The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

I WOULD appreciate the publication of this open letter in The Tribune addressed to House Speaker Patricia Deveaux.

Dear Madam Speaker,

I do trust that this communication finds you in the best of health.

While I do not recall having had the pleasure of meeting you in person, notwithstanding, like my fellow Bahamian citizens, I have on many occasions seen you in action in the performance of your duties as Speaker of our Honourable House of Assembly. And in this vein, please accept my hearty congratulations on your appointment as the second Bahamian woman to hold this high office in the Parliament of our Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Quite naturally, you are wondering why I am taking the liberty of writing you this letter. Before I answer that, however, permit me to elucidate you briefly on my professional/employment background.

My full name is Anita Doreen Hilton-Bernard née Wilchcombe, a former career Public Officer. I am now a retiree at 80 years old, having served some 62 of those years in the service of my country, firstly as an educator for 29 years (from 1961); as a Mid-Management and Senior Public Officer for 27 years (from 1980) and as a contracted Public Officer for seven years post-retirement in 2007, having held the highest office as Cabinet Secretary (the second Bahamian woman to hold that office) for three of those years, 2009-2012. My last two-year contractual appointment concluded June, 2021.

From the foregoing, you will deduce that I would have served under every Government administration pre - and post - 1967.

Against that background sketch, you would appreciate that I would have gained many years of knowledge and experience in the Public Service. I had also learnt to “speak truth to power” regardless of the consequences, for you see, I was and continue to be guided always by Godly principles and by the fact that I worked in the service of my country, not to please individuals.

Hence, I gave my best advice to whomever was in power, regardless of their political affiliation or whether or not such advice was accepted.

Now to the main purpose of this communication.

Like many Bahamians, I was appalled and deeply disturbed to see the Speaker use the Honourable House of Parliament to castigate, humiliate and even irresponsibly and unjustly malign the character and professional integrity of long serving, experienced Public Officer, Mr Stephen Russell, Director of The Bahamas National Emergency Agency (NEMA). Not only was the criticism totally uncalled for, but it was delivered in such an undignified and crass manner that I understand that many well-thinking Bahamians who viewed the spectacle hung their heads in shame or vented their anger via social media even to the extent of calling for the removal of Madam Speaker who, after nine months in office, appears not to understand the importance of the impartial/non-partisan and dignified role of the Speaker.

To me and to others who would have some knowledge of the role and function of NEMA, Madam Speaker displayed utter ignorance of NEMA’s and its Director’s functions. This became painfully evident when Madam Speaker acknowledged the Ministry of Works’ (MOW’s) presence at the scenes of the tornadic impact but emphasized concurrently that no one from NEMA was present!

In reality, Madam Speaker, the fact that the MOW was present at the sites shortly after the tornadic occurrences is confirmation that NEMA’s Director was on the job because only he is vested with the authority to enlist Government Agencies to render emergency services during national disasters. And incidentally, those Agencies know their roles.

As Madam Speaker will eventually learn, NEMA’s Director, as the Government’s chief coordinator for dealing with national disasters, is vested with the authority and the respect to be able to call upon and mobilise all relevant Government agencies inclusive of the RBPF and the RBDF as well as non-government agencies, and even external organizations via the Office of the Prime Minister in order to provide necessary assistance in times of national emergencies. Furthermore, Madam Speaker, Captain Russell was selected to hold this position primarily on the strength of his knowledge, training and discipline gained during his service in the Bahamas Royal Defence Force where he had risen to the rank of Captain.

I had the privilege of meeting NEMA’s Director in office in January 2009 when I was appointed Cabinet Secretary. For the years that I served in that position, I had found Mr Russell to be a no-nonsense, efficient, dedicated Officer and a gentleman who knew his work and always took his responsibilities seriously. In this regard, perhaps neither you nor the public would be aware of the fact that during hurricanes, NEMA’s Director and staff take up residence in their workplaces to be available to respond to and render emergency assistance 24/7. Nor would you have been aware that in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Mr.Russell had personally tracked the possibility of a tsunami impacting The Bahamas into the early hours of the morning – a situation of which I became aware when I received a call from him after 1:00 a.m.to alert us to such a possibility.

Hence, it was abhorrent to hear you so gratuitously attack, humiliate, and malign the character of an upstanding Public Officer such as Captain Russell by suggesting that he must have been at home watching some televised sporting event during the tornadic incidents. Indeed, I find it rather curious that none of your constituents appeared to have advised you of the tornadic impact until late in the evening, long after NEMA would have responded to the Cowpen and Baillou Hill Road areas which were impacted around the same time as your Bamboo town Constituency. Could it be that your constituents could not reach you, their MP, until then?

In closing, Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that a Parliamentary rule exists that prohibits all Parliamentarians, inclusive of the Speaker, from attacking citizens who are unable to defend themselves in the Halls of Parliament. Accordingly, and suffice it to say that at the very least, it is my humble opinion and suggestion that you should swallow your highly inflated ego and take the honourable and non-partisan course of action befitting the Office of Speaker of our Parliament, to apologize publicly for your gratuitous and unjustified attack on the professional and personal character of an upstanding Senior Public Officer, Captain Stephen Russell, Director of the Bahamas National Emergency Agency. Enough is enough!

ANITA BERNARD

Retired Cabinet Secretary

Nassau,

June 10, 2022