|
|
|
|
Last Updated: May 1, 2017 - 11:13:18 AM |
 Nassau, Bahamas - Sidney Collie, Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman, issued the following statement regarding Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe and the Fyre Festival in Exuma:
“Try though it might, the PLP simply hide from its integral role in the utter disaster known as Fyre Festival 2017.
Nor can the governing party escape responsibility for the widespread international embarrassment that has resulted from its total failure to properly oversee the planning and staging of the event, not to mention the vetting of those involved.
Yet for months leading up to the event, Tourism officials repeatedly touted the government’s intimate involvement with the details of this shameful catastrophe.
On March 6, 2017, the Ministry issued a press release claiming that, 'local authorities have been working hard over the past months to prepare for the inaugural kickoff on April 28. No efforts have been spared to ensure a wonderful experience for each of the thousands of guests coming for Fyre Festival 2017.'
In the very same press release, none other than Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe himself announced that: 'We’re working closely with the Fyre Festival team to ensure that visitors have an unforgettable trip to the Exumas.'
Another official press release, issued April 3, 2017, notes that: 'The Ministry of Tourism has been working tirelessly with Fyre Festival organizers to ensure that the 2017 festival is unforgettable for the over 5,000 guests expected to descend on the island…'
Despite the Ministry’s best efforts to distance itself from this disaster, the international community is fully aware of our government’s involvement in the Fyre Festival.
An article in Vanity Fair described The Bahamas as 'invested in this grand brand-building experiment'.It added: 'In the months leading up to the first weekend, Bahamian officials coordinated closely with the organizers. They’ve readied the excursions, provided the jet skis for rent, made the yacht marinas available, and tapped the University of Bahamas culinary division to prepare food. The many businesses involved are depending on Fyre’s ability to deliver.'
The minister must publicly apologize for his part in dragging the good name of the Bahamas through the mud on the international stage.
Coming so soon after the Caribbean Muzik Festival disaster, which saw his Ministry spend half a million dollars on another event that also descended into chaos, Fyre Festival is a damning indictment on Wilchcombe and his tenure in charge of our nation's most important industry".
© Copyright 2017 by thebahamasweekly.com
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
