The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Labour Minister Dion Foulkes has called on the Prime Minister to demand the resignation of union leader Cleola Hamilton from her role as Parliamentary Secretary.

“The conflict of interest is obvious and unmistakable,” he claimed.

Mrs Hamilton serves as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration. She is also president of the Bahamas Nurses Union (BNU) and vice president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Her roles have prompted some, including Mr Foulkes, to allege a conflict of interest.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr Foulkes branded the South Beach MP ‘obstinate and arrogant’ in the face of the allegations.

“Prime Minister Perry Christie should ask Cleola Hamilton to resign as a Parliamentary Secretary and if she does not, he should immediately dismiss her,” Mr Foulkes said.

He claimed Mrs Hamilton had ‘clearly demonstrated’ a misunderstanding of the rules and conventions of the government’s system or, he claimed, ‘simply does not care about them.’

Mr Foulkes sai: “It is unthinkable that the Prime Minister should allow this situation to continue for another day. It is a very bad precedent and the longer it continues the greater the damage to our democracy.

“Ms Hamilton cannot serve two masters. The conflict of interest is obvious and unmistakable. It would be a conflict of interest for a junior minister to be an officer of any union much less one that represents employees of the government.

“Who will Ms Hamilton side with when nurses have grievances against the Government-owned and operated health facilities?

“How can she effectively negotiate the new Nurses Union’s contract with the PLP Government while she has sworn loyalty to that Government?

“As Vice President of the TUC, what will Ms Hamilton do when her affiliate unions have disputes or are engaged in industrial actions against the PLP Government, or in any other actions that may affect the public interest.”

Mr Foulkes said he was calling on Mr Christie to ‘do the right thing’ which he claimed was to relieve Mrs Hamilton of her post as Parliamentary Secretary in compliance with ‘long-standing conventions’ of cabinet government, and in the ‘best interests’ of the nurses and the trade union.

Mrs Hamilton and Mr Christie could not be reached for comment last night.

Last week TUC President Obie Ferguson defended Mrs Hamilton, who was present: “Where is the conflict? Your job is to represent workers and the interests of workers – doesn’t matter which party. If you’re there to represent the working people, it doesn’t matter.

“I would never, never ever, in my position as president suggest a situation that would put the honourable member of Parliament and vice president of TUC in any compromising position. I would never, ever propose such a thing.”

Vice president of the BNU, Jannah Khalfani also said at the time that the union had specifically requested that Mrs Hamilton stay on as president and the minister had ‘no desire’ to be re-elected again in the next election.