by Sir Arthur Foulkes
It is a pity that this year’s celebration of our independence has been somewhat marred by the row over the renaming of Nassau International Airport by the PLP Government.
Whether out of sheer incompetence or their usual penchant for slighting the Official Opposition, the Government failed to deliver to Opposition Leader Hubert Ingraham a proper invitation to the ceremony renaming the airport after Sir Lynden Pindling.
Neither did the Government deliver invitations to the other members of the Official Opposition in the House of Assembly.
Only one day before the event, Mr. Ingraham was handed five invitations for distribution to persons of his choice. This is the usual courtesy extended to members of parliament for certain national events.
That timing would have been inconsiderate in any case, but more so having regard to the fact that Mr. Ingraham represents a Family Island constituency. It was unreasonable to expect him to distribute these invitations to his constituents with any expectation that they would have been able to attend.
The same applies to Mr. Ingraham’s colleagues in the House who were at the same time given five invitations each, presumably for distribution to their respective constituents. All but one of Mr. Ingraham’s colleagues in the House represent Family Island constituencies.
Mr. Ingraham himself was included in an invitation to his wife who is a principal in one of the public schools and was apparently invited in that capacity. That could be explained since there were probably dozens of such invitations given to someone to be addressed to civil servants and their spouses.
But there can be no excuse for failing to extend a proper and timely invitation to Mr. Ingraham in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition, and no excuse for failing to deliver personal invitations to the other members of the Opposition in the House.
So, in response to this gross insult, Mr. Ingraham and his colleagues were quite justified in not attending the affair.
This is not the first time the PLP Government has done this sort of thing and until they decide to show respect for other people, the Opposition is right to refuse to tag along at the last minute at the whim and fancy of the Government.
Furthermore, the renaming of the country’s premier international airport is a rather significant matter and the Opposition should not only have been invited in time, they should have been consulted beforehand.
The Government has the power, of course, to name public buildings and institutions. But even in the case of a school in a particular district, it would be the courteous thing to do to consult the MP for the area and maybe the residents as well.
Most certainly in the case of a national facility like Nassau International Airport, the Opposition should have been consulted, and a parliamentary resolution would not have been a bad idea either.
Furthermore, it would have been a gesture of good faith to have invited the Leader of the Opposition to participate in the event and to contribute a message to the souvenir booklet.
When a decision like this is made, it should not be on a partisan basis. If there are any serious objections they should be sorted out in advance, otherwise another government may be inclined to change it, and that kind of governance would make the country look ridiculous.
The PLP Government should also try to be mature enough to treat national events differently from partisan political rallies. No sensible politician will want to be a mere prop in an opponent’s show, or to attend an event where he will be forced to sit and listen to overtly partisan speeches -- or even attacks -- without opportunity to reply.
The PLP is obviously not content to allow Sir Lynden to acquire the status of a departed national hero and to allow the memory of his considerable achievements gradually to take ascendancy in the national consciousness over his equally considerable failings.
They obviously still see in him a partisan tool that they will take out and burnish especially for use in the run-up to general elections. The trouble is that their opponents are not likely to allow them to get away with that and will most certainly attack Sir Lynden’s record.
Sir Lynden is deserving of honour and memorialization for the good things he did for the Bahamas, for the battles he fought on behalf of his people and for his long service to this country in the political arena. He led the struggle for majority rule and many other reforms in this country and he led the nation into independence.
He was not, as Governor General Arthur Hanna pointed out, the sole source of all these accomplishments. But he was the one whom his fellow freedom fighters and nation-builders chose to lead them in those crucial days and years.
So while he is indeed deserving of much credit, the PLP Government took a risk in renaming Nassau International Airport in his honour.
The international airport is not a local school nor a city hospital nor a national library. Many people around the world, including the international media, will be informed of this and may not understand the Government’s rationale.
Some members of the media may be tempted to revisit the Seventies and Eighties when the Bahamas was in the throes of a corrupt drug culture that attracted international attention and will forever be associated with Sir Lynden and his Government. They will wonder why we named an international airport after him.
No amount of rationalization on our part will be convincing. That was the worst period in the history of the Bahamas since the days of piracy, and the country will continue to suffer the effects of it for many years to come.
The foreign media were having a field day at our expense. The Bahamas was branded in one newspaper as a “nation for sale” and in a bold headline the country’s leader was referred to as a “corrupt liar”.
The sad thing is that most Bahamians knew that what was being printed, broadcast and televised about us was more than justified by what was in fact happening in the country at that time.
A Commission of Inquiry appointed by Sir Lynden himself dramatically exposed the whole sorry mess and so we would be on a losing wicket trying to whitewash what is easily verifiable as a very nasty period in our history.
Corruption was rife from top to bottom in our society. Indeed, the Commission found that the tentacles of corruption had reached into the Cabinet itself, and American DEA agents had planned a sting operation to catch one of Sir Lynden’s Cabinet colleagues in the act!
The sting was aborted by the US State Department acting through its ambassador to the Bahamas.
For most of this period, Sir Lynden and his Government seemed paralyzed – incapable or unwilling to respond effectively to the greatest crisis in the recent history of the Bahamas.
* * *
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE
By the time this appears the Bahamas will have celebrated another anniversary of its independence. As we go forward into the future we should resolve to develop all the positive aspects of our history and culture and hope to leave a better Bahamas for future generations.
Sir Arthur
Because I have such abiding admiration for you as a statesman and political analyst, I am loath to challenge your position and reasoning on any public policy initiative. However, in this instance, I feel constrained to do so:
I agree that the Government’s failure to consult with the Loyal Opposition before deciding to rename the Nassau International Airport in Sir Lynden’s honour was an oversight. I agree further that for the PLP to have issued invitations to the FNM for this momentous event, in the manner you describe, was petty, spiteful and disrespectful.
But I disagree with your reasoning that the scandals that abounded during a period of Sir Lynden’s premiership should preclude him from receiving this honour. And I’m nonplussed by your concern that “Many people around the world, including the international media…will wonder why we named an international airport after him.”
Indeed Sir, have you ever wondered why the Americans named Washington National Airport after George Washington, knowing - as I’m sure you do, that he owned black people as slaves? Or would you be troubled flying there now – given that this insult (to follow your logic) has been compounded by the Republican Congress renaming this airport after Ronald Reagan?
(After all, though never charged, Reagan admitted guilt for illegally trading arms for hostages with Iran. Moreover, and ironically, he was implicated in a drug-smuggling scandal - over support for the Contras - at the very time (during the 1980s) when Sir Lynden was being implicated in the “corrupt drug culture” you cite. And, perhaps you recall that a number of Reagan’s more infamous senior aides were indicted and even convicted on charges relating to his government’s corrupt practices.)
Now, do you think it matters one iota to anyone in America what you or anyone in the international media think about who they name their airports after?
Finally Sir Arthur, I believe our Governor General can be forgiven his waxing hyperbolic, which, given the occasion, was not only appropriate but also entirely warranted. Nevertheless, in his defense, I would note that George Washington did not win the War of Independence and set America its path to superpower status on his own. Yet this did not preclude him from being called the Father of his Nation and having national monuments named and erected in his honour.
Therefore, no matter one’s personal or political antipathy towards him, I see no reason why Sir Lynden, who is undeniably the Father of our Nation, should be precluded from receiving similar national honours.
Posted by: anthony | July 16, 2006 at 10:02 PM
William Shakespeare said what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
After much ado the Nassau International Airport is now set to be renamed in honor of one of the founding fathers of our nation Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling. As most are aware he was the second Premier and the first Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
Sir Lynden came along at a time when the Bahamas was still governed by the Bay Street Boys who later became the United Bahamian Party. After returning from law school in England a young Lynden Oscar Pindling joined the fledgling PLP. Idealistic and full of vigor he was able to galvanize the support of the masses. . Serving as Chairman then soon thereafter leader he guided this band of men to victory at the polls in 1967.
He was elected to the House of Assembly in 1956 where he served continuously for 41 years. From 1967 up until his defeat in 1992 he was the leader of this our country.
During his tenure advancements were made that were of benefit to the Bahamian society both black and white. Undoubtedly Sir Lynden occupies a place in the history of our country which few will ever attain.
Although there was much that was good about his administrations and space constraints will not allow a regurgitation of the many accomplishments but a few are the expansion of the economy, the blossoming of the tourist industry, education for the masses, opportunities for the small businessman and as noted I could go on, there is also a cloud that hangs over them.
Of course of note is the Minority report of Bishop Drexel Gomez as he then was which emanated from the Commission of Inquiry that was held in the early part of the 1980’s. Whether or not the allegations raised were true, what is clear was that the image of the Bahamas worldwide at that time was that we were a nation for sale. The other negative factor also attributed to Sir Lynden was that during the PLP administrations victimization was rife.
Sir Lynden like any other person was a mere mortal and therefore subject to the same vices and inherent faults that we all are and consequently he would have made mistakes. The question that we have to ask ourselves is this enough to deny him his place in our history and a deserved honor.
There are many that have questioned the efficacy of naming the airport after him for fear that it will cast us in a negative light. That the government took so long to deliver on its promise only added fuel to the fire. Like you I have also heard that much of the objections comes from the hotel operators that have invested a great deal in our economy and don’t want to see anything destroy their golden goose.
Well I can appreciate that these concerns ought to aired and considered however they should not be the determining factor in our decisions. If we are ashamed of our past we will never truly appreciate our future as one must know from whence they came to properly negotiate our path forward.
In this same light I questioned the decision to take Sir Stafford Sands off of the ten dollar bill. No matter what one may think of Sir Lynden he is a formidable figure in the history of the Bahamas.
As I observe other countries they too have faced a similar situation but have none the less gone on and done what they considered in the circumstances to be the right thing. History is a good judge of itself and any man who will be evaluated would have to have the good and the bad put forward and then each generation will draw its own conclusions.
The Tribune on Saturday printed a letter from Rev. Dr. Emmet Weir and the editor noted at the bottom that based on his observations then the arguments of Fr. Sebastian Campbell ought to fall by the wayside.
Well it would be hypocritical of me to say that the situations are different, but I can say that we can make a distinction and choose not to honor Columbus in place of honoring our own.
It is time we allowed Sir Lynden to rest in peace. Say thank you for that which he has done and then leave his legacy and all that it entails to be determined by those who have yet to come.
Posted by: craigfbutler | August 02, 2006 at 06:33 PM
Why would you want to put just the negative things on the internet about the present government and not the good ,these things are posted and people world wide can see. I think that the memebers of the opposition was well informed ,but because of the lack of matuarity theY refuse to attend the ceremony.I think it was highly disrespect.You who made up a bold face lie about not getting an invition should be ashamed of yourself you was just shame to show your face after you no you had put the bahamas in a state of disbelief. WHOEVER THE CAP FIT LET THEM WEAR IT.
Posted by: A True Bahamian | October 28, 2006 at 10:45 PM