Press Statement Issued by Keod Smith on remarks made by The Hon. O.A. T. Tommy Turnquest at Rotary Club.
“As a Barrister and a concerned citizen of this Commonwealth, I am today aghast and horrified at the irresponsibility of The Honourable O. A. Tommy Turnquest, Minister for National Security and my political opponent in two general elections; who in speaking to a local service club made seriously offensive remarks about the Judiciary of this country which can only lead to further mistrust and a break- down of law and order in The Bahamas.
“For Mr. Turnquest to have said that if our Judges were elected, as it is done in New York, USA, then the happenstance of the Judges of the Bahamas granting bail to accused persons or known criminals as Mr. Turnquest puts it , would lead to those Judges being “chased out of town,” is disheartening and frightening at the same time.
“Mr. Turnquest has now clearly demonstrated that the pressure of his colossal failure to check crime in our country and his now infamous reign as Minister of National Security in the what will come to be known as the bloodiest year in this new century, has caused him to lose his head.
“Out of his own confessed incompetence he seeks now to incite the Bahamian public to chase Judges out of town which potentially puts them in danger. The fact of the matter is that it is Mr. Turnquest, the elected politician who should be chased out of his Cabinet Portfolio.
“I need not repeat that the Independence of the Judiciary ought never to be compromised by politicians playing politics. For the Minister in charge of the Police to suggest that the Judges of this country are knowingly acting contrary to the public good is cause for much alarm. In fact, his commentary is contemptuous.
“I will not add comment as to why Judges grant bail, for to do so is to suggest that the performance of the Judiciary in this regard requires political foundations as they are not structured in the law. In every bail application before the Supreme Court, Judges hear arguments supported by facts and law from the Attorney General and Counsel for the accused person before making their decisions, accordingly, always ensuring observance of our Constitution and the safety of the public.
What is more troubling about Mr. Turnquest’s asinine commentary is that the failure of the police to thoroughly investigate, and gather evidence coupled with the Attorney General not prosecuting matters in a timely fashion is the primary reason why accused persons must be released on bail and not subject to years on remand with no sustainable case formulated against them.
“Mr. Turnquest must now resign forthwith from the Cabinet as is required by the code of conduct which governs our Westminster Parliamentary system.
“Whether Mr. Turnquest realizes it or not by his comments, he has put the Judiciary of The Bahamas up to scandal and public odium.
“I would expect that by the end of the day The Prime Minister will have Mr. Turnquest’s resignation.”
Here, in the comment section, we hear politcal garbage from Mr Smith. PLP/FNM squabbles. Truth be told for once Tommy T has said something that is the view of most Bahamians — the JUDICIARY is part of the problem when it comes to crime. Those lawyers turned judges have helped create the mess and we all know it to be true. Mr Smith is aghast that the judges be criticised as if they are demi-gods beyond reproach..perhaps Smith feels that his legal profession is “aloof” from the criticisms. Not so. Tommy T said it well. We all know its true unless we are blinded by some notion that the judges can’t be challenged and the judiciary is off limits.
Anyway, they are part of the problem..a big part…but so is the government and specially is WE who harbour criminals, close our eyes to what we see and know, or live off the proceeds of criminal acts, refuse to correct our YOUNG children or monitor their behaviour or fail to be decent fathers to the children we father…lots of blame yes. But the judges… you are part of the problem from Island administrators to Magistrates and yes even to their Lordships.
@Jason
uNTIL THE FNM as a party apologises to Mother Pratt all of this empty rhetoric Jason flies over my head.Well Papa got wind of how his two choices for acting PM are fumbling the ball so he is headed home earlier than expected.THe FNM Govt has fumbled the ball on Crime and only an apology to Mother Pratt will get them off the hook.
Here goes TT again making an ass of himself. Poor rich TT just doesn’t have the testicular fortitude to take responsibility or be held accountable for his monumental failures. I recall this cartoon character claiming that he had the “cure all” for crime in The Bahamas. Well, the rest is history (need I say more), and the only answer this jackass can give for his incompetence is “een my fault”. What the hell!!!! I am willing to wager that if crime had gone down under TT’s watch, he would have taken all the credit!! TT, please, man-up. Admit that you are out of you league, and then do the honourable thing and resign. I guarantee you your respectometer will move up.
Listening to Tommy T is like listening to mickey mouse. The man is completely out of his league. I recall this cartoon character castigating the former Minister of National Security, while “pumping” up himself as the cure all for crime in The Bahamas. Well, the rest is history, and the only answer this windbag can give is “een my fault!!!”. What the hell!!!! I am willing to bet that if crime had gone down under his watch, he would have taken all of the credit. Like the rest of the “panty waist” crew, poor rich TT just doesn’t have the testicular fortitude to man up and take responsibility. TT, here’s a word of advice. Admit that you are an incompetent jackass, and resign. You don’t have to worry about a replacement. Papa will have a foreigner take over from you in a NY minute. Ya know how Papa “MUDGABE” Strong Leader hates incompetence. Especially where a “cesspool of incompetence” exists. TT, you call yourself Honourable. Please, do the Honourable thing.
Mr. Smith, how do you view the performance of the Judiciary in the Bahamas?
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