescue operations in Freeport shortly after the storm.

Mr Davis said the opposition's efforts were not about public relations, but saving lives and bringing relief expeditiously.

He acknowledged relief and restoration operation is the legal responsibility of the government to lead and own, adding the opposition would continue to assist the national effort by making available professional skill sets, international partners, and leveraging relationships.

Dr Minnis will speak to the nation during a national broadcast tonight.