NASSAU, BAHAMAS — While acknowledging the high level of frustration among the Bahamian people, Minister of Financial Services, Trade and Industry and Immigration Elsworth Johnson said they have not laid the blame at the feet of the Minnis administration.
“I think we’re looking very good,” Johnson said before heading into the weekly Cabinet meeting today.
“Obviously, the frustration index is high [but] the good thing, when I go through my [constituency], they’re not putting it at the feet of the Minnis government.
“When men and women are unable to take care of their families — they can’t go to work, the bills are still coming, the food has to be there — they fully appreciate that we can’t feed everybody, you can’t pay every light bill, but it is still frustrating.
“And so, for me, I am fully capable of giving an account of my stewardship as a minister and as a member of Parliament.”
He continued: “I think we’re looking very well. We just have to push and, at the end of the day, God’s will be done. In a constitutional democracy, you have to accept the will of the people and that’s the beauty of it all.”
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought about a stalled global economy and the furloughing of thousands of workers in The Bahamas, the government has assisted tens of thousands of households with food assistance via the National Food Distribution Task Force and spent in excess of $230 million in income support and unemployment assistance — programs that have been extended numerous times.
The unemployment assistance program is expected to run until the end of February after running for nearly 12 months.
As it relates to the government’s handling of the pandemic, Johnson said The Bahamas has fared much better than a host of other countries, including developed ones.
“There is a third surge; we haven’t experienced that,” he said.
“Our ratings around the world are much better and I want to commend the Bahamian people.
“Even though it has been, sometimes, a little unharmonious in terms of the lockdowns or whatever have you, we have demonstrated great discipline in terms of social distancing, following the protocols…”
Johnson’s sister, Kim Johnson-Rolle, was the first recorded COVID-19 death in The Bahamas during the first wave of the virus.
“Unfortunately, my sister was the first one who met her demise as a result of COVID, so it’s still very fresh. It’s still very real,” he said.
“And persons who we never thought who have [died] — ASP Strachan, I worked with him in the police force, strong gentleman, he passed as a result of COVID.
“But looking generally as to how we’ve done, I think we’ve done extremely well, considering that what we thought were stringent measures.
“The world and the US, if you look at the US, are taking Draconian measures…”
Johnson said the public cannot let its guard down and there remains room for improvement.
The Bahamas has recorded low single-digit COVID-19 cases in recent days.
Johnson also called on political opponents to “turn it down a bit”, noting that measures for the betterment of the country should be supported “so we can get back to normalcy as best we can”.
This man is delusional. Both the FNM and PLP have failed the Bahamian people. Why would we single out on when we know this is the fault of all of them. Garbage.