GUEST COMMENTARY: BY JON SMITH
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Jon Smith is a pseudonym used on Facebook by a prominent member of the PLP Government, but I absolutely had to share with readers of BAHAMAS CHRONICLE his brilliant response to those “FNM trolls” who have “fabricated” a coterie of lies about the recent trip to Bermuda by Prime Minister Philip E. Davis and a delegation from The Bahamas.)
NASSAU, Bahamas — The story circulating by FNM trolls about the Bermuda trip of the Prime Minister is a pure fabrication and tissue of FNM lies. There was no incident of any kind regarding this flight either on arrival or exit regarding the Prime Minister or his party
This visit was a standard official visit to another country at the invitation of the Premier of Bermuda who is also the Leader of the Progressive Labour Party our sister party which was formed in part by Dame Lois Brown Evans, a classmate of Sir Lynden Pindling in law school. Sir Lynden helped to form the PLP in Bermuda. It was a standard foreign affairs goodwill trip, not a political trip.
The Prime Minister spoke at the Convention of the PLP in Bermuda.
The Prime Minister met with the Premier and members of his Cabinet in Hamilton and exchanged views on housing, transport and our relationship within Caricom.
The Prime Minister met with the Governor of Bermuda and pledged to appoint an Honorary Consul in Bermuda for The Bahamas.
The visit was a success on all levels. He was able to solidify relations on a party-to-party basis with the next generation of leaders of The Bahamas and Bermuda. He was able to visit the grave of Dame Lois. He promised that there will be further governmental exchanges on public transport and housing and disaster relief.
There was nothing unusual about the trip whether in its financing or otherwise. There was a one-hour delay on departure to fulfill a requirement of air traffic control but this was resolved by the airline. The flight departed without incident and landed safely in Nassau two hours and some later.
The standard procedure is for most if not all flights of the Prime Minister to be arranged through the Office of Prime Minister. When settlement of expenses are done there is a reckoning as between personal expenses and public expenses. That procedure was followed in this case and there is nothing unusual about it.
The FNM has made up all these idle stories because they are embarrassed that their foreign policy was a failure. They sat at home for four-and-a-half years and did nothing.
The Prime Minister and the PLP as a matter of policy promised to reach out to the outside world to win friends and influence people. The FNM should stop making up lies and a fantasies about a standard foreign policy visit.
They need to explain how 600,000 dollars was spent to put furniture for Hubert Minnis’ special friend in Brussels. Michael Pintard sat in the Cabinet and agreed and now he is talking about travel. The devil is a liar.
EDITOR’S NOTE: It has become painfully obvious that current leaders of the Opposition Free National Movement (FNM) are disgracefully grasping at straws as they wallow in the cesspit of misinformation to find ways to criticize the excellent job the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has done to restore good governance to The Bahamas since being elected by a landslide in the September 16, 2021 general election after four-plus years of an inept and incompetent FNM government, led by Dr. Hubert Minnis.
Current FNM Leader Michael Pintard has demonstrated over the years that he is an extremely good speaker, but as Leader of the Opposition he has yet to transfer his eloquence as a speaker into political decision-making; hence, apparently he is content to follow the advice of political mischief-makers and outright liars.
Rather than criticize Prime Minister Davis trip to Bermuda, at the invitation of Bermuda’s Premier David Burt, Mr. Pintard and his FNM advisers should be proud of the high esteem in which Prime Minister Davis not only in neighbouring countries, but internationally.
To be sure, this is in stark contrast to Dr. Minnis, whose embarrassing performances on the international stage included being one of only four CARICOM leaders who defied other CARICOM leaders and met with then President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 22, 2019.
Attending the meeting with Trump, which several Caribbean leaders strongly criticized, were Prime Minister Allen Chastanet of Saint Lucia, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis of The Bahamas, Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica and President Jovenel Moise of Haiti, all CARICOM member states, along with President Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic.
What’s more, in his incisive response to “FNM trolls” who criticized Prime Minister Davis’ trip to Bermuda, Jon Smith raised a salient point that Bahamians generally are still waiting for Dr. Minnis to provide a believable. Jon Smith ends his response with this comment: “They need to explain how 600,000 dollars was spent to put furniture for Hubert Minnis’ special friend in Brussels. Michael Pintard sat in the Cabinet and agreed and now he is talking about travel. The devil is a liar.”
What’s so embarrassing about this outlandish expenditure by the FNM government is that the then Foreign Minister Darren Henfied publicly criticize the expenditure and declared that he knew nothing about it.
Meanwhile, in his address in Bermuda, Prime Minister Davis noted that Bermuda’s Progressive Labour Party and The Bahamas’ Progressive Liberal Party are historically linked and had gone through the similar struggles over the decades, according to an article The Royal Gazette, a leading Bermuda newspaper
“We are the heirs and successors to a vision — their vision — a vision that has culminated in our two great political movements holding the trust and confidence of our respective peoples to lead them towards a brighter future,” Prime Minister Davis is quoted as saying.
Here’s an additional relevant excerpt from The Gazette article: “David Burt and members of Cabinet met with Philip Davis and members of his Cabinet as part of the Bahamian delegation’s visit to Bermuda.
Cabinet Ministers, Walter Roban, David Burch, and Lawrence Scott exchanged ideas on transport, affordable housing, climate change, Caricom representation and the fintech industry with Bahamian ministers, Jobeth Coleby-Davis, the Minister of Transport and Housing, Myles LaRoda, the Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister and Frederick A Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service.
PLP MP Chris Famous and the former Bahamian Prime Minister, Perry Christie, were also present.
Mr Burt noted the long and historical friendship between the Bahamas Government and the Progressive Liberal Party. Next year, the Bahamas will celebrate 50 years as a sovereign nation.”
CAPTION: Prime Minister Allen Chastanet of Saint Lucia, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis of The Bahamas, Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica and President Jovenel Moise of Haiti, all CARICOM member states, along with President Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic.
