Fred Mitchell
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Cabinet minister George Smith said it would be naïve of anyone to believe that Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell had ever disassociated himself from the website bahamasuncensored.com, as he warned politicians not to push “private and personal agendas” while members of the government.
He was reacting to Mr Mitchell’s criticism of Friday’s “We March Bahamas” protest, as well as Mr Mitchell’s promotion of the website.
The website, with its distinctive pro-Progressive Liberal Party tilt, frequently posts information about Mr Mitchell’s activities as a parliamentarian and Cabinet minister while providing commentary on various issues of prominence locally and worldwide.
The commentary is sometimes pointed and inflammatory, aimed at particular personalities.
“…I’d like to encourage you on a regular basis to read bahamasuncensored.com and ‘Fred Mitchell minute by minute’ on Facebook, because it tells you what I’m doing and it also aligns with much of my thinking on political issues,” Mr Mitchell said in a voice note last week, as he urged PLP supporters not to attend Friday’s protest.
Reacting yesterday, Mr Smith said: “One would have to be fairly unfamiliar with the realities in The
Bahamas not to have known that that website’s genesis was with Fred Mitchell and you would have been rather naïve to believe that he ever disassociated with it.”
“Politicians in the government should never push their private and personal agenda and I get the impression that too much of that is happening in this phase of our political life in the Bahamas and too many people believe that maybe these websites are being used for that purpose.”
He continued: “A minister has to walk a very narrow line in that all the time the public ought to be satisfied in his utterances, in what others claim to be his utterances, in his actions, where he goes, why he goes where he goes, that the public is mindful that the minister is a member of the executive of the government of the Bahamas and in that capacity has both tremendous individual power as well as collective power because he exercises power on behalf of the executive.”
As for last week’s march, Mr Smith said his views differ from other PLP members like Mr Mitchell.
“It was a beautifully, wonderfully organised march,” he said. “Organisers ought to be commended for bringing to the government and other political parties what they want for this country and expressing the concerns that the masses have. You may not agree with them but you have to admire them for doing it. Thank God we live in a country and we have the level of freedom that we could do that and I think we should have more and more of it. I believe those who govern, only govern with the consent of the governed and the government (should) always find time to listen to these people.”
Comments
justthefactsplease 8 years ago
Wow! George Smith actually makes sense. Surprising, coming from a PLP.
ohdrap4 8 years ago
well it is an old plp tactic.
bahms uncensored occasionally throws a red herring to appear unbiased to gain the sympathy of a few readers, hoping they become converts... so does bhams press.
Here in this site, tal russell makes comrades of evryone and goes feral at strategic moments, like the evening of the black friday march.
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
TalRussell 8 years ago
Comrades! What a motivating day I am having.
Earlier Adrian Francis reminded his talk show's listeners to love what you do and do what you love, so I reached for another glass whisky. Then comes the added motivation from former PLP Cabinet Minister George Smith who pouring myself another glass whisky is what you does when he starts sharing his "wisdom" with other politicians.
Can't wait read today's hereto Tribune most reaching blogs for some more liquid motivation.
Voltaire 8 years ago
Well, strictly speaking the motivation isn't 'liquid', only its result.
Alex_Charles 8 years ago
Bahamas Press is allegedly ran by a former PLP campaigner, Bahamas Uncensored is also allegedly ran by a former protestor and current moron running in Foxhill. If He doesn't own it, he sure as hell wrote material.
I'd argue Deepthroat Bahamas is another one of those groups. Yellow Journalism at it's finest with the sole intent to sway public opinion for political gain.
Voltaire 8 years ago
Deepthroat Bahamas is run by the PLP with the money from Stronger Bahamas on behalf of Peter Nygard. Just a guess.
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years ago
Fweddy Boy is a half-baked always angry bitter fruit tart. He really is a shameful embarrassment for all of us and is nothing but a laughing stock within the international diplomatic community. The people of Fox Hill have allowed themselves to be hood winked by this imbecile for far too long; hopefully they now realise it's high time Fweddy Boy be ditched with a good parting kick to his arse!
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years ago
Here's what one well-known Bahamian journalist had to say about George Smith's role in the history of the Bahamas as far back as 1982: ".....the Bahamas was in the throes of a criminal takeover by South American drug cartels. The Colombian flag was raised over Norman's Cay in George Smith's Exuma constituency by the notorious gangster Carlos Lehder, who drove ordinary visitors away at gunpoint and orchestrated hourly cocaine flights to the US. The 1984 Commission of Inquiry found that Smith had accepted gifts and hospitality from Lehder, who is now serving a long sentence in an American jail. In fact, one parliamentarian said at the time that 'Pindling and his crew make the Bay Street Boys look like schoolchildren.'" Corrupt George Smith is related to none other than Sir Snake's son-in-law Frank Smith, the incompetent idiot who Crooked Christie appointed as Chairman of our Public Hospital Authority (PHA). No doubt it is the greedy corrupt Sir Snake who is pushing Crooked Christie to let this corrupt scoundrel, George Smith, re-enter active politics. Many criminals are sitting in Fox Hill Prison today for having committed crimes that pale in comparison to the much more serious crimes George Smith committed. And lying Georgie would try con Crooked Christie and the good people of Exuma into believing he has since welcomed the Good Lord into his life and sought, found and received forgiveness and redemption for all of his earlier transgressions.....BUT ANYONE WHO KNOWS THIS LYING CROOKED SCOUNDREL KNOWS JUST HOW BAD A SCUMBAG HE TRULY IS!
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