The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday praised outgoing Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling as an example for future appointees to follow.

Dr Minnis revealed to Parliament private moments he shared with Dame Marguerite, highlighting her compassionate nature and ability to perform under pressure.

The Killarney MP was referring to what he described as her anguish in having to dismiss him as Official Opposition leader in December 2016 after a vote of no confidence by seven of his party’s 10 MPs.

The petition by the then Free National Movement MPs said that Dr Minnis should be replaced by Loretta Butler-Turner, who was at the time the MP for Long Island.

“As I stand here, I want to thank Dame Marguerite Pindling who I thought did an outstanding job and she fit the role, she carried that position with both dignity, pride and respect and I want to personally thank her on behalf of both myself, my wife and the government of the Bahamas,” Dr Minnis said yesterday.

“I would remember December 7, 2016 11.20am and 20 seconds beyond that in 2016, sitting in that same chair where the leader of the opposition is. I was dismissed, fired from my position by my then colleagues — not this group they wouldn’t do that.

“I would not bring our dirty linen out in here, that was the problem I had. Every time I spoke, I was speaking to the press while I was speaking to my colleagues but I’ll leave that as it may. I have the emails. That’s in my diary. The email was copied.”

A seated opposition member shouted: “Some are still among you,” to which the prime minister responded: “I plead the fifth.”

He continued: “But, Mr Speaker, at 6pm that evening on the 7th of December I was summoned to Government House where the governor general presented me - yes Minister (Renward) Wells was with me also.

“Before she presented me with the letter of my dismissal, she said to me that this was not what she wanted to do. This is very difficult. Watching the governor general she almost break down in tears because she said to me that this was not right and she know the pain that I am going through because her husband had gone through similar pain throughout his career.

“I reminded the governor general that she has a job to do and regardless to how she may feel about me she must do her job and it’s nothing to do with her personally, but I understand what her job is.

“She reluctantly gave me my letter of dismissal at 6pm, 7th December 2016. This is all recorded in my diary. Some things that I record in my diary I cannot mention now. My diary cannot be published now because if it’s published now I will be dead, but when it’s published after I’m dead at least I’ll be gone but my kids will deal with them.

“They will cuss them ‘your father was this, that, whatever’ but I will train them to withstand the blows as I did.”

East Grand Bahama MP Peter Turnquest and Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells did not participate in that effort to oust Dr Minnis.

Former MPs Dr Andre Rollins; Edison Key; Theo Neilly; Mrs Butler-Turner; Hubert Chipman; Richard Lightbourn and Neko Grant submitted a letter of no confidence in Dr Minnis to former House Speaker Dr Kendal Major and to Dame Marguerite in late 2016, revealing they had voted to be led in Parliament by Mrs Butler-Turner. However Dr Minnis remained leader of the Free National Movement and went on to sweep his party to victory in the May 2017 general elections. The “rebel seven,” as the group was called, did not run in the 2017 election.

Dr Minnis also referred to Dame Marguerite’s performance during the Speech from the Throne in 2017. He said it was believed at the time that someone had tried to either sabotage the newly elected FNM government or embarrass the governor general as she never received the copy of the speech that was to be read publicly.

“The opening of Parliament, a lot of people don’t know could have been a disaster. The governor general presented herself with grace, poise and a professional manner. Her speech never arrived.

“Each of us as parliamentarians were given a little pamphlet and the writings in this I could not stand up and read,” he said, referring to the small print of the pamphlet.

“At that point I was very concerned and frightened as to whether somebody was intentionally trying to embarrass us or trying to embarrass the governor-general. I still don’t know whether it was sabotage or not.”

He also said: “I had my copy with me and I asked them to give that to the governor general. I was concerned because she’s older than I am. She wears glasses like I do and even with my glasses I could not read that.

“She took that little pamphlet and she read that in a professional manner with no mistakes, not one. That was the most outstanding presentation I’ve ever seen done by a governor general.”

Dr Minnis also welcomed incoming Governor General CA Smith, who will be sworn in on June 28.

“I am sure he will do an excellent job. I am sure he would have even watched the performance of Dame Marguerite Pindling who has set an example for future governor generals,” Dr Minnis said.