Carroll Cries Shame on Government Boycott of Bishop Appoinment in Guyana

<<< Forrester Carroll

Dear Editor,

Archdeacon Cornell Moss, Anglican Priest in charge of the parish at “Church of Ascension” here in Freeport was, in ceremonies held this week (8th to 13th December 2009), enthroned as “Bishop” of the Anglican community in the Republic of Guyana. I congratulate Bishop Moss on his achievement to this high office, in the Anglican faith, and I wish him very well in his new calling to higher service to God, within the soul-saving ministry.

Let me state unequivocally, without reservation and or fear of contradiction, that I think it’s a bloody shame and disgrace that the government of the Bahamas did not see it fit to send an envoy to deliver congratulatory remarks and to represent the peoples of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The nation, without excuse, should have been in celebration with Bishop and Mrs. Moss, on the occasion of the Bishop’s enthronement to this high coveted office, on foreign soil. When, pray tell me, would it ever happen again that a member of our country’s small population be elected, from among all the aspirants in the region, to such a high office where he or she would be called upon to lead a congregation that, in all probability, would more than double the population of the Bahamas; when Mr. Ingraham; when Mr. Symonnette?

This was an occasion where protocol dictates, in my view, that the Bahamian people ought to have been, officially, well represented. I am proud of and do congratulate the official opposition, PLP, for ensuring it’s representation, in the persons of the shadow minister of foreign affairs, the Hon. Frederick Mitchell and the party’s Deputy Leader and member of parliament for Cat Island Mr. Philip “Brave” Davis. 120 proud Bahamians, (including my wife who claims to be of the Baptist following, by the way), attended the ceremonies, to give support to a very humble, generous, and deserving son of the soil. History will record the shame and disgrace on this Administration for its boycott of this most historic occasion in the life of our nation. It is said, somewhere, that we should give honor where honor is due and Bishop and Mrs. Moss certainly deserve the nation’s highest honor for they are, indeed, national treasures.

But, to his credit, Ingraham is consistent in behaving badly and has racked up, for himself, a sorry record of disregard and disdain for Bahamians, generally, but especially those of color. We should not forget that he (Ingraham) has the mind of a dictator and dictators regard themselves, only, as important in the country; all others are just pawns to be used, as they wish, in their games of governance. I, again, submit that this is a childhood scare on Ingraham’s DNA with which he will be burdened for the rest of his miserable life. He is so accustomed to treating people like dirt that, in his conduct of the affairs of the nation, it is no big deal to him when he spits and urines all over the accomplishments of our sons and daughters.

I know of at least four cases where persons, who thought they had developed a close friendship with this Hubert Ingraham and thought that they were allies with him, but who found out, the hard way, that he could not be relied upon; that their friendship with him was a one-way street; that he is selfish and self-centered and that he has little or no regard for the long term buddy system. They found out, the hard way, that after taking him in, from the cold, when he was out in the political wilderness and helping him to achieve his present status, that he kicked all of them in their behinds.

The four persons I am referring to are individuals who stuck with this man, through thick and thin, and followed him blindly, when the PLP was obliged to expel him from the party for committing “political treason.” He had no Job at the time and he had no practice. He allegedly walked around with patches in his behind but they, like in the story of the Good Samaritan depicted in the Holy Book, took him in, poured oil on his wounds( figuratively speaking), set him on their own donkeys( figuratively speaking) and took him to an inn where they paid to have him cared for.

Like the story of the proverbial snake, however, after making an agreement with the man, that in exchange for taking him (the snake) safely across the river, he (the snake) promised that he would not bite him (the man). Just as soon as he(the snake) was safely across and out of danger, though, the snake bit him;” Why did you do that, the man asked, you promised not bite me?” The snake replied, “What can I tell you, am a snake and that’s what snakes do-they bite.” Ingraham bit all four of these friends of his in their behinds. He betrayed them, just like the snake, in the story, did.

These four gentlemen, openly, tell their sad disappointing stories, to whoever would listen to them. They tell of being rebuffed, in their hour of need, by the man who they allegedly assisted, financially, on a weekly basis, during his years in the political wilderness. But they say, now that he is where he wants to be, he has no more need of them and so he discarded them like his dirty, filthy, smelly clothes; sounds Typical?

History will record our nation’s disgraceful display of disdain for the high honor bestowed on this son of our soil, by a foreign country, when this government chose to boycott that historical event. Shame on you, Hubert Ingraham; shame on you Brent Symonnette; shame on you FNM government; shame on you Bahamas; shame, shame, shame.

Thank you.
Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
12th December 2009

A photo of the Bahamian delegation in Guyana after the Consecration of Bishop Cornell Moss.