The Tribune

THIS weekend, the services of Elcott Coleby of Bahamas Information Services, whose salary is paid by Bahamian taxpayers to distribute news about the Bahamas, was used by Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell to distribute to the press his party’s political propaganda given in a speech at Long Island. We hope that the PLP paid for these services from its own party’s coffers, and not from the Public Treasury.

Not only did Mr Coleby send the press an excerpt of what Mr Mitchell wanted to impress upon Bahamians, but also attached a video link. Of course, the written excerpt was not an exact report of what Mr Mitchell had said, but it was near enough.

This use of government’s information services for PLP propaganda is nothing new. A search of Tribune files will reveal the abuse of this service by the Pindling government – not solely for government information, but also for party propaganda.

Mrs Loretta Butler Turner, MP for Long Island, was quite right in accusing Mr Mitchell of “abuse of his office” in this respect.

This, she said, “is reminiscent of his days at ZNS when he used the state broadcast media as a PLP propaganda tool and an instrument of victimisation against the PLP’s opponents and the Opposition.”

In June 1990 when Pindling and his once “blue-eyed boy” were at daggers drawn, Mr Mitchell admitted – when reminded of his relationship with Sir Lynden who had given him full control of ZNS — that Sir Lynden had indeed given him the authority to use a “hatchet” inside ZNS in the period 1977-79. And use the “hatchet” he did.

“And I want to tell him,” was the message that Mr Mitchell sent to Sir Lynden in 1990 when the two had parted company, “that I will go step for step, toe for toe, word for word, hatchet for hatchet. I have no fear in my body at all about anything he says or does about me.”

Mr Mitchell chastised Mrs Butler-Turner this weekend for her recent remarks in the Baha Mar controversy. They “tend to be very aggressive and sometimes crude,” especially where the Prime Minister is concerned, he claimed.

We wonder if Mr Mitchell suffers from amnesia. Maybe we can now jog his memory. On June 8, 1990, Sir Lynden told Mr Mitchell that those in opposition who burn the constitution one day, would bury the people another day.

“They respect neither tradition nor the law and should be exposed for the dictatorial tendencies they secretly harbour,” said Sir Lynden of Mr Mitchell.

On another occasion – January 13, 1990– when Mr Mitchell was on a mission to hound Acting Chief Justice JC Gonsalves-Sabola out of the country — Sir Michael Barnett, who at that time was Bar Council president – had to remind him that “there is something else more significant and which should be said, that Fred must remember that in his quest to become Prime Minister that not only is the courage of his own convictions important, but also good manners and courtesy.

“His behaviour at the opening of the session on Wednesday morning was very deplorable. Here were judges and lawyers attending church to pray for guidance as we begin the new year and he is harassing them by handing out leaflets and letters which nobody seemed to have wanted.

“Clearly it must have been grand standing. If he wanted simply to communicate his views to the Chief Justice, he could have done so by delivering the letter to the Chief Justice’s chambers and, of course, he would have received notice by the Chief Justice, but to interrupt the process to the service and by shouting out while we were entering the church really was in my view not good manners.”

Is this the same Fred Mitchell, who at 61 years of age, was in Long Island recalling advice given him years ago that “it’s better to attract good things with a dab of honey than with a bag of vile”?

It is almost disgustingly funny that he neither learned nor practised this rule himself throughout his career – even to the present – but now wants to use it to judge a member of the Opposition. Mr Mitchell, really you are too much! But, of course, we must admit that you do make amusing — sometimes even, unbelievable copy.

Another section was lifted by BIS Director Coleby from Mr Mitchell’s Long Island talk, especially for the attention of the press. It was a question Mr Mitchell wanted answered by Mrs Turner-Butler and her party in connection with Baha Mar. Asked Mr Mitchell:

“Do they stand up and defend The Bahamas and Bahamians or are they always on the side of those who want to destroy our country? That’s it plain and simple. Recent events about the Cable Beach development once again bring into question whether she and they will stand up for Bahamians. She can bellow and bark all she wants; she has to answer that question. Does she stand up for Bahamians?”

We cannot answer for Mrs Butler-Turner, nor her party, but we can certainly answer for The Tribune.

Here at The Tribune we investigate, ask many questions, examine our findings and then make a considered decision. We follow no one blindly — not even the government – nor do we believe everything we are told, regardless of the source.

Government doesn’t want our courts to recognise Chapter 11 of Delaware’s bankruptcy court because it will demean this country’s sovereignty, so they claim. It’s a nice peg to hang our hat on, but our investigations lead us to believe that it is far more complicated than that. In our opinion too much will be exposed if documents are examined and made public in Delaware.

According to Mr Mitchell, we have to support government if we are on the side of the Bahamian people. In our opinion, after much investigation and thought, we believe government only stands for some Bahamians in this matter.

As a result, The Tribune does not support government’s position. It stands for ALL Bahamians and we do not believe that government’s position includes all Bahamians, nor what’s best economically for the country.

In an editorial in July last year when Mr Mitchell said that true patriots would support their country “right or wrong” we told him that if he wants our country to be respected he has to expand his mantra of “my country right or wrong” to include – “if right to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right!”

The Tribune’s mission is to set it right, and keep it right. It is our opinion today that this government is off the rails and headed for a colossal collision.