The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I READ with considerable sadness of the passing of C A P Smith, a former Permanent Secretary. I extend my profound sympathy to his wife Rachel and his children, all of whom I know personally and who CAP loved beyond measure.

CAP Smith, as he was affectionately called, had a profound affect and influence on the professional lives and development of many young Bahamians who entered the Public Service in the early 70s, including myself, and who went on to make a sterling contribution to the overall development of The Bahamas.

The list would be too long to recite publicly but I am sure that those concerned could look back and account for his guidance, his generosity and his extraordinary bent to get the maximum out of every individual.

CAP Smith brought an edge of urgency to every task that he had to grapple with and his Obituary has listed some of them. He was a direct recruit to the Public Service as a Permanent Secretary and brought a keen sense of policy development and analysis to the various portfolios and Ministries in which he served.

He tried his best to guide the various Ministers with whom he served and none of them could ever question his loyalty or professionalism.

It is fair to say that as a Permanent Secretary he could be a maverick at times but in the end, it was the outcome of his efforts that counted for him not necessarily the process.

Many of the trailblazing policies that we take as de rigueur in industrial relations, labour practices, social security (NIB), skills development at a time when there was no structured training programmes for job training, establishing youth and sporting policies redound to his credit.

On a personal level, CAP was an affable man and a bon vivant and I, together with some of his close friends, were always buoyed by his presence. He loved life and had an intellectual curiosity that caused him to delve into many and varied subjects. Like all human kind, he had moments of adversity but I never saw him perplexed or overwhelmed by circumstances.

The Bahamas has lost a wonderful public servant whose passing should not go unnoted and unappreciated.

LUTHER E SMITH

Nassau,

February 9, 2017.