The Tribune

FREEPORT - DR Michael Darville said government was in the process of properly structuring and putting legislation in place for the new Ministry of Grand Bahama.

Dr Darville, MP for Pineridge, said he was looking forward to the huge task ahead as the new Minister for Grand Bahama.

"It is a large ministry and we are in the process of structuring it properly and getting it off the ground. It is on the move and I will be travelling to New Providence for our first Cabinet meeting as to legislation for the ministry," he told The Tribune.

Prime Minister Perry Christie promised to implement a Ministry for Grand Bahama within his first 100 days of taking office.

The PLP government won 29 of the 38 seats in Parliament. Grand Bahamians delivered three of five seats to the PLP - Marco City, Pineridge and West Grand Bahama and Bimini.

Dr Darville, a medical practitioner, won the Pineridge seat by 827 votes, defeating FNM MP Kwasi Thompson.

When asked about his win, Dr Darville said he his hard work had paid off.

"I anticipated the win because of my consistent work in the area," he said.

"It is good to win. I have been in the area working for two years in advance of (my nomination and campaign) and my hard work showed in the election results."

Dr Darville also noted that Grand Bahama was facing serious economic challenges and high unemployment.

Many persons were displaced from their jobs and experienced difficulty paying their mortgages, utilities, and feeding their families, he said.

"Because of those severe economic situations and the failure of the FNM, people felt left out.

"As a candidate I went into the area and discussed our plans and our platform of what we plan to do for Grand Bahama, and the implementation of a new Grand Bahama Ministry to create economic opportunity and employment," Dr Darville said.

Dr Darville stated that his win by more than 800 votes was a clear reflection of the people's frustration, and the neglect that took place in Grand Bahama over the last five years under the FNM.

Dr Darville said the needs of the people in Pineridge were tremendous.

"I have a huge task ahead... many in PR are unemployed and had worked in the hotel sector and tourism industry, which have been significantly affected," he said.

Dr Darville stressed that the PLP would move swiftly with its plans as indicated in its 'charter of governance' to address the needs of Grand Bahama, which is the second largest population in the Bahamas.

He said the mandate of the Ministry of Grand Bahama was to work in conjunction with all government ministries to create economic and empowerment opportunities and growth for residents.

"The ministry will work hand in hand with the other ministries in GB and relevant ministers to address some of our specific needs."

Dr Darville said the GB ministry would also work in conjunction with the Grand Bahama Port Authority to create a better working environment, and to ensure that it create access for economic growth in conjunction with the ministry.

In the charter of governance, he said, the PLP will also seek the expansion of the industrial and agricultural sectors; lower the cost of electricity through proper regulatory legislation to ensure that there was no overcharging of electricity bills.

"We want to ensure that the calibration of meters is right because people were questioning whether the reading was right," he said.

Dr Darville said another major mandate of the Ministry of Grand Bahama was extension of duty free concessions for East and West Grand Bahama to bring economic growth in those areas.

Grand Bahama Businessman Forrester Carroll said that the PLP win will be good for Grand Bahama.

He said the election of three PLP MPs in Grand Bahama, including Dr Darville and lawyer Gregory Moss, brings five years of 'lacklustre' representation in Grand Bahama.

Mr Carroll said thousands of ordinary Bahamians lost their jobs, their careers, their middle-class status and their homes while the FNM team of cabinet ministers kept 'silent as lambs' and 'did nothing' to change the course to GB's economic ruin.

"May 7 saw the return to Parliament of the Progressive Liberal Party (as the government) led by the Rt Hon Perry Gladstone Christie, replacing Hubert Ingraham's Free National Movement and signalling the end of a brutal five-year economic period, which claimed the majority of assets and other financial resources of hundreds of unsuspecting and unprepared Bahamians.

"Particularly for Grand Bahama was the significance of the election of Dr Michael Darville, a well known and well loved medical practitioner, and Mr Gregory Moss, a lawyer/businessman by profession. I say that their election was significant because it ends five years' of lacklustre representation by the Free National Movement's team of eight parliamentarians (five MPs, three of whom were cabinet ministers and one the deputy speaker of the House and three Senators) who literally stood by and watched as Grand Bahama Island slowly fell deeper and deeper into the abyss of economic depredation.

"Five years can be a very long time when you are waiting for urgent relief from financial hopelessness and certain ruin. So May 7 couldn't come quickly enough ..."