The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

THE government’s Over-the-Hill initiative is being ignored because of bureaucracy and its failure to address the root causes of the social and economic challenges facing inner-city residents, according to Progressive Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell.

The senator was responding to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ recent defence of the Economic Empowerment Zone initiative in the face of a low participation rate. On Saturday, Dr Minnis told reporters the inner city was neglected for 50 years and a turnaround cannot be expected quickly.

The Tribune exclusively reported last week that nearly four months after the Over-the-Hill zone went live, just 17 applications for concessions were submitted and of these, 14 were approved.

When asked about it on Saturday, Dr Minnis admitted more needed to be done to inform inner city residents of the initiative’s offerings.

“It’s amazing that the inner city was neglected for 50 years and you want resolution in one. It can’t happen overnight,” he said.

For his part yesterday, Mr Mitchell in a statement said his party took issue with the assertions, claiming that it made significant investments in inner city communities over the course of its representation of these areas.

In fact, Mr Mitchell pointed to Dr Minnis as an example of that investment, noting that his very existence as a product of the inner-city opposes his position on this issue.

Dr Minnis has long highlighted his rise from a young, disenfranchised child of the inner city to noted physician and politician.

“The prime minister is a product of the PLP’s investment in Over-the-Hill, so his very existence exposes the lie that is his assertion,” Mr Mitchell said.

“We go further: many of this country’s leaders over the last 50 years in many areas of national life are also products of the PLP’s investment in the human assets and capital in the inner city. The record is clear and incontrovertible on that fact. The prime minister must not confuse buildings with development and progress.”

He said the initiative continues to be plagued by bureaucracy and its refusal to address root causes of systematic challenges facing inner city residents.

Instead, he said the programme only encourages gentrification and a target for the rich to buy up the valuable real estate and effectively displace those who currently live there.

“The policies of the Minnis government have resulted in higher unemployment and a sour mood throughout those communities,” Mr Mitchell said.