The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Foreign Affairs Minister Darron Henfield said a young male emoployee posted to London by the Davis administration is costing taxpayers more than $200,000 a year, as he questioned whether future administrations should be bound to maintain such contracts under newly proposed foreign service reforms.

“Is Mitchell suggesting,” he said, “that we keep a young man in London who's there now, currently, supposedly working at the mission in London, and costing the Bahamian people over $200,000 per annum? Is he suggesting that that is what he's trying to protect? What is this? I'm really dumbfounded by his comments.”

Mr Henfield was responding to Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell, who has said new Foreign Service orders under the Foreign Service Act 2025 will make most contract officers permanent and pensionable while protecting non-political staff from dismissal.

“I think the remarks that he made concerning bringing people home are disingenuous. This is something that happens in the foreign ministry. It happened when he came to office this time again and I think it's disingenuous for him to say what he said,” Mr Henfield said.

Mr Mitchell has framed the reforms as necessary to modernise the diplomatic service and prevent a repeat of the dismissal of junior contract officers after the 2017 change in administration.

Mr Henfield, however, said reviewing contracts and recalling officers is a routine function of government and warned that the current narrative risks creating unnecessary fear among public servants and contract workers.

While backing job security in principle, he said he does not support what he described as “cannibalism” when administrations change.

“We all want to see Bahamians untouched and secure in their employment,” he said.

However, he accused the current administration of inconsistency, claiming that workers — including young women and single mothers who were primary breadwinners — were dismissed when the Progressive Liberal Party returned to office, despite the protections now being promoted.

Defending decisions taken during his tenure, Mr Henfield said a review of overseas missions revealed financial strain driven by increased staffing levels before his administration took office.

“We realised immediately that many of our overseas offices were experiencing budgetary shortfalls, and it was mainly because of the increase in staff that had taken place prior to us coming to office,” he said.

“And so, in the result, we determined to review the staffing posture of our overseas missions, and in so doing, we found a lot of superficial staffing that was costing Bahamian taxpayers in excess of, I think, a million dollars a year.”

He pointed to specific roles as examples.

“And in some instances, we found that some of the persons hired as what they call liaison officers,” he said. “And I asked them, what does that entail? They were simply hired to meet people and greet them at the airport and ensure that they got to where they intended to go, and some other duties I suppose. An excess of $150,000 to the head it took us to maintain them abroad.”

Mr Henfield also raised concerns about the qualifications of some staff, citing instances in which officers lacked basic academic qualifications.

He said his administration responded by recalling about seven employees deemed unnecessary or unqualified and shifting focus toward recruiting and training qualified foreign service officers.

Despite his criticisms, Mr Henfield expressed support for the broader concept of Foreign Service reform, noting that his administration also worked toward implementing similar measures.

“We believe that the Foreign Service orders are a good thing for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and for foreign service in general. It gives you an opportunity to discipline them. It gives you an opportunity to award them with medals and honors in the proper circumstances,” he said.