I read with interest Mr. McCartney's recent statement to the press on the landfill. It was eloquent and savvy, from a political perspective, in that he attempts to appeal to the Bahamian people and make himself appear some kind of people's advocate. However his assertions that nothing is being done regarding the New Providence Landfill is far from the truth and demonstrates that he did not do his research in his haste to join the conversation on this subject.

The government's acknowledgment and understanding of the plight of residents of neighboring communities of the New Providence Landfill whenever there is a fire is one of the important factors that led to our entering a joint venture with Renew Bahamas to bring solution to this age old problem. I have spoken on many occasions publicly about the need for landfill remediation and visited the landfill this past weekend and released two statements updating the public on what was being done to contain the fire and to expect a burning off for a few days. I do agree with him that successive governments have not properly addressed or solved the Landfill issue but this administration has begun that process and intends to see it through. This effort will bring permanent relief to the residents in the nearby communities, including residents of my constituency and the area where Mr. McCartney lives. The Emergency Response team has and continues to work aggressively to contain the fire. Although I am out of the country, I will continue to brief the public as information is provided to me by my team.

DNA: Cleaning up the City Dump