By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 11, 2019 — My Facebook reminder this morning is an article that I posted on September 11, 2015, when I was Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manager at The Bahamas Embassy in D.C. before the change of government in May of 2017. Given the massive destruction that Hurricane Dorian has wreaked in my beloved Bahamas, I think that our country can benefit from having someone with my journalistic expertise disseminating accurate information about the terrible ordeal some of my fellow Bahamians are currently experiencing.
For example, virtually every newscast I have seen on the devastation in The Bahamas mentions that more than 70,000 Bahamians are now homeless. Consider these facts: The population of Grand Bahama is around 56,000 and the population of The Abacos is around 20,000, and since Grand Bahama and Abaco are the islands that Dorian ravaged, this suggests that virtually the entire populations of these two islands combined are now homeless.
One of the dangers inherent in spreading such woefully wrong information internationally is that The Bahamas’ main economic lifeline is tourism, and people around the world may conclude that The Bahamas is no longer a place for them to consider as their vacation destination. Given the fact that we are in the midst of one of our best extended tourism periods in decades — thanks to the excellent job being done by Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar and his management team at the Ministry of Tourism – it is vitally important that accurate information on the effects of Dorian on The Bahamas is circulated and that the world-at-large is made aware of the fact that The Bahamas, as one of the world’s top tourist destinations, is still very much OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
I have just returned to D.C. from attending my aunt Maria Elliott-Forbes’ funeral in Nassau, and although my visit was necessitated by a sad occasion, I thoroughly enjoyed the four days I spent at SuperClubs Breezes, my favourite place to stay whenever I am in Nassau because it nightly features David “Funky D” Ferguson, one of The Bahamas’ most dynamic entertainers.
I started to write this as a brief introduction to my FACEBOOK MEMORIES reminder this morning, which is a good example of what my responsibilities included when I was Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manager at the Embassy before my diplomatic appointment was rescinded when the government changed. I fully realize that it is common practice for incoming governments to change the diplomatic representatives posted in various missions abroad, but I am a professional journalist who provided a service that, in my view, was extremely important regarding coverage of routine diplomatic functions and activities at the Embassy in D.C.
When I decided to remain in D.C. rather than return to The Bahamas after my diplomatic appointment was rescinded, I established a public relations and marketing company, THE BROWN AGENCY, which also produces an online news publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, and I submitted a proposal to the government to continue doing what I did at the Embassy on a contractual bases. I was told months ago that it had been approved, but I have yet to receive formal notification from the government to this effect.
Meanwhile, I have been covering some news-related events in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE for the Embassy in D.C. and other diplomatic missions without any financial compensation, especially the High Commission in London, mainly because High Commissioner Ellison Greenslade and I developed a close friendship when he was Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Northern Bahamas and I was Editor of the Freeport News. What’s more he is doing a magnificent job as The Bahamas’ top diplomat in the United Kingdom and his activities are generally all newsworthy.
Likewise, I have also been covering sundry tourism-related activities in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE without compensation because I have also submitted a separate proposal to the Ministry of Tourism that I hope they will eventually consider.
His Excellency Sidney Collie, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), has ably filled the “big diplomatic shoes” of his predecessor, His Excellency Dr. Eugene Newry, whose trip the Mexico in September of 2015 is the subject of TODAY’S FACEBOOK reminder below. Hopefully, the powers-that-be at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will remove whatever “red tape” is blocking formal notification of the approval of the proposal I submitted.
Surely, in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian’s rampage through Abaco and Grand Bahama, it is enormously important that accurate information be dispensed from the Embassy of The Bahamas in the capital of the world’s most powerful country. Here’s the article on Dr. Newry’s September 2015 trip to Mexico:
GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO OFFICIALLY OPENS OFFICE
FOR NON-RESIDENT CARIBBEAN AMBASSADORS
MEXICO CITY, Mexico — The Government of Mexico on Wednesday, September 9, 2015, held an inaugural ceremony for an office dedicated to non-resident Caribbean Ambassadors accredited to Mexico.
The ceremony, which was held at the Triangular Building of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs in Mexico City, Mexico, was attended by H.E. Alva Baptiste, Minister of External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation of St. Lucia; Ambassador Collin Granderson, Assistant Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); several non-resident Caribbean Ambassadors, as well as resident Caribbean Ambassadors and representatives, and officials from the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of Mexico.
Present on behalf of The Bahamas Government was H.E. Dr. Eugene G. Newry, Ambassador of The Bahamas to the United States of America and non-resident Ambassador of The Bahamas to Mexico. Ambassador Newry was accompanied to Mexico by his wife Mrs. Francoise Torchon-Newry and Ms. Krissy Hanna, Second Secretary of The Bahamas Embassy, in Washington, D.C.
The establishment of an office for non-resident Caribbean Ambassadors was a decision made by the Government of Mexico to facilitate ongoing bilateral engagement and cooperation with Caribbean countries with which Mexico has forged diplomatic ties.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between The Bahamas and Mexico on January 23, 1974, both countries have enjoyed good, friendly relations, and continue to advance their common interest within regional and international fora on issues, which, among others, include the promotion of education, respect for human rights and democratic institutions, regional security and hemispheric cooperation.
