The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

“THE ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,” said Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

This quote comes to mind when I think of Obediah Hercules Wilchcombe, MP, Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting, who shocked many of us when he passed away last week.

People from all walks of life - from both sides of the political divide and from various sectors of society - were in dismay as the news came of his sudden passing. So many had such good things to say about Mr Wilchcombe; I am no exception.

Obie, as we affectionately called him, was a mentor to me in broadcasting and journalism. The first time that I had the opportunity to work as a summer student at the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (BCB) on ZNS News, he was there. His leadership, integrity and journalistic skills were unquestionable. I watched him as he worked with great broadcasters such as Dr Debbie Bartlett, Deidre Thompson, Katie Longley, Michelle Malcolm, Kirk Smith, and Ed Bethel. All of these people - professionals par excellence - seemed to respect his wise words, his opinions about operations at ZNS, and the way forward. As a teenager, I was there - dreamy eyed - envisioning a future in a profession with greats like these.

They gave me the opportunity to shine. They saw my eagerness and ability and they allowed me to do something they told me had never been done before. They sent me out on assignment with ZNS cameraman Lynden Smith, and allowed me to cover an event, do a stand-up, and file a legitimate report that was aired on ZNS news - in my St Augustine’s College school uniform! The success of that event led to several more opportunities before summer was over. There, my career path was cast in stone.

Throughout the years, I worked with several media outlets, broadening my skills in journalism and broadcasting. From time to time, I would receive encouragement from Obie. He never hesitated to tell me how proud he was, and he provided sound advice. Moreover, he was an excellent historian and he would enrich my writing with his knowledge of past events that were relevant to current issues of the day.

A natural leader, Obie served in various positions at BCB, including Deputy Director of News, News Director, and Assistant General Manager. He was passionate about the development of his country and as such, he developed a television programme called “Base Streets”, which brought to light the vexing cocaine problem that ravaged New Providence in the 1980s. He won a national award for this eye-opening programme series.

He was assigned to former Prime Minister Sir Lynden O Pindling at national and international events and as such, a great bond was formed between the two. With Sir Lynden’s impression, Obie blossomed from the adept journalist to an extraordinary politician. But before that transition happened, a key event occurred that will go down as one of the defining moments in journalism in The Bahamas.

In 1999 when Obie was host of the radio show “Bahamas Today” on More 94.9fm, he read on air, a suicide note from a convicted murderer set to be executed. He was pressured to reveal his source, but his high ethics as a journalist kicked in, and he refused to do so. As a result, he was imprisoned for four days. John Higgs Jr, who was sentenced to death for the 1993 murder of his wife Joan in Fox Hill, committed suicide two days before his scheduled execution. Maybe there was too much attention paid to the talk show host and too little the convict who should have been placed under high security after the revelation of his suicide letter.

Nonetheless, we as journalists learned an important lesson about the principles on which we must stand as a part of our job.

As Dr Martin Luther King said: “Nothing worthwhile is easy. Your ability to overcome unfavorable situations will provide you with time to demonstrate your true strength and determination for success. Always set your standards high, your greatest achievements lie within the infinite feats you achieve in your life.”

Obie went on to become an extraordinary politician with constituents who had an obvious love for their Member of Parliament for West End, Grand Bahama, and Bimini. Scores of his constituents were in tears - in shock and disbelief that he passed away suddenly, likely in his sleep, on September 25, 2023.

He was a charismatic leader and he shone for his strong principles, which he did not hesitate to share from the floor of Parliament. As leader of Government business in the House of Assembly, he was fearless in his stance and provided good backing for his statements, leading to the passage of many resolutions to the Upper House. A well-experienced politician, he also served as a Senator during his long career in politics.

He was an excellent Minister of Tourism and under his leadership, the country’s tourism product expanded to reach markets such as sports through the Sports in Paradise plan, religious and African American markets. His beloved BCB was also a part of his ministerial portfolio.

Most recently, BCB came under his portfolio once again when the Ministry of Social Services & Urban Development, for which he was given Ministerial charge by Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, was changed to the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting. He may have had to warm up to this post at first, but once he got a grasp of what this Ministry entailed, he went all in.

He found an underrated Ministry that was doing so much more for the Bahamian people than is generally perceived. The Department of Social Services, under the purview of the Director of the Department of Social Services provides food and financial services, counseling, advocacy, education, empowerment, health and wellness, shelter and housing, protection and safety services. It is a large Ministry with a wide purview, which also includes institutions such as: Department of Gender and Family Affairs; Department of Rehabilitative/ Welfare Services; Children and Family Services Division; Disability Affairs Division; Disaster Management Unit; Health and Social Services at Princess Margaret Hospital and Sandiland’s Rehabilitation Centre; Senior Citizens Division and much more.

The Ministry led the ratification of important agreements for the country, including the Convention of the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) (October, 1993), led by the Department of Gender and Family Affairs. The work to promote women’s affairs came to the fore in August of this year, when the Ministry hosted the 13th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (13WAMM), with more than 30 countries of the Commonwealth in attendance. There, a roadmap was created for all Commonwealth countries to follow, that would lead to greater protection and support for women in key areas, including the economic empowerment of women, gender and climate change, women in leadership, the elimination of violence against women, and disability inclusion.

I had the opportunity to work with him as a media specialist for 13WAMM. I am happy to have had the opportunity to work with him, and I cherish these moments that brought our relationship as mentor and mentee full circle. Seeing him in action was inspiring. He was a stickler for order, and he abhorred confusion. He believed in doing everything by the book, and encouraged all around him to follow procedure, even though he wanted to see some of the procedures changed for the sake of efficiency.

He was passionate about women’s affairs, and he was hands on with the entire 13WAMM process. He encouraged everyone who worked on the project to study about the matters at hand, no matter how small their part may be. He showed the connection between the people and the matters that would be discussed by the Commonwealth. He worked tirelessly to ensure the delegates that attended received all the accommodations they needed for a productive event.

He would refer to the Nassau Accord, signed in The Bahamas in 1985 by Commonwealth countries during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) under Sir Lynden’s patronage. That accord was considered instrumental to the release of the man who would become president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Obie would say that 13WAMM was an opportunity to move the needle for women’s affairs on a global scale.

Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, agreed. There was a consensus that this WAMM was one of the best ever, and delegates left inspired to streamline efforts to implement policies for the advancement of women in their respective countries. She joined The Bahamas in shock and mourning as she had gained a friend and had high hopes for his chairmanship of WAMM for the next three years. It is said that Obie did not push to be moved from this ministry during the recent Cabinet shuffle because he was committed to seeing through the commitments made for the advancement of women in The Bahamas.

On our last project together, I saw the same man that first encouraged me as a teenager at ZNS. Charismatic, genuinely caring about people, and quietly making big moves. I am aware that Obie also became personally invested in this job. He never wanted it to be reported, but he utilised his personal funds to assist some of the people that came to the Ministry. He would visit the homes of those in need, and he would speak with children, inspiring them even in their dire state - and they took to him.

He left an indelible impact on those who worked directly with him, including his former Minister of State Lisa Rahming, Permanent Secretary Joel Lewis; Deputy Director of the Department of Gender and Family Affairs Melvelyn Symonette; assistants Ms Lisa Mcphee-Brown, Mrs Edwards and Ms Johnson; Pharez Rolle; Communications Consultant Dr Deborah Bartlett; Nalini Bethel, Jewel Edwards and Miranda Innis.

The measure of this man is a high one. Obie lived a life worth modeling after. His days in Parliament were a far cry from his youthful days as a quarterback for the Nassau Sunburners, and his days as a sports reporter. But he never lost the common touch, as his grieving constituents in West End, Grand Bahama and the island of Bimini will attest to.

His children - Sherard Wilchcombe Bartlett; Obiecheryl Bowleg; Adia Isaacs; and Alisa Watson have much to be proud of. Prayers go out to his family, especially his siblings, to the members of the Progressive Liberal Party, and to all who knew and loved him. A memorial service will be held for him this evening at the Sir Lynden Pindling Centre at 6pm, which kicks off a series of memorials, as well as a state funeral, to honor him.