The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

SOME Nassau Village residents have bad reviews about their current area MP Halson Moultrie while giving mixed opinions about the election hopefuls wanting to be their representative.

While The Tribune canvassed the area yesterday, there was a large consensus that House Speaker Moultrie was not connected to the community and did not deliver meaningful changes that the area badly needs.

But it was not clear if the majority favoured the Progressive Liberal Party’s Jamal Strachan or former Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) president Nicole Martin, who is waiting to be ratified by the Free National Movement.

When comparing Mr Moultrie and Ms Martin, 36-year-old Armand Williams said he felt that the former union leader would be a better representative because she has a bond with the community while the current MP does not.

“He just neglects us,” he said. “I mean he just has us on the backburner. Whatever issue we have with him, he don’t approach the issue. He don’t deal with the issue and the small matters. These ain’t like no big matters he can’t deal with himself.

“The way he was going about his duties could be done better. I feel like he should have a better bond with the people and not look at his position as just a position to be in Parliament.

“We have a UTU (United Through Us) that we do every Sunday and it’s a community event for the past month we’ve had the community event and we’ve not seen Moultrie to give not even a dollar.”

He highlighted issues in the area’s park, such as not having the keys for the facility’s bathroom to garbage being dumped behind.

Although he described Ms Martin as someone “wonderful” for the community, he took issue with her recent 41-second viral video that shows her dancing to “No Retreat, No Surrender” by dancehall artist Terror Fabulous as she says she is ready to be the next Nassau Village representative. He said this gave the impression that Nassau Village was a “gangster” place.

Another resident, 58-year-old Steven Missick, is in support of Ms Martin and argued that she deserves a chance.

“I’m willing to go with her any day. If she comes, I’ll sign right now,” he said. “I see she walk around and talk to people and she comes here . She showed love and fed the people and gave them something to drink.”

“Although I just met her, I rather give her a chance. He (Mr Moultrie) had his time and he just want to talk to people now because it’s almost voting time.”

Another resident Elric Collie said the electorate wants the current prime minister gone and are going to vote the Free National Movement out regardless of who runs in any constituency.

He said: “The parties have been putting some good people out there and then the parties’ leaders have been doing some things that contrary to the good people by not providing adequate jobs and services because when you look at these areas the people are suffering and sometimes it don’t take you coming here and offering me a job, but you could simply do (things) that could create an environment that people feel as though that they are home.

“I think Mr Moultrie had a good plan to do some good things around but at the end of the day he found out that his hands were tied because he was too politically intertwined and you had to go with the party thing.”

He sees potential in Mr Strachan, however.

Mr Collie added: “Jamal Strachan personally I met him once or twice, but regardless of meeting him I think that he offers something to this area in terms of youth. In terms of trying to stimulate the youth. He comes from a humble background... and trying to come to the area to work.

“Nicole Martin, she should’ve run in the last election and I think she would’ve made this area a better representative than the one who was here, but regardless of how much pull she thinks she has, she’s not going to win here.”

The 54-year old is a former Nassau Village resident, but although he no longer resides there, he visits regularly to see his children.