The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT WAS disgraceful to listen to the PLP in the House of Assembly saying they somehow just forgot to give Sir Godfrey Kelly the honours he deserved in death. I don’t buy their apology. I think it was a deliberate slight.

Sir Godfrey was a member of the United Bahamian Party and later the Free National Movement. He was a former MP and served in the first Cabinet of The Bahamas as minister of education. He died last week at the age of 93.

The PLP cannot move on from the past. It is still obsessed with denigrating anyone who was from the old United Bahamian Party or early Free National Movement.

The PLP cannot accept that Bahamians of various skin colours, religions and belief systems contributed to the development of this country over the decades. The PLP has created this false historical narrative that “they” created the modern Bahamas, and anyone who was opposed to them was a wrongdoer.

Sir Godfrey had a distinguished career of achievements and service. He, Godfrey, was an avid sailor, competing in the 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics.

Sir Godfrey practised law for 66 years and served in many capacities over the many years, including at the Bahamas Bar Association; as elected representative to Parliament for the Cat Island constituency in l956, 1962 and l967; and as minister of education. He also served in the Senate.

Sir Godfrey and the late Sir Harold Christie were founders of the Cat Island Regatta.

Sir Godfrey was bestowed a knighthood in Queen Elizabeth’s 2020 New Year’s Honours.

The PLP demonstrated their nastiness and pettiness when Sir Godfrey was knighted. Rather than be gracious to a man in his 90s, that party attacked Sir Godfrey.

In a December 30, 2019 interview in The Nassau Guardian, Philip Davis, then the leader of the opposition and now the prime minister, said he was “appalled” that Kelly was recommended by the then FNM administration for a knighthood.

Davis questioned whether Kelly’s knighthood was “an effort to rewrite history or is it just awarding persons who would’ve perpetrated ideologies and policies and philosophies that treated the majority of our Bahamian people as second-class citizens?”

Sir Godfrey served his country. He was successful and gave back to the community. He came forward to help develop The Bahamas. He was an Olympian. He was a philanthropist. He evolved with the times as our country advanced through independence.

The Davis attack on Sir Godfrey when he was knighted is why I do not believe PLP claims that they somehow forgot to honour Sir Godfrey at his death.

As a former Cabinet minister Sir Godfrey should receive an official funeral by the state if his family so desired.

After Sir Godfrey and his family were slighted by him not being offered this honour, Davis and Fred Mitchell were in the House of Assembly on Wednesday attempting to apologise.

Pettiness is unbecoming of men elected to high office. The PLP acted disgracefully to Sir Godfrey. This is a mean-spirited government. Bahamians should take note.

MARTHA S GREENE

Nassau,

February 17, 2022.