By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 8, 2021 – No matter what side of the political divide Bahamians may consider their “home base” during the toxic political campaign being waged in The Bahamas, I. Chester Cooper, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate for Exuma and Ragged Island, deserves high praise for his political maturity.
Apparently, the decision-makers at the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism have been caught playing “petty politics” by not officially inviting Mr. Cooper to participate in the recent ceremony welcoming the arrival of Crystal Cruises to Exuma.
Mr. Cooper brought this matter to their attention in a letter to Sharmaine Deveaux, Ministry of Tourism Exuma District Manager, in which he noted that Ms. Jenny Dotson-Isaacs, the Free National Movement (FNM) candidate for Exuma and Ragged Island participated in the welcoming ceremony.
“For the record, I wish to advise that I found this both distasteful and disrespectful,” Mr. Cooper declared in his letter, which he copied to Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar and Director General of Tourism Joy Jibrilu.
Apparently, the Ministry of Tourism decided to issue a public statement responding to Mr. Cooper’s “private” letter, in which they apparently claimed that an invitation was sent to Mr. Cooper.
In response to the Ministry of Tourism public statement, Mr. Cooper released a statement on Thusday, July 8, in which he noted: “As we are facing serious national crises, I don’t intend to belabor an issue as simple as displaying the basic courtesy of extending an invitation to a Member of Parliament for a major event in his own constituency.
“However, as the Minister of Tourism has publicly responded to a private communication sent about the arrival of Crystal Cruises to Exuma, our team will state the following.
“We note the contents of the press statement of the Minister of Tourism. And we attach our self-explanatory private letter to the Ministry’s Exuma office.
“We note the explanation that an email was sent.
“And we reiterate that we have checked our inbox, junk box, spam box and deleted items and no such email invitation was received.
“We point out further that we maintain a full-time office in George Town, Exuma, that operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.”
It is this excerpt from Mr. Cooper’s statement that further demonstrates the political maturity Mr. Cooper has displayed throughout his tenure in the House of Assembly: “We nonetheless accept the note of apology of senior officers of the ministry in this matter. Let us all move on.
“We are a nation facing significant headwinds that require serious attention. We are committed to and will continue to focus on doing all in our power to advance Exuma and her people.”
Surely, given Mr. Cooper’s reference to the various ways in which an invitation could have been extended to him, the conclusion can be reached that an invitation was never sent and someone was playing “petty politics.”
For the record, considering the fact that Mr. Cooper is one of the most effective representatives in the House of Assembly who has repeatedly demonstrated an unyielding commitment to his constituents, in my view Jenny Dotson-Isaacs does not stand a snowball’s chance in hell of unseating him.
