By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 3, 2019 — Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling, who has been Governor General of The Bahamas since July 8, 2014, is scheduled to demit office in the next couple weeks and reportedly will be replaced by Cornelius Alvin Smith, a veteran politician and former Bahamas Ambassador to the United States.
Clearly, Dame Marguerite, who was the 10th Governor General in an independent Bahamas, has set the bar extremely high for future Governors General to match her dignity and grace in carrying out her duties as the representative of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in The Bahamas.
An exceptionally high standard of performance in that office had already been established by Dame Marguerite’s predecessor, Sir Arthur A. Foulkes, and sceptics openly voiced opinions as to whether she was capable of matching the regal status that Sir Arthur established while residing at the official residence of the Governor General at Mount Fitzwilliam.
Dame Marguerite, however, foreshadowed that she was capable of being an outstanding Governor General when she delivered her very first Speech from the Throne, which traditionally outlines the government’s policies at the opening of Parliament, that was widely praised by politicians and the public-at-large. Having set such a high standard, she has maintained it throughout her tenure as Governor General.
Her apparent successor, C.A. Smith, seems to be getting off to a rocky start, having apparently made the official announcement of his appointment himself during a farewell party at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Freeport, according to an article in Tribune on Monday.
The Tribune noted the announcement by Mr. Smith that “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has appointed him as the country’s next Governor General” was “a revelation that some see as a ‘shocking breach’ of protocol.”
“Mr. Smith made the statement to a group of friends during a farewell party at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ building in Freeport, where he announced he has resigned as the non-resident ambassador to Panama,” The Tribune reported.
The Tribune added: “It is not clear if he knew his statements were being recorded for public consumption. The announcement of a new governor general usually comes in a statement from the Queen, not from the appointee. A government source yesterday said Mr Smith’s ascension to the role has not yet been formalised.”
This political faux pas by Mr. Smith apparently was documented in a video, in which Mr. Smith, a long-time Free National Movement (FNM) stalwart, is quoted as saying, “…As a teacher when I was in the classroom, one of the things that always insulted me was the fact that there was a saying that if you want to keep a secret from Bahamians, just put it in a book. Obviously this secret was not put in a book because if it was none of you would have known about it.
“It is no secret that I tendered my resignation effective today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and after midnight tonight will no longer be ambassador to six Central American countries. But the resignation was really more not of retirement but more a transition. As a result of Her Majesty the Queen appointing me to be governor general, I found it necessary to have to resign in the position; I had to be transited to another position. The swearing-in will take place on the last Friday of June in Nassau. All of you will be receiving invitations to attend. I understand and it’s not quite firm yet that we may be arranging for Bahamasair to put on a couple of flights, reduce the costs for one day so that my friends from Grand Bahama could be there. It’s gonna be cheaper than going on your own.”
According to The Tribune’s article, Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis released a statement, saying Mr Smith “broke ‘all protocols’ with his statement.”
“I was shocked out of my socks to see the statement by former Ambassador C A Smith on video that he has been appointed by the Queen to be governor general,” Mr Davis was quoted as saying. “This is a violation in my view of all protocols. These announcements must come from the Queen and normally do not come until the Queen has agreed that the now governor general should demit office.”
Obviously, seeking to gain as much political mileage as possible from the “shocking breach” of protocol, Mr. Davis added, “This is another example of the loosening of standards under the FNM. Anything goes and our traditions and conventions are dispensed without so much as a by your leave.
“To make matters worse, Mr Smith goes on to predict that the national airline is going on to make special arrangements for his swearing-in as governor general. Who will pay the price for those arrangements and does he now speak for Bahamasair? This is all quite incredible. It is a shocking breach of protocol and insulting to the present holder of the office.”
The Tribune’s article also claimed that Mr Davis said he was not consulted as leader of the Official Opposition.
“I was not consulted or informed by the prime minister of any changes in the Office of Governor General,” Mr. Davis was quoted as saying. “While there is no constitutional requirement to do so, given that the office is a national one which serves all of every stripe, I would have thought that courtesy and convention would suggest that the leader of the opposition be informed before a public statement is made. The prime minister spoke to me on Friday last when I objected to the extension of the appointment of Ruth Bowe Darville as a judge, but he said not a word about the governor general.”
Mr. Smith, who has been in front-line politics since the early seventies, was elected to the Marco City constituency in 1982, and was re-elected in 1987 when his constituency’s name was changed to Pineridge. In total, he was elected four times from 1982 to 2002, and served as Minister of Education (1992-1995), Minister of Public Safety and Immigration (1995-1997), Minister of Tourism (1997-2000) and Minister of Transport and Local Government (2000-2002).
He a former Bahamas Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), serving from 2008-2012.
