By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie said he was “surprised” to learn of Elizabeth MP Ryan Pinder’s plan to resign as Minister of Financial Services because he always viewed him as someone who was “white” with the capacity to lead a black party.
The Prime Minister, who was a guest on the television talk show State of Affairs, rejected former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham’s criticism that Mr Christie had been hypocritical for supporting Mr Pinder’s move to the private banking sector. The first part of the show was broadcast by ZNS on Monday night.
“I think I should say that when I was advised of Ryan’s intention to resign,” Mr Christie said, “I was surprised because Ryan had great potential. I always described him as someone who was white but could lead a black party. That’s how I saw the energy, the capacity, the empathy (he has) with people.
“The one thing that I think that I should try to distinguish (is) the former Prime Minister spoke of levels of hypocrisy. The difference between Ryan and Vince Vanderpool-Wallace is Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace had the Hotel Corporation seeded 2,500 acres of land and Vince (then) became the consultant thereafter. It is what it is. We (at the time) took some public positions on it.
“Ryan Pinder was in a promotional ministry, not a regulatory ministry. So, yes, one can argue that he saw an advantage for himself that people got to see that he was of immense ability (and) that he got credibility internationally and therefore he might have parlayed that into a new job.”
Mr Christie said once Mr Pinder made his decision, he accepted that there are ministerial salaries that are not competitive enough.
Mr Pinder’s resignation took effect on December 31 and he has taken up a senior position at Deltec Bank. His replacement, Sea Breeze MP Hope Strachan, will officially take up the post on January 12.
Mr Christie suggested that it was Mr Pinder, who in a transition paper, chose Ms Strachan to be his successor.
He said in future he hoped there would be more people with knowledge of the public sector who would move into the private workforce.
“I wish him well. I think the more we can have people who know about public service working in the private sector, especially if they are PLP, because I have had this argument before. When I look at boards of directors I have to ask some of the banks whether they feel that FNMs can be the only ones as directors of these corporations. That’s the kind of discussion I have to ensure that we have balanced and orderly growth of our economy and that people who are worthy of selection to these positions,” Mr Christie said.
Comments
CuriousAbaconian 9 years, 4 months ago
"I always described him as someone who was white but could lead a black party." What in the world does the colour of one's skin have to do with being the leader of a party? Perry is black and he doesn't seem to have a clue as to how to run a "black party." This fellow is a real joker. Where else in the "developed" world can a country's leader go on television and spew such rubbish?
spoitier 9 years, 4 months ago
I'm in no way trying to take up for Christie but he wasn't talking about whether or not he is competent enough to run a black party but he was referring to whether he was likable enough to garner black votes. Let's not pretend most people in the Bahamas and around the world tend more to vote for a person that is the same color of their skin unless the other party was that bad. In Barack Obama case the republican was that bad and the democrats had a woman as his competition and let us not pretend that people would rather vote for a man whether black or white before voting for a woman.
Emac 9 years, 4 months ago
I agree 100%
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago
It means he acts just like the rest of the politicians. Fits right in. Been told that before.
Sickened 9 years, 4 months ago
A white leader here... in The Bahamas??? I just pissed myself!!! This stroke victim is seriously ill. First of all, no white person would vote for it because they know it would be a wasted vote and would be accused of trying to bring slavery back, and second no black person would ever publicly support it because they would be seen as having slave mentalities and needing a new master!
atwr 9 years, 4 months ago
Absolute foolishness. 3rd world thinking and speaking. When will we ever get past the colour of a man's skin...???
spoitier 9 years, 4 months ago
If that is third world thinking then the whole world is third world. I'm not saying that we shouldn't get past color but this world is full of discrimination and who can't see is blind.
Hogfish 9 years, 4 months ago
Perry so disgusting. Is he so insecure that he has to bring color into it? What 'black party'? FNM got one white boy, and PLP got (had) one white boy. But if you look at it PLP has two because you know Key is still PLP. But what fu kcing difference does it make?! Both parties are black. 90% of the population is black. So what?? Pinder is a Bahamian! enough said. BUT what he's trying to say is PLP is for the dumb ignorant niggas in the street. If you educated or against us then you white, trying to polarise and stir up resentment. The white massa been gone long time but let's just keep blaming whitey even though we had black power now for 40 years! This man is beyond disgusting.
Hogfish 9 years, 4 months ago
and i wonder what 'sticky-finger' davis thinks about perry talking about pinder leading the party! LOL!
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago
LOL, good one, hadn't thought about that:) and only a few short days after calling Brave a "wonderful aspirant" for leadership of the party. RTFOL, I don't know how Brave takes it...
GrassRoot 9 years, 4 months ago
not being a fan of PGC (not a fan of any politician in the Bahamas actually), he seems to have had a lucidum intervallum. To take away the good from his speech, he said that anybody that is suitable to lead a party should lead a party, which is more of a qualification of the persons he has not mentioned to be leading the party than anything else and - disclaimer - does not per se define what qualifications a suitable person to lead a party in the Bahamas should have. Having this said, the only wish I have is that they are not corrupt. Greedy is ok for now, but not corrupt.
TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago
Comrade PM and PLP cabinet. Didn't we begin to bury that ugly race demon way back in 1967 when your PLP party defeated the white UBP government? Pindling can be accused of many things but one that will never stick former PM, is the one accusing him of playing the race card. PM you should be ashamed of yourself.
by TalRussell
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago
Darkness.
Stapedius 9 years, 4 months ago
A donkey he is, as described before. I put the PM, Fred Smith, Rodney Moncur and a few others in a special category. Had a professor who would say "your cerebrum is globally confused." He was politely saying stop being a dumba@$. I relay these sentiments to the PM. WTF 'black party?' Would the PLP please have the good sense and the balls to elect a new leader. We are too emotional in these political parties. We take things too personally. Perry has done his time and his rhetoric is beyond annoying. He is slow moving, decrepit in his ability to get this country moving economically and simply out of date. This is the exact reason young people don't want to vote for either party. These guys just won't clear off and let a transition take place within these parties and the country. Even the 'so called retirees' getting media coverage. Just go away and sit down.
themessenger 9 years, 4 months ago
Well mudda take sick, PIng mussy laughin" in he grave, What nex Cool PC, more Roots reruns??
proudloudandfnm 9 years, 4 months ago
Tal are you daft? Pindling LOVED the race card. What the hell are you talking about?!?!? Funny how Roots used to come on before every election... lol....
TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago
No, Pindling was not a perfect man but sure as hell opened more closed doors for his people, black, white and lick-brush than Papa, Christie and Pop Symonette multiplied by 10 fold. Comrade point me to just one incident that supports where the former PM Pindling ever played the race card to run the government of Bahamaland. Just the facts please.The same can be said that here we are in 2015 and Pindling is being blamed for breeding today's generation of drug dealers and abusers and criminals. I guess even when the century's up clock rolls around for 1967 - there will still be those preaching the same misleading nonsense.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago
What?! You had satellite eh? You didn't watch any Roots reruns?
asiseeit 9 years, 4 months ago
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontli...">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontli... He also could operate on that island because he bought the government, correct?
Precisely. He operated on the island from the beginning because he had the blessing of the Bahamian government. They were funneling tons of money, and don't ask me dollar amounts, because I was not active with him them. I knew of his operation. I didn't know in those days, I didn't know precisely how much money he was paying the Bahamian government. But the First Family of the Bahamian government was getting lots of money--not only through Carlos' pockets, but through a fund created by the cartel, by the Ochoas, by the Escobars, by the Gachas. They joined in money funding for the Bahamian government and other governments to be on retainer, and always fed moneywise in the eventuality of anything happening.
The Bahamian government gave Carlos a promise. We will advise you. You will get a wink from us, a signal, when things are getting too hot and you need to move out of there. So, you might lose the island, but you and your people will be safe. We'll tell you when to get out of there. And they believed in their promise and they lived day after day and they partied like in heaven because they knew that nothing was going to happen. There was going to be a phone call and we're going to get out of here on time. That was the foundation of, it's going to be okay. We can be wild, we can be loud and we can be seen. We are not going to be touched because whatever happens, if the DEA is coming towards us, they are going to find an empty island and that's how it happened. They did.
themessenger 9 years, 4 months ago
Comrade Tal obviously has selective memory, the commission of inquiry never happened and this Nation was never for sale. Alla dat was nuttin' more than NBC goin' after we Prime Minister fa show.
TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago
I knows lots I seldom blog about. If we can conclude they have all be corrupted then we can finally move on exclusively from what Pindling is guilty of. Comrade Tal sat in room at Carlton Hotel during the Commission of Inquiry over the blatant under-da-table cash payola paid by Wallace groves to Sir Stafford and his UBP cronies. for the same kind consistency fees now in the news at BEC. Papa sat right next me many days and he heard it all right from mouths of UBP's, some still bankrolling his red shirts party. Why isn't the mainstream media blaming Sir Stafford for breeding today's under-da-table $325,000 consultancy fees crooks? After and during the hearings breaks Papa and I would go for a coffee or grab a bite to rehash what we had just heard direct from mouths UBP's..They's were the days when the Grand Central Restaurant housed alongside Carlton Hotel, wasn't exactly welcoming to people of Papa's complexion.
themessenger 9 years, 4 months ago
Stafford Sands was possibly guilty of many things but he was a boy scout compared to the fellas dat bin runnin tings since him an da Bay Street Boys get run. Stafford dem had money in da treasury, all we gat now is tiefin, debt & VAT.
TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago
Roots had its purpose and had nothing do Pindling's policies. When UBP left office it was claimed they had $22 million in da bank. Not so positive a cash-flow reflection for a government who never spent money to uplift Bahamalanders. Where were the schools. Most, if not all, Bay Street merchants employed white and lick-da-brush clerks behind they counters.
themessenger 9 years, 4 months ago
Roots may have had nothing to do with Pindlings policies but was very much a part of his modus operandi come election time. As to where were the schools under the UBP, in far better condition than they are today both educationally and infrastructurally,where you think Ping dem get their education in the first instance? And if you grew up here during the sixties you would know that most of the Bay Street whiteys employed white, black and lick-a-da brush and their form of racism was a part of those times. What excuse our black people have for discriminating against and exploiting our black people now?
John 9 years, 4 months ago
If Peter Nygard can get niggas ( sorry I meant "Black Bahamians") to dress up like ku kluck klansmen and prance down the main street of New Providence during the most historically Black parade held in the Bahamas, then why should Ryan Pinder (or Brent Symnonette) not be capable of running the PLP or the FNM respectively? Niggas (err I mean Black Bahamians) are still for sale, wholesale! Money Talks!
duppyVAT 9 years, 4 months ago
THIS IS SO FUNNY .............. PERRY IS A POOR STUDENT OF HIS PARTY'S HISTORY. CAN HE RECALL WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ORIGINAL "WHITE FOUNDERS" OF THE PLP????? ........ AND HIS PRESSURE GROUP (NCPA) WAS A PART OF THE CONSPIRACY!!! ................. BUT THIS IS THE LEGACY OF A "VOMIT" POLITICIAN
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