By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PAMELA Hart, chairman of the Free National Movement’s Elizabeth constituency branch, reacted with sadness to Dr Duane Sands’ resignation from Cabinet and vowed the group will continue to support him as its MP.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ acceptance of Dr Sands’ resignation on Monday shocked many FNM supporters, sparking fears of disunity and turbulence ahead. Many prominent FNM figures have declined to discuss the matter but Ms Hart said she supports Dr Sands “110 percent.”

“At the end of the day whatever decision our member of Parliament decides to do we will support him 110 percent,” she said. “We have his back no matter what. He was doing an awesome job. He goes beyond the call of duty. I am saddened.”

Ms Hart declined to say if she believes Dr Sands should remain a robust supporter of the FNM. “At this point I would not answer that, honestly,” she said when asked.

Xavier Knowles, a young FNM supporter and former youth officer for the Elizabeth branch, said he is unhappy Dr Minnis accepted Dr Sands’ resignation.

“I am truly saddened by what has transpired because Dr Sands was a really good minister of health,” he said. “As a constituent I am pleased with his performance on the constituency level and national level and I’m sure there are many others who will agree in saying he has served his constituency well and will continue doing so and that he has a bright future ahead.

“I wasn’t happy that (Dr Minnis) accepted the resignation but I know that the prime minister has a job to do and a country to run and hopefully the work of the Ministry of Health will be placed in capable hands to continue the fight against COVID and to transform the healthcare sector of the country.”

Mr Knowles said in his view “FNMs and Bahamians in general are quite disturbed” by what has happened.

“They are saddened by what has transpired because they know that Dr Sands was performing at the best of his ability to ensure that we as a country win this fight against COVID-19 but they understand that that’s just how things work. The prime minister is the prime minister.”

The Elizabeth MP offered his resignation to Dr Minnis for his actions related to six permanent residents who landed in the country last week with COVID-19 testing supplies and were allowed to quarantine at home before they produced a negative COVID-19 test result.

Former Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe connected Dr Sands with donors who supplied 2,500 test swabs that cost $11,250, prompting an effort by the health minister to get the swabs here.

Dr Sands got approval from Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar for a N-578GC aircraft to deliver the supplies to the country.

He then got approval from Immigration Director Clarence Russell for the passengers.

Mr D’Aguilar told Dr Sands officials had been insisting that people coming to the country provide a negative COVID-19 test to gain entry. The Freetown MP deferred to the health minister to make the call and Dr Sands allowed the passengers entry without testing them. During his national address on Sunday, Dr Minnis suggested this was at least part of the protocol breach––the residents were allowed entry without being tested.

Dr Sands initially said only two people had been allowed to disembark in the country. Dr Minnis later revealed it was six. He said they have tested negative for the virus.

Even up to Sunday evening, Dr Sands was defiant about the controversy. At that time, he told this newspaper he was shocked at “how far to the left” the conversation over the matter had gone.

“When you’re trying to solve problems for the public, sometimes it requires to dig deep, to beg and we’ve done a lot of begging based on relationships that you have established over the years with individuals and institutions and universities and countries. It’s called networking. Failing that, you cannot mount a response,” he said Sunday.