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Last Updated: Mar 8, 2017 - 10:57:12 AM |
The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Candidate for Killarney, Arinthia S. Komolafe is calling for better and effective governance of the country. Komolafe was speaking on the ongoing fire at the dump site located off Gladstone Road.
“It is high time that our national leaders stopped implementing adhoc policies and makeshift measures to address matters that are having a significant impact on the lives of Bahamians and residents of The Bahamas from both an environmental and health perspective” said Komolafe.
“We cannot always be in crisis mode; this is even more concerning when the subject matter has been ongoing or been in existence for decades. The Government of The Bahamas must be proactive and not always reacting to issues thereby creating the appearance that we are always being caught off guard. In the case of the fiasco that is the burning dump, administration after administration have failed to implement permanent solutions to alleviate the sufferings of residents of New Providence in general and residents of surrounding areas including Killarney” she continued.
“It is simply unacceptable that in a 21st century Bahamas, we do not have the requisite framework, infrastructure and technology to ensure the proper management of waste. A comprehensive approach which ensures the differentiation of waste, a structured educational and awareness programme, responsible disposal, management and recycling of waste should be adopted without delay” remarked Komolafe.
“The plight of the New Providence landfill highlights several key points as it relates to governance; more specifically, the importance of transparency and accountability in the governance of our country. The DNA is committed to the implementation of a governance overhaul that will ensure that processes for procurements will be open and fair, public tenders will not be skewed to favor a select few, the populace will have uninhibited access to information on how taxpayers’ funds are being spent and Bahamian ownership of our economy becomes a reality. We have a clean energy plan which includes a waste-to-energy facility that will be achieved via a Public Private Partnership (financed by the successful private entity). This process which will be coordinated by a National Procurement Agency will be open, fair and transparent” added Komolafe.
“The current reactive approach to governance is a threat to our sovereignty and financial independence as a nation. Last year, we witnessed how one devastating hurricane placed our fiscal consolidation plan in jeopardy with the Government attributing S&P’s downgrade of our sovereign debt to junk bond status to Hurricane Matthew. The fundamental question is what is our plan as a nation to increase our resilience to natural disasters and provide us with financial protection? What will our fate be if God forbid, we have multiple storms during one hurricane season? When will we get a detailed explanation on the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF)? One thing is certain; Hurricane Matthew exposed the danger of having no disaster risk management programme and the farce of the much touted “self insurance” policy of the Government of The Bahamas” the DNA candidate commented.
“The affairs of our commonwealth must be run and handled with vision, proper planning and with generations yet unborn in mind. Our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters who have been impacted or displaced by this tragedy. May God comfort and guide them during this difficult time” Komolafe concluded.
Arinthia S. Komolafe
DNA Candidate for Killarney
© Copyright 2017 by thebahamasweekly.com
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