Former Prime Ministers Perry Christie and Hubert Ingraham.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Prime Ministers Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie have declined the government’s national honour awards, according to three sources familiar with their action.
The men were to receive the Order of the Nation award which is bestowed upon all people who have served as governor general or prime minister. The honour would have entitled them to be called “most honourable”.
However, they informed Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling of their rejection of the award in separate letters sent to Government House within the last week, The Tribune was told.
They both declined to elaborate on the matter when asked about it by this newspaper in the past two days.
Mr Christie on Wednesday said: “I made a decision but I haven’t heard from Her Excellency so I don’t want to say anything formally until I have heard from her.”
Sources told The Tribune Mr Christie in particular looked forward to accepting the honour, having served as the prime minister when the National Honours Act was enacted in 2016.
However, he is said to have declined receiving the award from the Minnis administration, a reflection of his concern about a declining civility in politics and the criminal prosecution of several Progressive Liberal Party members since the 2017 general election.
The rejection of the award by the former leaders is a blow to the prestige of the national honour system. It comes weeks after it was mired in controversy when Prime Minister Dr Minnis chose to bestow the Order of National Hero award on former United Bahamian Party leader and Premier Sir Roland Symonette. Critics said Sir Roland was not fit for the award because he led a “racist regime” in the United Bahamian Party-era.
Yesterday, The Tribune asked Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis for his reaction to the news. He said: “The awards are about uplifting Bahamian people and society. Anyone who holds the post of prime minister, there is a recognition of that achievement with this award. This award system represents perhaps the last umbilical cord that has to be cut from our past and any rejection of it doesn’t speak well to the development of the system.”
People throughout civil society have been pining for the awards system for years.
This is the first year that people have been selected for the honours.
In total, 38 Bahamians have been named to receive a national honour, which includes Order of National Hero; Order of the Nation; Order of the Bahamas; Order of Excellence; Order of Distinction and Order of Merit.
Comments
hrysippus 5 years, 8 months ago
Perry has declined the first national honour award, . . . .. He rather to be knighted a finer british lord, . . . . … …. Getting plastic medal from the hand of the GG, . . . . .. Is just not the bestest thing that he thinks that he can be, . . . . Hubert on the other hand prefer to go and fish, . . . …. …. Wasting time at government house is a simple easy miss, . . . …. And they both getting fat pensions that the rest of us must pay, .. . . . . A quarter million every year, until their dying day, . . . . … And even then it does not stop, for then we pay the wife, . . . …. Just like we paying another's departed from this life. . . . . . Most Honourable is the title of recipients of this thing, . . . … But you must earn respect if your praises I gonna sing. . . . …..
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 8 months ago
After the Pindling era, these two (Ingraham and Christie) were a gleeful tag team in raping the Bahamian people by enriching themselves and their family members and cronies, as they took turns at being PM. The Bahamian people were duped by these two treacherous thugs who left our country's financial affairs in a most dismal state. Neither of them were ever deserving of any kind of national award in the first place. We can only take solace in knowing that they will each one day be held fully accountable for all of their dastardly deeds in a higher place at which time time they will surely be banished to the place they belong for all eternity.
DDK 5 years, 8 months ago
Dey ARE tick as tiefs!
BahamasForBahamians 5 years, 8 months ago
Prior to the Pindling era, the guys that are controlling the ship now did far worst. Lets not be distracted.
Bahamian History did not start in 1967.
Also have you atoned for your sins ? Being so concerned with eternal place of these fellas, I'd assume you're already in final resting place in comfort and luxury.
sheeprunner12 5 years, 8 months ago
The mistake the Minnis Govt made was awarding too many persons in Year 1 ....... 8-10 should have been the limit .......... But they gave out the awards like (cheap) candy ........... So, this is the result.
Alex_Charles 5 years, 8 months ago
Who needs honors when you have a 6-figure pension for the rest of your life? Only peasants like us have to be productive and save for retirement as National Insurance is clearly not suffice.
hrysippus 5 years, 8 months ago
Yes.
sheeprunner12 5 years, 8 months ago
So true ........ small man get $300 per month pension after 30-40 years. PMs get $200,000 after 7 years .......... What a life!!!!!!!!!!!!
CaptainCoon 5 years, 8 months ago
Christie is why you don't give a crazed crying PLP a break and give them a job leading the country. I guess it didn't work out. Good work to Bahamians for quickly firing him like a dog! SAD!
hnhanna 5 years, 8 months ago
These two former PM left the Bahamas in massive debts,
realitycheck242 5 years, 8 months ago
Pindling was our Bahamas "Moses" but these two certainly did not turn out to be the much hyped up "Joshua" they promised to be during their election campaigns. PGC and HAI have played a tagged team to see who could fool the Bahamian people the most during their terms in office. The result has been Massive dept, reduced foriegn direct investment, Increase in proverty for the masses Crime out of control, and increase in unemployment, while the oligarchy in this country still control the economic purse strings while the majority suffer and live of the crumbs..
SP 5 years, 8 months ago
After 25 years of "leadership" by these two clowns, and from the state of our country, Christie and Ingraham unquestionably deserve the dumb and dumber award!
by SP
screwedbahamian 5 years, 8 months ago
There is certainly nothing " MOST HONOURABLE" about taking the NIB retirement Pensions away from the deserving Bahamian Senior Citizen due to CORRUPTION and MISMANAGEMENT of the collective funds contributed by those people since the NIB retirement programme inception 1973.
SP 5 years, 8 months ago
Leaders around the world mourn the loss of a truly great man, and leader, with a legacy to be proud of!
Kofi Annan - “A good leader is a good listener. A good leader is also a good follower." “We need true democratic leaders who understand that they are at the service of the citizens and not the other way around. Leadership is service. Leaders must understand that they hold power in trust of the people and it can also be taken away.”
The "one man band" and "dancing clown" were incapable of listening, following or integrity!
They had the opportunity to make positive changes impacting the lives of Bahamians for generations to come but they missed the mark by unquantifiable measurements.
Looking at how they misdirected our country into a near-failed state, and judging from the comments here and on the street, Ingraham and Christie should hang their heads in shame!
What a legacy.
licks2 5 years, 8 months ago
HE REFUSED THE AWARD BECAUSE THE MINNIS ADMINISTRATION PUNISHED MPS FOR CORRUPTION IN OFFICE!! THAT'S WHY HE WOULD NOT TAKE THE AWARD!
SOMEBODY NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON HAI "CLOSENESS" TO THE PLP APPARATUS. . . THESE TWO ARE JUST MAKING NO SENSE LATELY. . .IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE "PUNCHING HOLES IN THIS ADMINISTRATION" TO BRING IT DOWN!! YALL TWO HAS-BEENS RELAX AND GO FISHING OR SOMETHING. . .YALL HAD YA CHANCES. . .YINNA CARRIED ON LIKE A BUNCH OF WRECKING CREW. . .NOW SIT STILL AND WATCH HOW THE YOUNG PEOPLE DO GOVERNANCE. . .
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