The Tribune

EDITOR,The Tribune.

We profess to follow the so-called Westminster form of constitutional democracy here at home in our wonderful nation. Under that system there are certain constitutional conventions, while not having the force of an actual law or legislation, are followed and observed in the political arena.

One of these constitutional conventions is that a minister is responsible for the management of his/her particular ministry. As such, any blunders made, of a highly charged policy issue requires that minister to offer his/her resignation or be fired by the Prime Minister.

The Attorney General is the premier legal advisor to the government of the day. If he/she and his/her legal officers make a bad judgment call and it causes the administration gross embarrassment, the Attorney General must resign or be fired.

I have long held that the current holder of this office is known to be a ‘good’ Bahamian who I am sure loves the nation just as much as anyone else. I have also, however, long held, that in my opinion he is the second dumbest Attorney General in the history of The Bahamas. The dumbest one of them all is dead so I will not trouble his soul. In fact, may he continue to rest in peace. The current AG must go.

He led the public prosecutions, or were they persecutions, of former Minister Shane Gibson and Frank Smith with great fanfare and apparent glee. Lo and behold both cases were tossed and the accused were acquitted. Again in my opinion a major blunder.

He has not given an accounting of just how much public funds were wasted on those cases. Now we have the spectacle of his having to admit that he and his office were grossly negligent in failing to draft the appropriate resolution to extend the Emergency Powers Act! He says that he is sorry!

The PM if he had the political will would have required /demanded the same. It is what it is, however, and we will never see that happening. Come the next general elections, however, they will all be gone. To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H. BODIE, Jr.

Nassau,

July 2, 2020