The Tribune

AT the start of this week, we said in this column that Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest faced a battle to keep that title. Yesterday, he waved the flag of surrender – for now – and resigned.

He also vacates the post of Finance Minister at a time of course when the country is caught up in the biggest economic crisis of a generation, perhaps of a lifetime. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis will put his hand on the tiller for now, with a replacement appointment to come in due course.

The calls for Mr Turnquest’s resignation began to swirl after Mr Turnquest was named in a Supreme Court lawsuit relating to an alleged $27m fraud. Though Mr Turnquest was not a defendant in that case, it put a spotlight on him.

That spotlight revealed another case that was dismissed but in which Mr Turnquest had unwisely said he was “praying to God” that unproven allegations of tax fraud and wrongful dismissal would never emerge in The Bahamas. Emerge they did, reported in Monday’s Tribune.

In his resignation statement, Mr Turnquest maintains his innocence, and said that he will discuss the circumstances of the allegations against him at a later date – as well as those who perpetuated the claims.

Mr Turnquest is right, however, to offer his resignation. The business of government should not be derailed – at this time more than ever – by having to deal with the swirl of allegations against him. If he can take one step back and deal with those claims, that means they are not fouling up the engines of our economy in the meantime. Once the allegations are dealt with, if he has done so effectively, he ought to be able to return to Cabinet.

He says as much himself, saying: “I did not want a private business dispute, which occurred prior to my taking public office, to become a distraction to the government, or to the important national work that lies ahead.”

We have seen the wrong way to deal with accusations too often in our country’s past, with ministers hiding from questions and clinging on to their posts in the face of substantial allegations against them.

There are certainly unsavoury elements in the accusations in the lawsuit – and we hope that answers are given. For those who have done wrong, that should be made clear. If allegations are unproven, then names should be cleared.

We look forward to hearing Mr Turnquest address the allegations, and the outcome of the lawsuit itself.

In the meantime, Dr Minnis has a challenge to choose a safe pair of hands to be Mr Turnquest’s successor.

Dangerous words

Wayne Munroe, QC, is playing a dangerous game.

In the middle of a pandemic and with our country wrestling with both a health crisis and an economic one, it is important to remain level-headed. Not so Mr Munroe.

In declaring that the country could be on the brink of upheaval, he said of the government: “The Bahamian people’s patience is going to run out with them and they will soon learn that 8,000 policemen and soldiers cannot control 400,000 people.”

His inciteful rhetoric went on, with him adding: “At some point, the Bahamian people will have to do what has always been done when tyrants and despots try to take their rights. You sometimes have to resist them.”

He stops short of the actual words to call people to take to the streets, but he’s not far off.

It’s not the first time Mr Munroe has used such populist rhetoric. At the time of the last election campaign, he earned public scorn for his gutter politics, including at one rally slapping his own backside and telling his opponents to “kiss his a…”. He also suggested immigrants should be flogged before being deported.

As a man well versed in the law, Mr Munroe knows better than to actually use such tactics. No, he is merely using populism as a way of trying to garner support. Our neighbours to the north have seen what happens when you elect a leader based on whipping up hatred, and they’ve chosen to change course after one term of President Trump.

If Mr Munroe wishes to challenge the emergency orders, he should not be hinting at people outnumbering officers of the law – he should be taking his own legal briefs to court instead.

Don’t push others to do your work for you, Mr Munroe. If you’ve got a case, make it. And if you truly think our current leader is a tyrant, why then it’s your duty. Don’t hide behind others if that’s what you really believe.