The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said The Bahamas is not a systemically corrupt nation, insisting neither its people nor institutions are corrupt.

He said while “every country in the world has corrupt actors”, people must be held responsible for their own actions.

His comment came after a US federal indictment accused members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) of aiding drug traffickers in smuggling large quantities of cocaine from South America to the United States.

Mr Mitchell said: “The moment a fisherman starts calling its fish stink, there’s a problem.”

“Every country in the world has corrupt actors, and as I indicated in an earlier statement to one of our partisans when he was arrested, each person must defend his own personal conduct. We are not responsible for the personal conduct of individuals.”

He also gave his full support to Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, saying: “I have faith in the leader of the PLP and Prime Minister of our country that he will deal appropriately with these issues. I am also confident that whatever is done, the country will emerge stronger. Our people are resilient.”

Mr Mitchell lambasted the Free National Movement for suggesting “all kinds of nefarious untruths” in connection with the indictment.

He said: “I’m listening, I’m watching the comments, and I always go back to first principles: Hear the other side. Do not prejudge. Act judiciously. Act fairly. Speak judiciously. It’s easy to condemn, but hard to take back injudicious words that are spoken.”

Mr Mitchell also took aim at FNM Leader Michael Pintard, calling him the “actor-in-chief”, and criticised the opposition MP‘s behaviour during Wednesday’s House of Assembly sitting. Tensions rose when House Speaker Patricia Deveaux prevented Mr Pintard from speaking after the prime minister.

“You could see it coming,” he said. “This is going to be an attempt by Mr Pintard and his actors to derail the government’s agenda for the day because a court in New York City decided to arrest and indict a policeman and a defence force officer on the course of issuing the charges, making some pretty sweeping generalisations within the article about The Bahamas, its government and its people.”

“I invite you to do what Stevie S said in his song, hold your head. Read the indictments and its language, and you will have many questions to ask and for which truthful answers are necessary.”