Free National Movement Shadow Foreign Minister, Hubert Chipman, called Foreign Affairs Minister, Fred Mitchell a hypocrite for “chastising” the U.S. Government for publicly airing a matter that he (Mitchell) felt should have been dealt with privately.
Mr. Chipman was referring to a recent statement which was made by U.S. Charge de Affaires Lisa Johnson, who in essence spoke against the repeated criminal actions of Bahamian jet ski operators towards American citizens.
“It is curious that even as Minister Mitchell was rebuking the US Government and crudely and undiplomatically saying that he did not want to engage in a “peeing contest” with that government, National Security Minister Dr. B.J. Nottage was in Washington D.C. for discussions on crime with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),” Mr. Chipman said.
“The argument that this matter should have been dealt with behind closed doors has already been roundly rejected by a public weary of the lack of transparency by the PLP on issues of crime and violence,” he continued.
Mr. Chipman asserted that the purpose of the U.S. advisory was not to punish jet ski operators, but rather to protect U.S. citizens from extreme crime inclusive of rape and armed robbery.
The FNM MP said the fact that business has been lost as result of this U.S. advisory, it is “deeply unfortunate and regrettable”.
“Yet it is the lack of vigorous action to regulate Jet Ski operators by this government that has caused this state of affairs, something both the Foreign Minister and the Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin have missed completely,” lamented Mr. Chipman.
“The US Government has raised this matter privately with this government on various occasions, but to little avail, and has also issued a number of crime advisories over an extended period of time. The British and Canadian governments have also issued crime advisories,”
Consequently, Mr. Chipman asserted that if the country does not get a grip on crime, the tourism industry will continue to suffer drastically or totally disentegrate.
The FNM shadow minister added that it is apparent that Minister Mitchell and Transport and Aviation Minister, Glenys Hanna Martin are not genuinely upset over the “staggering level of violent crime especially toward tourists, but rather they are bothered by the embarrassment of failure to protect Bahamians and visitors.
“The PLP is in a bunker mentality on crime, a mentality that is causing the country increasing harm. Instead of engaging in public relations exercises designed to help the PLP avoid responsibility, the jet-setting Minister Mitchell might engage in more successful diplomacy with our allies to assist us in the fight against crime, a shared interest of the Bahamas and US governments,”
“Sadly, Minister Mitchell is mostly engaged in putting first and protecting the self-interests of a failed PLP government instead of putting first the needs of the Bahamian people, including legitimate operators of water sports and other tourist-related businesses, and protecting our national interests and the good of the Bahamas,”
