Remarks by Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham during the afternoon sitting of debate on the National Prescription Drug Programme in the House of Assembly.

THE PRIME MINISTER: What is happening with the electricity supply in Abaco is inexcusable. There are no valid reasons why the power supply in Abaco for the last several days has been off.

I am not an engineer. I am the Prime Minister of The Bahamas though. Some people will pay for that neglect in Abaco.

Our first priority is to get the power on. And then decisions will be made as to who was responsible for this grossly negligent act on the island of Abaco to permit engines to run out of fuel oil. Everybody knows that an engine requires oil.

And to have to hire a plane to fly oil to Abaco to put in the engines and to cause the people of Abaco to suffer as they have, is something for which somebody or some people must be responsible.

When we find out, which is not long from now, they will be dealt with.

Peter Bradley said his company, Conch Pearl Gallery, had lost half its business because of the consistent power cuts across the island, as tourists - his biggest customers - peer into the darkened store and subsequently leave.  According to Mr Bradley, the power outages can go on for three to four hours at a time, and because the building, where three other businesses have rented out space, has no back-up generator, the frequent daily losses are mounting.

As he spoke to Tribune Business by phone on Monday, July 19th, the power in his store was out and "someone just looked in and left".

Mr Bradley said that while the power outages are an annual summer menace, the cuts seems to be much worse this year. And they seem to be hurting Abaco's tourism industry far more than previous years.  "We simply are not seeing the tourists," he said. "They are not wanting to come, so second home owners who come two and three times a year are coming once. I don't know if it's the power cuts or the economy. But there have been a lot complaints (by tourists)."

A hardware store employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said while BEC's power cuts have been hard on their equipment, it has brought business in for the store.  According to the employee, they have seen and had to replace many burnt refrigerator circuit boards and fan motors.  "It is terrible," said the employee. "It is hard on the equipment and it doesn't go off on a snap; it goes off on a gradual slope, which is bad for equipment and makes me work my equipment hard."

General Manager of Bellevue Business Depot, Timothy Sands, said his business has also seen the consequences of the blackouts and brownouts, with fried office equipment coming in frequently to be repaired or replaced. He said they themselves have had to replace thousands of dollars worth of equipment because of it.

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In response to the concerns, BEC Executive Chairman Michael Moss told The Nassau Guardian Sunday that he could only provide preliminary information as he needed to get the facts on the matter.  Moss said, "Based on my general knowledge of power plants, I presume the wells in question are likely supply cooling wells being drilled to provide cooling water for the engines and rejection wells into which the cooling water will flow after carrying out the necessary cooling function."

He explained that such wells will typically be a size of about 30 inches in diameter and drilled to a depth of between 150 feet and 300 feet.  "This work would form a part of the overall work scope we have contracted with our primary contractor, MAN Diesel, to perform," Moss said.

He added that he is unaware of the drilling capabilities of Wong's company.

"I would suspect though that MAN would have first sought to engage the services of a local company with the requisite equipment and competence to perform the work before looking to engage the services of an overseas company given the incremental expense that would likely be incurred in mobilizing an overseas contractor."

Wong claimed his company is the largest drilling company in the Caribbean. The company has done work throughout The Bahamas, he said.

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The Bahamas National Trust in Abaco hosted the Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer Silent Auction and Art Show over Independence weekend at Abaco Beach Resort, giving local artisans an opportunity to show their work to the local market.

Seventeen artists participated in the event that also helped support the work of the Trust in the Abacos. Participants included veterans and newcomers to the art world, such as: Marjolein Scott, Trevor Tucker, Marco Mullings, Anthony Morley, Lillian Cash, Brigitte Bowyer Carey, Tiffany Barrett, Tim Higgs, Kimberly Roberts, Kristen Pearce, Atilla Feszt, Jeep Byers, Kent Le Boutillier, Linda Wiltfang, Joanne Bradley, Tammy Cash and Raquel Cash.

A broad range of work was on display, including oil canvas paintings, photography, jewelry, crafts, quilted pillows and art work, straw bags, carved wooden bowls, silk screening and more.

While the turn out was less than had been hoped for, due in part to the many activities going on over the Independence holiday weekend, the exhibitors enjoyed showing their work and were happy to support the efforts of the Bahamas National Trust in Abaco.

See more photos from the event in the gallery below.

Photos courtesy of Rhonda Pearce / Snap Shop, Marsh Harbour

Hundreds turned out for the 37th annual Independence celebration on Man-O-War Cay on Saturday, July 10th, to join in the fun and games.

Visitors from the U.S., other islands in the Bahamas and residents took part in a wide range of activities and enjoyed down-home favourite dishes during the full day of festivities to celebrate the Bahamas' Independence.

While all ages took their turn on the slippery pole, others took part in sack races, egg and spoon relays, conch cracking and tug-of-war competitions. Even Abaco Island Administrator Cooper got into the action!

Bahamian Olympian Tim Munnings was also on hand for the day and even lent a hand to help the handicapped of the community participate.

The day ended as it did in many parts of the Bahamas that day, with a rousing volley of fireworks.

Enjoy the sights from the day of fun, family and fireworks in the photo gallery below, courtesy of Troy Albury, Snap Shop, Marsh Harbour.