By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

KEY Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supporters in Abaco want a candidate to challenge Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder in the party’s nomination race, citing dissatisfaction with his performance and attitude.

Several PLP supporters, speaking to The Tribune on condition of anonymity yesterday, highlighted their discontent and said they have raised their concerns with party officials.

The Tribune understands that some supporters even publicly criticised Mr Pinder’s performance during a recent branch meeting attended by Prime Minister Philip Davis, who reportedly issued a sharp rebuke of public officials and contractors over the slow pace of reconstruction.

Mr Pinder could not be reached for comment despite multiple attempts from this newspaper yesterday, while the PLP branch chairman for the Central and South Abaco area declined to comment. PLP chairman Fred Mitchell declined to comment.

Some residents, including party supporters, claim Mr Pinder has not been visible enough in the community. Others have raised concerns about what they describe as his dismissive attitude.

Patrice Williams, Spring City’s local government township representative, said his handling of the Dorian debris site had left much to be desired.

She said she attended a recent town hall meetings with him, and his responses to residents’ concerns were disappointing.

“He got up and flared up and jump up and said he have to go and blame the FNM,” she said. “He telling people to go ahead and write to the government, call this one and call that one.”

She said when residents asked why they couldn’t write to him directly, he told them they had better contacts with government officials than he did.

She also questioned the veracity of Mr Pinder’s recent comments about the Dorian debris site near Spring City, which he said is nearly fully demobilised. 

She said the site continues to burn, blanketing the area in smoke, with a pile of debris still remaining.

However, she did commend Mr Pinder for helping with infrastructure projects in the area, such as repairing the community centre and installing lights and Wi-Fi at the basketball park.

“They were not maintained for a long time because the lights was turned off eventually, and whatnot, the Internet was gone must be months after that, but he did help us,” she said.

“I knew him before politics and I never knew he was that kind of person,” she said, referring to his attitude.

Hope Town resident and former district council member Junior Mernard noted mixed reviews about Mr Pinder’s performance in Hope Town, adding that most complaints appear to be coming from mainland Abaco.

He said some Hope Town residents have complained that Mr Pinder failed to rebuild the post office and provide housing for the police, as he had promised.

Meanwhile, he said there has been significant discontent in mainland Abaco over the poor state of road infrastructure.

“I think the odds are against him. I don’t hope for him to lose, but I just think he has an uphill battle,” he said.

Mr Mernard believes Mr Pinder had good intentions but lacked government support to fulfil his goals, describing his efforts as constrained by the Cabinet.

“We know where his heart is. His heart is definitely with his community. I feel very sorry for him,” he added. “So I’m not going to judge his performance because his performance is is held hostage by the government and the Cabinet.”

Sources said some supporters are actively searching for a viable candidate to challenge Mr Pinder in the nomination race. However, The Tribune understands there have been difficulties identifying the right person for the job.