The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PROMINENT Mount Tabor Church pastor Bishop Neil Ellis has criticised Harbour Island residents whose protests prevented Crystal Cruises from anchoring its ships there as part of its home porting experience in The Bahamas.

Touching on the matter during a service as congregants marked the Independence Day anniversary last week, Bishop Ellis said: “What you see happening with the cruise ships now, two of them cruise porting here in Nassau.

“(God) says that’s a commanded blessing for the country. That is not a political issue. Everybody needs to celebrate it and stop complaining. But He says what Harbour Island did was tragic to their own selves. They rebelled and insisted they do not want the ship there on their island. God says you errant, you allowed stupidity and politics to get in your way of a commanded blessing and he says but your error benefit another island.”

Protests from both Harbour Island and Spanish Wells residents led Crystal Cruises to cancel its plans to call weekly on the islands. The cruise line has instead turned to Cat Island. The cruise line is also visiting Bimini, Great Exuma, San Salvador and Long Island.

In contrast to Harbour Island and Spanish Wells residents, Cat Island residents have praised the cruise line’s arrival, with one business owner there telling this newspaper last month that the move is “desperately” needed to help the island recover from COVID-19.

Bishop Ellis, meanwhile, has occasionally made news by commenting on national affairs.

Last year, he knocked House Speaker Halson Moultrie for complaining about “bathroom issues” in Parliament and Education Minister Jeff Lloyd for saying he won’t engage with Bahamas Union of Teachers President Belinda Wilson anymore because of her behaviour.

During a speech about the ego of King Nebuchadnezzar in October 2020, he criticised Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis as well, saying: “In our country we live in a democracy and I’m saddened over the fact how grown men and women can sit in our Parliament from March to now and still allow the prime minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to act as the one, true and only leader who makes every decision in The Bahamas. How dare y’all.”