The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

WITH the Boundaries Commission expected to table its long-awaited report in Parliament today, Berry Islands residents are calling for their own parliamentary seat, warning that proposals to merge the island with Bimini would once again leave them overlooked.

The Berry Islands are currently paired with North Andros and were previously combined with Bimini. Sources say the Davis administration is expected to propose changes that would again pair the island with Bimini.

The Tribune understands the report also recommends creating a new seat in western New Providence, combining multiple communities, including parts of Killarney, under a single electoral boundary.

When contacted for comment yesterday, many Berry Islands residents told The Tribune that the island deserves a representative from their own community who can properly advocate for their needs in Parliament.

They argue that when paired with larger or more politically dominant islands, the Berry Islands are routinely marginalised.

Erica Knowles, a Berry Islands resident, said she was surprised to learn of the proposed new seat configuration.

“This is news to me. As always they don’t consult with the people. They just do their own thing,” she said.

Ms Knowles expressed disappointment that the Berry Islands would once again be grouped with another island.

“We are paired with North Andros, and so they are combining us with Bimini again,” she said. “I just think that the Berry Islands need to be a standalone seat. That’s my feeling on the whole thing.”

When asked why, she said past pairings have brought little benefit to residents.

“It doesn’t matter who they pair us with, nothing gets done in any event,” she said.

Ms Knowles believes a separate constituency would improve representation.

“It would be better if we could have persons from the community who have an interest in the community to represent us because as of now, representation is severely lacking.”

She pointed to several longstanding challenges, including poor telecommunications.

“BTC is non existent on the island. They closed their location due to mould and that was over maybe two years ago, and the building never reopened. So, they don’t have a presence here,” Ms Knowles said.

She said the absence of on-island technicians has made service unreliable.

“In the last several days alone, we’ve been having challenges. You may not have even been able to reach me if you tried to call like three hours ago because the system was just down for hours, and that’s every day.”

Banking services are also limited, with only a credit union operating on the island. Ms Knowles said even that service was recently under threat due to low transaction volumes.

Infrastructure remains another concern, particularly delayed road works.

“They’ve been doing the road works now for three years. The work has been off and on, but mostly off,” she said, adding that activity has resumed as elections approach.

She also noted ongoing challenges in education, including a shortage of teachers.

However, Ms Knowles said some development is taking place through cruise-related projects at Great Stirrup Cay, where construction is nearing completion on what will be known as Pleasure Island. Once completed, the Berry Islands will host two cruise ports, in addition to Little Stirrup Cay’s Perfect Day at Coco Cay.

VJ Reckley agreed that the Berry Islands need their own seat, saying past arrangements with Bimini and Andros have consistently left the islands overlooked.

“I think we should get our separate seat because don’t care who you put us with, they always put us last,” Mr Reckley said.

Though originally from Andros, Mr Reckley has lived and worked in the Berry Islands as a landscaper for many years.

“I’ve been here long enough to know that we need our own representative to just focus on what the Berry Islands need,” he said.

He described telecommunications as one of the most pressing issues.

“The phone service is deplorable. You can’t hold a decent conversation because it is always dropping,” he said.

Mr Reckley also raised concerns about emergency services, noting that while the island recently received a fire truck through private efforts, residents still lack access to a public ambulance.

“Anyone here gets sick, you have to get transported by private vehicle,” he said.

Alexandria Moss said residents should have been consulted before any changes were made to constituency boundaries, noting that decisions are often taken without local input.

She argued that under the current pairing with North Andros, Great Harbour Cay generates more revenue but receives fewer infrastructure upgrades, pointing to long-delayed road works and the need for a new school rather than temporary repairs.

“It should not take you four years to complete roads,” she said. “And the school, we don’t need no more patching here and there, we need a new school.”

Ms Moss also raised concerns about unsafe government buildings and limited social services, noting that the Berry Islands share a social worker with North Andros who visits only every few months.

Residents said these recurring challenges are why the Berry Islands should have a dedicated representative, one from their community focused solely on its needs.