FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DEBRA MOXEY-ROLLE, FNM CANDIDATE FOR THE EXUMAS & RAGGED ISLAND: HAS RAGGED ISLAND BEEN FORGOTTEN?
“In September 2017, Hurricane Irma devastated this community. Eight years later, residents are still crying out for help, for safety, and for dignity. Today, families on Ragged Island still live without a police presence. This is a proud fishing village, yet our fishermen are being threatened and attacked in their own waters. Complaints have been made to the Department of Fisheries, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, and the Royal Bahamas Police Force, but nothing has been done. Our people deserve protection and law and order, not neglect.”
“Although a Defence Force base operates at Gunn Point, its role is maritime security, not civilian law enforcement. What Ragged Island faces is unchecked lawlessness on land. Without a permanent Royal Bahamas Police Force presence, residents remain vulnerable and unprotected. The urgent need is for proper policing, not just defence, to restore safety and order.”
“I call on Wayne Munroe, the Minister of National Security and a son of Ragged Island, together with Chester Cooper, the MP for the Exumas and Ragged Island, to finally act. Residents of Ragged Island have constitutional rights like every other Bahamian. It is unacceptable that they remain without the security and services needed to live safely and productively.”
“The FNM has already shown what real commitment looks like. After Hurricane Irma, we began the rebuilding process by constructing a new school and multipurpose hurricane and community center, which was 70 percent complete when we left office. We broke ground on a new clinic and morgue, which today remains only half-finished under the PLP. And we planned for a new police station, which has yet to move forward at all. The PLP has failed to finish what was started, and that is unacceptable.”
“As the FNM candidate for the Exumas and Ragged Island, I am committed to finishing the work and ensuring Ragged Islanders have the same level of protection, development, and respect as every other community in The Bahamas. That is why our party’s 10-point crime plan is so important. It is not just for Nassau or Freeport, it is for every Bahamian community, including Ragged Island and the Exumas. Our plan will strengthen policing, ensure proper oversight, modernise recruitment and training, and take a public health approach to crime by addressing root causes and protecting women and children. We will back community organizations already doing the work, and we will guarantee that no community, no matter how small, is left behind.”
“Ragged Island must not remain forgotten. I will fight to restore hope, security, and opportunity for our people.”