Devastation in Abaco after Hurricane Dorian.
By RIEL MAJOR
Tribune Staff Reporter
rmajor@tribunemedia.net
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Phillip ‘Brave’ Davis has called on the government to recall parliament so the opposition can “assist in the governance” of Hurricane Dorian recovery efforts.
Speaking at a PLP press conference yesterday, Mr Davis said parliament provides a free forum where the collective voices of the citizenry can be officially heard through there duly elected leaders.
He said: “I am not satisfied that the opposition was properly or fully engaged in a support role during the preparation and post assessment in restoration phases of this natural and national disaster. In these extraordinary circumstances all assets are to be pooled or called upon in a collective and unified effort.
“The opposition caucus, our constitutional positions paid by the Bahamian taxpayers to assist in the governance of this country. The national efforts surrounding Dorian that we support come under the umbrella of governance and the opposition has a role to play.”
He added: “I wish publicly in this regard to call on the government to recall parliament ahead of its schedule 2nd of October 2019.”
The opposition leader said he wanted the recall so the opposition and government can have a “special sitting to discuss this monumental and epic event that is historic in nature.”
“In fact, I’ve been attempting to determine if he had any such experience before. There was an 1899 hurricane that took 338 lives. There was a 1926 hurricane that 104 to 140 lives. There was the 1932 hurricane which was a category 5 that took 16 lives that decimated Marsh Harbour,” he said.
“When you look back to determine whether any like experiences. We don’t have it and with the amount of all the reports coming to me with all the experiences with like the five members of Grand Bahama would have had.
He added: “Don’t you think it would be an appropriate venue for them to come to parliament and speak of their experiences and the experiences their constituents were having so that the public can be made aware and we hear the voices of our people through the representatives. It’s not an unheard-of event, in our west minister system parliaments are recalled particularly in times of natural disasters such as we are having now.”
Comments
K4C 5 years, 1 month ago
Jumpin' Jehosaphat this little porky man thinks it is still about politics
CatIslandBoy 5 years, 1 month ago
This would really be a good time for Mr. Davis to sit small. He does not have to speak evertime someone places a microphone in his face - especially if he has nothing worthwhile to say.
Apostle 5 years, 1 month ago
Seriously Brave, call back parliament? If you are serious about assisting, you would go to NEMA and volunteer. How would the PLP help in parliament? By grandstanding? By telling Minnis "how worthless he and his government is and that you and the PLP can do it better? This is not the time Sir. Please stop. This government did way more in a far less time than the PLP did with Matthew, but you so polarized you'll never see nor admit. This we all know, so you just need to sit in the corner, across your legs with a cup of hot milk turn on the tv to ZNS at 8pm, call your colleagues to do the same and maybe you'll learn that someone really is running this country.
Dawes 5 years, 1 month ago
Thats right call back Parliament so more people in Government will have to be focused on getting ready for that instead of doing whatever they can in Abaco, Grand Bahama and the other islands with the evacuees. Why? All because of politics,
sealice 5 years, 1 month ago
Yes the PLP will only help it's supporters or do anything for their supporters. What about the rest of the country? What'd you get like 25% of the vote last time... OK so you'll help a chosen portion of the population like you already do?? tell us something new please
And your people are doing so well I mean i heard centreville might get toilets soon... and Andros that big Bamsi building that burnt to the ground you couldn't build or fix that so how are you going to help? Bury you head back in it's whole and stop wasting time on a country wide basis.
joeblow 5 years, 1 month ago
If the PLP want to assist, they can just do it. No need for political grandstanding!
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