The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

When he was the host of Beyond the Headlines at Eyewitness News, Clint Watson, now Press Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, saw it as his job to hold certain public officials accountable.

In my opinion, he was especially hard on the FNM and then Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. His leanings became even clearer, especially in the lead-up to the general election. Many people watched on TV his fawning interviews with then Opposition Leader Philip Brave Davis and other senior PLPs.

Now Mr Watson, who is Mr Davis’s press secretary, is a public official who must be held accountable for his actions related to the trip to Dubai for the World Expo. The public deserves answers to a number of questions, especially since the PLP and Mr Watson promised transparency and accountability.

Mr Watson is the director of the gospel choir Shaback that went to Dubai. Was favoritism shown in the selection of his choir? Did he personally ask the prime minister or other officials to send his choir? Did Mr Watson lack the judgment to see how this might look?

There is a report that the Bahamas National Youth Choir was approached by a representative from the Ministry of Tourism to represent The Bahamas in Dubai.

As reported in The Nassau Guardian, Dexter Fernander, the director of the choir, “said the choir was under the impression that it would represent the country but found out through unofficial channels that that was not to be the case”.

The Guardian report stated: “Fernander said discussions were underway since 2019 for the choir to be a part of Expo 2022. In November of 2021, he said, a Ministry of Tourism representative reached out noting that the choir was being considered but nothing else ever came of it.

“‘That person never even called back to say we were not accepted, but it is what it is,’ Fernander said. He added, ‘I found out on social media just like everyone else. I was like, ‘Oh, OK. I guess the choir isn’t going.’

“Unfortunately, I wish they had told us earlier. We had an opportunity to go to Nashville also for the Martin Luther King special Let Freedom Sing concert that’s happening in the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.”

Was Mr Watson’s group chosen over the National Youth Choir? Who made the decision? Was Mr Watson involved in the decision-making process? Again, was there favoritism shown to the press secretary’s choir.

Was the selection of his choir a conflict of interest? One can imagine if a similar thing happened at the White House in the US or at Downing Street in Britain or in the press office of the Jamaican prime minister, there would be many questions.

Further, how many members of his choir went to Dubai? Were members of the choir initially slated to be paid for their services? Was Mr Watson initially slated to be paid as choir director? What were the full costs to send the choir?

Will Mr Watson please demonstrate full accountability and lay out all of the facts on the decision to send his choir to Dubai, including his involvement in the decision, and the costs and any funds paid for the choir for the trip.

Mr Watson has an obligation to abide by the standards of public life he liked to talk about on his former television talk show.

Mr Watson should know a basic lesson about public service. You are not the star. Your principal or boss is who you are supposed to project. When you become the story instead of your boss, you are failing terribly at your job.

I believe that The Dubai trip has undermined Mr Watson’s standing and credibility with much of the public and the cultural community.

As Wilfred Burrows III wrote in a Facebook Post: “Furthermore, Mr Clint Watson as press secretary to the OPM will hopefully learn after this debacle that in the world of politics, sacrifices in your personal life must be made to ethically fulfill certain roles.

“There is no way one can think that it is acceptable for him in his dual role as press secretary and leader and director of Shaback to have them travel and represent the government, furthermore with him front and centre! Whether they were a show choir or not, it is simply not appropriate.”

BAHAMIAN PATRIOT

Nassau,

January 23, 2022