Is your Member of Parliament performing?
By IANTHIA SMITH:
This is the question The Bahama Journal posed to residents in the Farm Road constituency yesterday.
The residents there minced no words in explaining just how they feel about their Member of Parliament, Perry Christie.
Long time Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supporter Prince Arnette said he is disappointed and "feels let down" by Mr. Christie’s performance over the past three years.
"No, he isn’t performing," Mr. Arnette said. "He doesn’t do anything in this area. If you have an MP with such influence and such power, don’t you think your constituency should look like paradise? Well look around, Farm Road is no paradise."
"That man only comes around every five years when it’s time for election. Other than that, this area stays run down and in a mess; he doesn’t bring programmes in the area, he doesn’t help provide jobs, he doesn’t help the youth, he doesn’t do anything and I’m a big time PLP telling you this."
Welder Mark Johnson said he wants to see more done.
"These people around here need help, man," he said. "We need our MP to come around and ask us what it is that we need, what it is that we’re lacking, how is it that crime is affecting us, what are our children doing; how are they doing in school. But Mr. Christie doesn’t know these things because he doesn’t come around."
Another Farm Road resident who goes by the name Tiffany said she feels like "just because we live in the ghetto they don’t want anything to do with us."
"We (haven’t) had any social programmes, we have nothing for the children to do, there have been no renovations to the government homes, the water pump that we all depend on doesn’t work."
"There are no jobs, the park is a mess and Farm Road just gone to the dogs. The MP for this area does nothing and is just sitting by and watching these things get worst and worst."
But the reviews were mixed.
There are those Farm Road residents who said no matter what their MP does, some constituents are never satisfied.
One area resident who goes by the name "Crab" said he is quite happy with Mr. Christie’s performance and cannot even fathom why someone would complain.
He said as far as he sees things, his MP is doing all he can.
"He can’t do it all," Crab said. "I feel good about him, he’s a busy man and he is doing all he can. We live in the ghetto. What we need is a big bulldozer to come and just knock it all down and start over again because all these people doing is foolishness in the back here."
"But they wont let no one come in the back here and make a change. So when he does the little that he can they complain."
The only time I see my MP is when he’s on TV," one Farm Road woman added. "The people around here are hurting and we need someone to help us. It seems like my vote doesn’t count but I know that it does. Because if there are 60 votes 30 on one side and 30 on the other the one last vote that is coming is what will determine the winner, so guess what, one vote does count."
"These MPs need to stop sitting up in their air conditioned offices and come out here and see what’s going on with the people who put them in office."
"Yes, Perry Christie is doing a good job," said Farm Road resident Andrea Moncur. ‘We live in the ghetto and only so much you can do with people who don’t want to help themselves. You can give them jobs, they go for three weeks and come right back out here on the blocks, so what you want Mr. Christie to do then?"
"The people don’t want to work, they don’t want to do any better and that is not Mr. Christie’s fault. He does his best, it’s just that these young people don’t want to work."
Farm Road constituents said if Mr. Christie would take a minute and walk around the area, he would know that the youth, crime and unemployment are burning issues facing his constituency.
But, according to most of the people the Journal spoke to, they are lucky to even see Mr. Christie outside of campaign mode.
"He needs to do better," another Farm Road woman said. "He need to do something with the (youth) around here, they need something to keep them occupied and keep them interested in the country."
"The older ones need jobs but it’s these young ones we really need to worry about and catch while they are young."
Calls to Mr. Christie were not returned up to press time.
July 15th, 2010
jonesbahamas
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
