The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

THE REV Sebastian Campbell, National Heroes Committee chairman, called for William "Bill" Cartwright to be officially recognised by Parliament as a national hero and lamented the "deficit" the country has shown in not giving official recognition to those who helped build the country.

Speaking to over a hundred mourners at St Gregory the Great Anglican Church for Mr Cartwright's state funeral, Rev Campbell declared "lessor" persons have been "selectively chosen" over Mr Cartwright for honours.

He also criticised recent tributes paid by politicians to Mr Cartwright as lacking in substance and dubbed the government lazy for not bestowing honours upon those who deserve it.

Rev Campbell said: "I met at the round table in the Cabinet office to plan this state recognised funeral. I advised the powers surrounding that Mr Cartwright is designated the honourable William Wilton Joseph Cartwright, national hero. Some around the table almost had my head. I was told that only Parliament could give such a designation.

"The Parliament of the Bahamas has been extremely lazy in this regard," Rev Campbell continued. "To date only one person - Milo Butler, has been declared a national hero by Parliament. We wait patiently for people of the stature of William Bill Cartwright to die, then we flirt with the title of national hero of the first order. This is a national character of which we seem not to be ashamed."

He continued: "We pray that one day we will catch up. Lesser models with lesser pedigree with lesser contributions to our development have been selectively chosen to be rated in honour over William Bill Cartwright and many other unsung national builders, to our detriment."

Recalling Mr Cartwright's accomplishments in life, Rev Campbell said the country "ought not to rob him" of credit for the formation of the PLP as "it was William Bill Cartwright who shared the idea (of the PLP) with Cyril Stevenson."

Rev Campbell explained the duo went on "intelligence gathering" travels before the idea of the PLP was shared with Henry Milton Taylor who "readily" supported them.

"In September 1953, the Progressive Liberal Party was born - the brainchild of William Bill Cartwright. Therefore we ought to honour Cartwright and Taylor as the first two PLP members of parliament and by extension, the first two men ever to represent any political party in the halls of Parliament," Rev Campbell said.

"This honour has never been recognised. Without this, there would have been no Lynden Pindling. There would have been no January 10, 1967 (Majority Rule), there would have been no July 10, 1973 (Bahamas Independence). What a deficit we have in our nation building that we deny true heroes their rightful places."

He went on to say: "People of lesser pedigree, who cannot stand in the shadow of William Bill Cartwright, overshadows him in accolades heaped upon them, many... that should have no place 45 years in the majority rule and nigh 40 years into independence. Those who sacrificed nothing, gave up nothing, now have roadways and super-structures named in their honour."

He also added: "Many of today's politicians need to study history and have a greater appreciation for where we are... Many of today's players on the political platform know nothing of William Bill Cartwright, Cyril Stevenson, and Milton Taylor. No wonder tributes paid in recent days to Cartwright lack so much substance."

The reverend also spent time describing Mr Cartwright's later life as a "rejected man" upon his release from an "unjustifiable" imprisonment following his unsuccessful bid for the Cat Island seat in the House.

"News came to him not to run or he'd feel the full weight of Bay Street. He told the story to many that he dared Bay Street and he offered once again to run for Cat Island only to be arrested on unjustifiable charges," Rev Campbell said.

"When the upcoming politician Arthur Hanna was nominated in his stead for Cat Island, William Bill Cartwright was arrested. The deputy prime minister appropriately compared Cartwright to Nelson Mandela, but unlike Mandela, on emerging from prison Cartwright goes out of sight a broken and a rejected man and his own people did not rally around him. His public life was over."

Rev Campbell said Mr Cartwright spent the later years of his life attempting to publish his book, Buildings of the Bahamas.

"Proceeds from this book were to stand between Cartwright and being a tramp on the street," he said. "Cartwright could be seen walking with a knapsack containing the elements of his dream as he walked through New Providence - especially in Palmdale, a dejected man where he was trying day by day to convince people to buy into his dream. Some persons testified to me that Cartwright literally got run, and called crazy and foolish, from some of the establishments here in New Providence."

Mr Cartwright did, however, benefit from a "five-year oasis" under the Christie administration in 2002, where he was hired as a consultant to the PLP and given "some dignity in life", Rev Campbell continued.

The reverend ended his sermon speaking on the importance of family life, before stating: "Cartwright died a broken man."

Prime Minister Perry Christie, one of several government officials in attendance, responded to Rev Campbell's comments in his own speech.

Mr Christie "confirmed the accuracy" of the reverend's statements, admitting: "We have not done a good job in recording our history."

He also stated: "Our deceased brother was the original visionary for organised politics in The Bahamas" and added: "We have an obligation as a country to do something about this 'deficit' and to do something quickly and to ensure there are no politics in this at all."

He noted he will "bring forward" the legislation that allows for Parliament to bestow "appropriate Bahamian honours - including that of national hero" and will "move to ensure the upliftment of the names of those who were a part of the original visionaries."

"I take this opportunity on behalf of a grateful nation, to express our appreciation and thanks for his contribution and for the defining contribution he made to the orderly development of this nation," Mr Christie said.