By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Report

rwells@tribunemedia.net

FORMER FNM Chairman Darron Cash criticised Prime Minister Perry Christie and four senior members of his Cabinet for the group’s poor handling of the controversial Marathon fuel leak that left area residents potentially exposed to cancer-causing agents.

Mr Cash yesterday insisted that the attitudes and behaviour of Mr Christie, Marathon member of Parliament Jerome Fitzgerald, Minister of the Environment Kenred Dorsett, Minister of Health Dr Perry Gomez and Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson demonstrated that they put their personal and political interests above the health and safety of the Bahamian people.

According to Mr Cash, the present government “failed in their number one job”. He added that the “lazy, lackadaisical, hypocritical and insensitive” actions of the Christie administration placed the health and safety of the Bahamian people at risk.

“For the people of Marathon, the ‘unkindest cut of all’ came from their own member of Parliament, Jerome Fitzgerald,” said Mr Cash.

“Before he was elected to Parliament and became a minister, this so-called environmentalist made multiple pilgrimages to Saunders Beach and couldn’t stop talking about the damage the FNM government was doing to the precious sand on the beach.”

Mr Cash argued that the Marathon MP remained “quieter than a church mouse” despite requests by area residents to look into the matter. “(Mr) Fitzgerald was ‘Mr Tough Guy’ when he wanted to be,” added Mr Cash.

A report by Black and Veatch International was completed and submitted to the government on February 20, 2014. However, according to Mr Fitzgerald, the report was not made public until last week because of an executive decision by the Office of the Attorney General. The report confirmed the community and residents were possibly exposed to harmful chemicals.

Mr Cash questioned the actions of the government during this time. He said that the government’s handling of this matter was “nothing short of an eyes-wide-open disgraceful dereliction of duty” by a group that places special interests first and the interests of the Bahamian people last.

“To add insult to injury, the minister of the environment was on the news last evening talking about how this is a ‘teachable moment.’

“A few weeks ago, after the comedy of errors surrounding the BAMSI fire were revealed—after his government had flushed several million dollars down the toilet—Prime Minister Christie described his government’s gross incompetence as a ‘teachable moment’.”

Mr Cash said this “teachable moment” could affect human lives.