The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

ST ANNE’S MP Hubert Chipman said the government must “come clean” and explain to the public why exactly some of the country’s diplomatic appointments to the United States have not yet been confirmed.

Speaking out over the delay, the shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs called on Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell and Prime Minister Perry Christie to address the issue.

For “several weeks,” Mr Chipman said, he has been receiving “back-channel reports” on the stalled process of confirmation for some diplomats.

“The repeated concern expressed was that things were not looking good and there appears to be serious problems with either the people or the process, or both,” Mr Chipman said.

“In the interest of protecting the image and credibility of our Bahamians government and to avoid further unnecessary tensions in our relationship with our United States friend, we refrained from making any public comment on these developments. Regrettably, that position can no longer be maintained.”

Pointing to the headline of a local tabloid which “splashed this government’s unfortunate foreign policy blunders into the public domain,” Mr Chipman said Mr Christie and Mr Mitchell “must come clean and report fully and truthfully”.

For weeks after the high-profile announcement of former prison superintendent Ellison Rahming as ambassador to Washington DC, he said, speculation “raged” the appointment was not acceptable to the US.

“In the aftermath of the first set of reports of push-back by the United Stated I expressed my party’s concerns about those speculations and questioned whether or not the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fred Mitchell, had in fact blatantly violated long-standing protocols that prescribe how such important and sensitive appointments should be made and announced.

“Our concerns were downplayed or outrightly dismissed. We now understand why this might have been the case,” Mr Chipman said.

“If the facts are indeed as suggested, we must seriously question the Prime Minister’s judgement and that of the Minister of Foreign Affairs who is advising him. They appear to have their eyes on the wrong ball.  It cannot be that relations with the United Arab Emirates are more important that our most important ally, the United States of America,” he said, without explaining this comment further.

Mr Chipman added that recent statements from State Minister of National Security Keith Bell “have not been helpful”. “(Mr Bell) publicly accused the United States government of unceremoniously dumping their criminals on the Bahamas’ doorsteps. His blatantly incorrect statements were immediately refuted by US Embassy and Royal Bahamas Police Force officials,” he said.

“Meanwhile damage is being done to our interests and reputation abroad and there is no leader in Washington to make the rounds and make the case for the Bahamas. After an entire year in office this is a major failure on the part of the Prime Minister.

“In addition to the absence of the ambassador in Washington and the unresolved matter of the Consul General, the Christie government has yet to fill the vacancy in the Office of Consul General in New York City left following the ill advised recall of Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson back in August of 2012.

“After almost one year the Bahamian people lack a dedicated advocate in a major metropolitan city such as New York. It is not undiplomatic to describe that governmental failure as disgraceful. The Prime Minister must step up and report to the Bahamian people.”