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Statue of Sir Lynden Pindling unveiled at airport

The grandchildren of Sir Lynden Pindling, Holly Sands, Andrew Pindling, Danielle Johnson and Grace Johnson, at the unveiling of the new statue at the airport. Photos: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

The grandchildren of Sir Lynden Pindling, Holly Sands, Andrew Pindling, Danielle Johnson and Grace Johnson, at the unveiling of the new statue at the airport. Photos: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

SIR Lynden Pindling, the ‘Father of the Nation’, has been memorialised with the erection of a life-sized bronze statue of his image at the entrance to the international airport that bears his name as part of the 42nd Independence celebrations.

Tributes were paid to Sir Lynden, the first Prime Minister of The Bahamas, by Glenys Hanna Martin, the Transport and Aviation Minister, and the Prime Minister, Perry Christie, on Thursday at the unveiling ceremony.

Sir Lynden’s children remembered a loving, doting father who was a disciplinarian, a strong advocate for education and a health and fitness conscious individual who walked, jogged or swam every morning before work while encouraging them to take a walk after dinner.

His youngest child, Monique, spoke on behalf of the family and Sir Lynden’s grandchildren were tasked with unveiling the statue.

Comments

asiseeit 9 years, 4 months ago

Where are the bales, keys, and duffel bags that went along with his time as P.M.? This will always be SLOP's legacy, it will never be forgotten. The politicians of today should take note.

dahasamo 9 years, 4 months ago

The man responsible for destroying aviation in this country has the airport named after him and a STATUE. How much more will history be distorted to honour this man?

Islandgirl 9 years, 4 months ago

Is there any reason why this cannot be once again named the Nassau International Airport? This man is such a divisive figure in this country, and for the many persons who were victimized by him and his Cabinet throughout much of his twenty five year reign of tyranny, both the naming of the major gateway into this country accompanied by a statue in his likeness is an affront. If one was to change the name to honor anybody it should have been Sir Stafford Sands, the Father of Tourism and Business in this country. Without his genius, the Bahamas would never have been on the map. Why wasn't it? Because he himself was a divisive figure, I suppose. Keep it neutral, and a source of pride to all Bahamians. Return it to its original name please, Nassau International Airport, and stop revising history to suit what makes some among us feel better.

sheeprunner12 9 years, 4 months ago

Will Bahamians ever get pissed off enough to hate their black political elite to do what the Iraqis did back in the day?????? March on the SLOP airport???

TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago

Comrades rename airport after Stafford Sands or Loretta Turner-Butler but the chances are anyone flying in or out Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) won't be wondering who in hell is this Pindling fellow but more concerned if their damn flights will arrive and depart safely and on time. Considering in US they have renamed airports after comedians and a cartoonist - we aint doing so bad renaming we's, after da "Father Nation" Pindling, or do you reds also wants revoke that 'earned' title too? But why be shocked cuz ain't these same red shirts, who still an't all that crazy about celebrating nation's independence days?

Sickened 9 years, 4 months ago

Did the prisoners stop making license plates for a day and instead make this 'bronze' statue out of the scrap metal? That thing looks hideous, and tiny.. deservedly so.

ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago

It is weird... I mean really weird. Sir Milo's bust resembles Sir Milo so closely and that was done ages ago. If I were the family I would have asked for it to be redone.

Sickened 9 years, 4 months ago

Did they put a real bronze eye in the statue?

asiseeit 9 years, 4 months ago

What exactly are you celebrating about independence? We traded one set of master for another that are twice as bad? That we are still in economic slavery? That we are ruled by kleptocrates? That Crime has the nation by the throat? That the middle class is disappearing? That the rule of law is only for some, not all? That the political class is raping this country? That our education system is a failure? That we can not protect our natural resources? That a communist country is slowly taking over? That we are 6 billion dollars in debt? What, honestly, are you celebrating?

ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago

I suppose it's fitting that the statue is ill proportioned and doesn't look like him...much like the fairy tales spun resemble nothing of the real life story. Don't get me wrong Sir Lynden was a brilliant man and he did a lot for the country, but they are trying to paint him as a paragon of virtue and he was not that. He allowed the drug trade to flourish, he socialized with drug king pins, he orchestrated the financial destruction of fellow Bahamians. Tell the whole story so mistakes aren't repeated.

asiseeit 9 years, 4 months ago

The lives this man destroyed are many and across the spectrum.

realfreethinker 9 years, 4 months ago

He should be called the Step father of the nation,because under his tyrannical rule we were treated as step children

OMG 9 years, 4 months ago

And what about his income far exceeding his salary?

asiseeit 9 years, 4 months ago

That was a "teachable moment", the lesson was, hide your money better.

Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 4 months ago

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that the face on this statue bears an uncanny resemblance to Carlos Lehder? Is this statue intended to be some kind of a joke?

MonkeeDoo 9 years, 4 months ago

I hope his grandchildren paid for this and not me !

hurricane 9 years, 4 months ago

The Father of Corruption should be at the bottom of that statue.

crabman 9 years, 4 months ago

LOP, was a BRILLIANT, teacher, look at how far we have come with our country, the magazines said we were a country FOR SALE, well the legacy came true. Our country is no longer ours.

Those who sat at the knee of the scholar are now running our country, the sad thing they still believe we are a country for sale, but they have grown smart in the passing years and like an unscrupulous real estate salesman, they have sold our one single country OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

As a VERY WISE MAN once said, and it is obvious that it has become a family tradition, ALL FOR ME BABY, ALL FOR ME.

TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago

Hello Comrade British government, we is going deport plane loads red shirts loyalists holdovers from we British days, back they real homeland - England. Your officials will easily recognize them when they land at airport, cuz they will all have been Minister Freedy per-stamped as "An independent Bahamaland's, unwanted class of rejects."

sheeprunner12 9 years, 4 months ago

The bigger issue that all right-thinking bahamians should be discussing is ........... why is the PLP so hell-bent on just memorializing ONE person, rather than creating a National Heroes' Park where they can truly memorialize all of the persons who helped to build this country ...... from Sayle, Rogers, Deveaux, James Carmichael Smith, Pompey, Sands, Milo Butler, Etienne Dupuch etc.

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