The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL


Tribune Staff Reporter


kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Public Service Minister Brensil Rolle yesterday said ZNS General Manager Clint Watson’s appointment to the Senate raises serious questions about whether the Davis administration is bending public service rules for political convenience.

Mr Rolle, speaking after Mr Watson was sworn in as a government senator, said General Orders bar public officers from political affiliation and argued that Mr Watson should have resigned before taking up the Senate appointment.

"General Orders says any public officer can't be affiliated in any political party so if he’s affiliated then he must send in his resignation just like any public officer,” Mr Rolle told The Tribune.

Mr Watson, a veteran journalist and former PLP aspirant, did not say at the swearing-in ceremony whether he would resign from ZNS. However, he said questions about his tenure as general manager would be answered by the end of the week.

“I don’t want to preempt anything, but you’ll all understand it at the end of the week, that’s all I would say, and it’ll be quite clear to you,” Mr Watson said.

His appointment has placed early scrutiny on the Davis administration’s Senate choices, with critics questioning whether a senior executive at the state broadcaster can move into a partisan legislative role while his employment status remains unresolved.

Chapter 9 of General Orders outlines that a person serving in a political position directly conflicts with the “code of reserve”.

General Orders also say an officer’s personal affairs should not conflict with or affect the performance of official duties.

Mr Rolle said Mr Watson’s resignation should have been announced before his Senate appointment.

“I think its an example of the PLP is prepared to break all the rules and how they should only apply to others who are not PLP and that’s a sad thing if you take the position that this is how persons who are receiving renumerations from the public treasury should behave,” he said.

Mr Rolle pointed to Mr Watson previously being placed on leave of absence before seeking the PLP’s Southern Shores nomination. Obie Roberts was later named the party’s candidate for the seat.

“He had to get an official leave of absence from his company and the same ought to apply to any public officer, anyone who receives renumerations from the Treasury,” he said.

Mr Rolle warned that allowing Mr Watson to keep both positions could set a precedent across the public sector.

“If he’s allowed to do it in one, another government agency is gonna try, and they may not try now, but they may try five years from now, so the same rules that apply today will apply five years from now and if the government is saying this no longer exists, then that’s fine – then it no longer exists for anyone,” he said. “It means that any employee can choose whatever political side they wish and do whatever they wish and still be engaged, and that itself will create chaos.”

Mr Watson defended his tenure at ZNS, saying opposition parties had praised the broadcaster’s coverage rather than accused it of bias.

“You haven’t heard from any of the opposition parties criticising ZNS for biasness,” he said. “Matter of fact, we’ve been praised by most of the opposition parties for getting fair coverage. They’ve hailed ZNS as giving sometimes better coverage than other media houses, so instead of talking about it, I showed them.”

Mr Watson described his appointment to the Upper House as a “sobering” opportunity for national service and said he was humbled to join the Davis administration’s team at the start of its new term.

He reflected on his political journey and past disappointments, urging Bahamians pursuing their ambitions not to become discouraged by setbacks.

“I didn’t ask for this,” he said. “They saw something greater in me. It was about my deportment I believe, how I handled what I went through, and I always said it to people: be very careful how you handle disappointments, you either use it as opportunities or you can use it to become sour. I chose to use it as opportunity. I stay focused on what my mandate was, knowing that the right thing for me will come with the right opportunities. Will the opportunity come around again? I sure hope so. Will I be ready? Definitely will.”

Mr Watson said he looked forward to participating in Senate debates and helping advance legislation affecting journalism, communications and governance.

“People have been talking about the Freedom of Information, people have been talking about acts and governance in the 21st century,” Mr Watson said. “I want to make sure that we put those in place, so that we have a more progressive modern country, modern governance, a modern style and I’m excited to be able to do that, contribute on that level and to help ensure that people understand this is about succession.”