The Tribune

By Jade Russell

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes yesterday dismissed Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ claims that the opposition left the 1972 independence conference in London, saying it’s a “persistent” untruth.

Sir Arthur in an interview with The Tribune responded to comments made on Monday about the 1972 independence conference.

Mr Davis during a debate in the House of Assembly said that the opposition left quickly on the completion of the conference.

In a 2014 Tribune editorial, it was reported that Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell also described the FNM members’ hurried departure from London on the completion of the 1972 independence conference at Marlborough House.

The inference in this remark is that the FNM did not wait for the end of the talks, but rushed to the airport, leaving the government to dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s” on The Bahamas’ most important document.

“The FNM was on the side and they were arguing, no to independence. That’s the point he made now, after the people rejected the view of the FNM.

 “Right, and then the issue of the constitutional conference came up. It was only right for the opposition to have their say in the crafting of the Constitution,” Mr Davis said on Monday.

 Mr Davis added: “They left; Christmas was coming. They signed off and said Sir Lynden whatever y’all say... And they came back home, that’s all part of the record.”

 However, when The Tribune contacted Sir Arthur, he said the claims are false.

 “It’s (false), it’s unfortunate I don’t know who told him that. But obviously, somebody told him that and he repeated it,” Sir Arthur said.

 Sir Arthur said the comments made by the Prime Minister were a discredit to him and his fellow colleagues such as former leader of the opposition the late Kendal Isaacs.

 “It’s a discredit to us. Some of my colleagues, like Kendal Isaacs, who is now passed, it’s unfair to him.

 “If you knew Kendal Isaacs, he was one of the most honourable men I’ve ever met in my life. To suggest he would have abandoned his duty like that it’s just utterly unspeakable; it’s really wrong.”

 Sir Arthur explained that the British government decided when he and his colleagues were set to leave, noting they left after the conference was completely done.

 He added: “From what other reporters told me, he repeated the same thing that Fred Mitchell said that we left before the conference finished. That is not true. We left the same day, but it was hours after the conference finished. We were there for the end of the conference.”

 Sir Arthur said Mr Davis should be making comments that celebrate unity as opposed to false statements.

 A Tribune 2014 editorial also sought to clarify those events. The editorial said there was a November 30, 1972, letter informing Opposition Leader Kendal Isaacs, QC, of his party’s travel dates, hotel accommodations, the B$553 per diem allowance for each member of the delegation, which represented “10 days allowance”.

 In the same letter, the Secretary to the Cabinet instructed them that the government had booked Opposition delegates at the Carlton Towers Hotel from December 8-19, 1972. The Opposition party had no say in the time that they either arrived or left London.

 However, on January 4, 1973, Sir Kendal Isaacs in a short note to Prime Minister Pindling wrote: “You will recall that the Opposition delegation to the recent Constitutional Conference in London departed only a matter of hours after the conclusion of the conference. As a result, we did not collect those papers which were presumably prepared as a result of the final session. I would be most grateful if you would therefore use your good offices to secure the delivery of these papers to us from the Commonwealth Office.”