By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

ABACO residents yesterday suggested the island was “on the edge” of “serious tragedy” in coming months due to the government’s “inaction and mismanagement” of the ongoing shanty town crisis.

Labour Minister Senator Dion Foulkes led the government-appointed shanty town committee on tours of several of the major shanty towns on the island, where officials estimate some 10,000 migrants illegally reside.

Mr Foulkes, the committee’s chairman, was visibly shocked by much of what he saw during his treks through the Farm Lands, Sand Banks, the Mud and Pigeon Peas shanty towns, telling The Tribune the government is treating the matter with a sense of “urgency”.

At the Marsh Harbour government complex following Sunday’s tour, Mr Foulkes insisted all of the areas seen were a “major catastrophe waiting to happen”.

“People could actually die,” he said.

“In some of these communities there aren’t one single home built to code, so the question is how we can go about addressing this matter in a way that is humane and considerate to the persons living in here?” he added.

Referring to makeshift power generating systems scattered around the muddled communities, Mr Foulkes said: “Just on this visit today, I saw three major generators that had 20 to 50 different lines connected to that generator.”

Law enforcement officers who aided Mr Foulkes on his tour claimed similar systems could be blamed for as many as four major fires in the past.

To that end Mr Foulkes said: “We can’t have these communities operating like this. We saw wires running along the ground. I am talking about exposed wires that can be affected by rain and floods. If that isn’t bad enough, we have exposed extension cords being wired irresponsibly to huge generators which are running in close proximity to big drums of fuel.”

During a stop in the Mud, a man believed to be the operator of a similar setup that exploded into flames and destroyed several homes in the past were questioned by police.

Over the course of that exchange, the operator denied he was still in the business of producing power, but admitted the business was too lucrative for people to stay away.

“It’s a money maker. You supply the fuel and generator, you can have everybody running to hook up in no time,” he told one of the government officials touring with Mr Foulkes.

“Small business could grow big very fast. I charged $25 per week. Other people will ask for more and get it because people want and need light,” he said.

His claim became even more evident the further the group pushed into the Mud and then on to the Pigeon Peas – The Tribune counted three small single stove eateries, three clothing stores, four small liquor stores, four mobile phone top-up stalls, four barbers and six convenience stores.

All either running on small generators just outside the establishment or illegal connections feed through windows or walls.

This challenge, according to Marsh Harbour Township Chairman Roscoe Thompson, has created an entire subculture that stifles a large portion of Abaco’s economy.

“You have all of these people through whatever means, legal or illegal, earning money that they never put back into the economy. Thousands of people either shipping money out of the country or basically burying it in their isolated community. But, they use the schools; the clinics; when the fires happen, we have to find our way in to assist,” he said.

“This isn’t a system that can work long-term,” he added.

When asked by The Tribune for a timeline of the government’s efforts in Abaco yesterday, Mr Foulkes said the Minnis administration doesn’t intend to “storm in.”

Rather, according to Mr Foulkes, the government intends to move with a level of “calm and decency”.

He said: “In the majority of these towns, the majority of persons living in them are children. Out concern in how do we get in there at a time when school is done and with enough warning to these persons. Our goal isn’t to storm in there and level everything. As I said before, we are a Christian nation and our action will, no matter what, reflect that.”

Mr Foulkes added: “Away from the kids, some of these persons have spousal and work permits and they are permitted to be here. We want to give them time to find homes and locations away from these communities.”

He continued: “Then you have the issue of illegals. That is an immigration matter, and we are working closely with persons out of immigration to ensure that they are on hand to manage and assess persons that fall out of the category of legal.”

“I am working very closely with the defence force, police and immigration; so this is a very coordinated effort already.

“I have about 12 ministries and departments represented on this committee, we are going to do it humanely and respectfully.”

Earlier this month, Works Minister Desmond Bannister said the government was working to fully “eradicate” shanty towns, focusing on clean up and removal as opposed to regulating these areas.

However, Mr Foulkes clarified those claims to highlight the government’s intention to be more understanding.

He said: “I think that is what Minister Bannister meant when he said we are going to eradicate them, he was referring to are those structures that aren’t up to code. He used a different term than I am using, he used removal and eradicate; I’m saying removal and end unregulated structures.”

The Abaco Shantytown Action Task Force, chaired by Administrator Maxine Duncombe, was established to directly manage all efforts on the island.