Opinion: MP Atherden On DeSilva’s Response
[Opinion column written by OBA MP Jeanne Atherden]
Shadow Health Minister Zane DeSilva has been criticising the One Bermuda Alliance government for its response to the problem Bermuda has with sewage outfall greaseballs washing up on the beaches.
“Today,” he said, “the OBA’s version of the truth has been blown out of the water and now our people, beaches, our sea life and our tourism economy are paying the price for their lies and inaction.”
The OBA responded to his criticism in a statement which read, in part: “In fact and in truth, our sewage problem has been known about for years. If Mr DeSilva and his colleagues had been so concerned about it, they could easily have done something to fix the problem during the 13 years they spent in government.”
When that was put to Mr DeSilva a few days ago, he said the issue had never arisen while he was Minister of Health.
“All I can say is that during my time as Minister, it was never brought to my attention,” said Mr DeSilva.
Can the former Health Minister possibly profess ignorance of one of Bermuda’s major health and environmental problem after having spent three years as a Cabinet Minister, two of them as Minister of Health?
Not on your life!
Bermuda’s difficulties with the way it deals with sewage, particularly sewage pumped out to sea by the Corporation of Hamilton, have been going on for decades. In this Millennium, there have been at least three previous occasions in which sewage washing up on our beaches has hit the headlines, in 2002 and in 2010.
In 2009, Mr DeSilva was given responsibility for Municipal Reform. Then Hamilton Mayor Charles Gosling wrote to him, asking to be able to meet to discuss key issues, particularly the proposed waterfront development and how the ageing sewerage system was to be maintained in the wake of the Government removing its right to collect revenue from wharfage and ports fees.
Mr Gosling’s letter, and complaints about Mr DeSilva’s reluctance to meet him, were published on the front page of the Royal Gazette at the time.
More than one committee was formed to deal with sewage as a threat to marine life and the reefs, and to explore with the Corporation of Hamilton how to improve its ageing system. In every case, representatives of the Health Department would have taken a leading role, and would undoubtedly have reported on progress to the Minister and his Permanent Secretary. That is standard civil service operating procedure.
Mr DeSilva, as Minister of Health, was in charge of planning for the new Hospital, and in charge of a major upgrade of the infrastructure of the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. In both cases, dealing with sewage was a major issue.
You don’t have to be a political genius to know that the Cabinet discusses all Bermuda’s current problems at its meetings, whether formally or informally. It would not have been possible for Mr DeSilva to sit around the Cabinet table for three years and not have heard and taken part in discussion about sewage.
So really, whose version of the truth has been blown out of the water? Whose inaction is really at play here?
Mr DeSilva is evading his own responsibility, in order to be able to take cheap political advantage of a situation in which, truthfully, all of Bermuda plays a part. What a shame he can’t man up a little!
STOP REPEATING PLP TALKING POINTS. Every time you do it you give them more strength.
Just tell the truth and that will be enough.
Onion, you didn’t read the article
He’s quoted directly:
“Today,” he said, “the OBA’s version of the truth has been blown out of the water and now our people, beaches, our sea life and our tourism economy are paying the price for their lies and inaction.”
Interesting how all the OBA MPs that say virtually nothing in the House of Assembly, have so much to say in written Opinion Columns that they never have to defend or substantiate. Ms. Atherden has been invisible in Pembroke West, and invisible in the House. A shame.
You make an interesting point especially since she offers no evidence to support her assertions. We continually hear that we need to work together then we get opinion pieces like this which serve only to divide.
Where are you when the PLP and PLP puppets put out opinions ?
Ultimately DeSilva has been caught out, so why aren’t you berating him ?
Did you not read what was written above?
No wonder Bermuda is so f…ed up.
Except of course the evidence that Zane Desilva did know about the sewage problems because he was in charge of the Hospital project including sewage treatment and dealt with the Corporation who raised the issue with him in a public letter.
Hilarious that NOW backing up what you say is important.
It really is “it’s ok when we do it”, isn’t it?
its our fault collectively….this is one failure where the blame can be shared equally…1/3 UBP 1/3 PLP and 1/3 everyone that votes
well said….
DeSilva BUSTED !
Marc Bean just announced: “Shadow Attorney General Kim Wilson shifts to Health, replacing Zane DeSilva, who will now be the Opposition’s spokesman on Tourism”
(for obvious reasons……..)
“Can the former Health Minister possibly profess ignorance…”
YES!..totally ignorant.
I read somewhere that half of the sewage pumped through the Corporation of Hamiilton’s system comes from outside the City including the whole of Prospect, Cedarbridge school, all the houses at Prospect, houses, hotels and buildings along Pitts Bay and East Broadway.
If this is true then surely any Minister of Health under the PLP Government should have had knowledge of both the system and any problems with it, or they would have been negligent in their responsibilities.
I still can’t believe that:
A. we pump raw sewage into the ocean as a way of getting rid of it,
and B. we’ve never devised another way of dealing with it.
It is likely that it is the dopey pipe….greese is an issue that can be resolved with proper disposal at dining establishments hotels and greasy spoon burger joints…..residents fry fish…we can bring in loghter oil which may be a lottle better for you and a little more biodegradable…now….boys and girls….let’s all get our little google fingers out and google modern methods of disposing cookin greeze…right now…don’t dilly….or dally…..and no dillydallying either….use you favourite search engine……I remember a bye down st.georges used to pick it up innah bedford truck…was it the same one rat bought?….or did he bring his in new…could we bottle it and sell it as suntan lotion?…recontituted of course…save your ol’suntan bottles offer a refund on the empty container….clean off the logo…reprint it and call it barbados suntan lotion …bottled in bermuda!
Loghter oil…(lighter oil),sorry….I have big fingers and these tablets.have these teeny tiny itty bitty keyboards…gotta get a bigger tab.
Kentucky fried chicken…and ice queen other restaurants all have to dispose of their greese responsibly….if ….if we know how much enters the island for distribution to anyone into that pipe….it should be a breaze to discover who is not signing receipts for proper disposal….make it compulsory to dispose of oil properly at all restaurants everywhere….and correlate the purchased to the amounts disposed of and fine those not within reasonable required one to the other correllation.
The “poo-poo” had gotten too thick for the P.L.P. and the former Health Minister of the P.L.P. (until recently) Shadow Minister Zane DeSilva… So, to avoid answering question they’ve decided to “shuffled the deck” and have now re-position various former Shadow Minister to different “Posts”
Someone here was collecting all the used cooking oil and producing diesel. Interested, I could look for information sources