Did the Prime Minister mislead Parliament? Not just Parliament but the entire country!
Dear Editor,
Darren A. Henfield, Member of Parliament for North Abaco, Minister of Foreign Affairs and part of the Prime Minister’s loyal cabal and ride or die crew, is a reprehensible fellow.
I applaud his unwavering devotion to his friend, but I am surprised and disturbed by his blind commitment to vigorously uphold wrongdoing. This action reveals a deficiency in his moral character. Moreover, I find his appeal to God as a collaborator in his wicked defense of the Prime Minister’s despicable and immoral behavior both reckless and offensive.
I have become weary of these armchair theologians and dubious biblical scholars standing in parliament quoting sacred scripture to undergird their vile and pernicious deeds. They make a mockery of the Christian faith.
In his seemingly unprepared contribution in the people’s house on December 11, 2019, to the resolution of no-confidence/confidence in the Prime Minister, Mr. Henfield spoke with passion and resolve. Honestly, I do not know the last time that I have seen a person defend dishonesty with such utter conviction and zeal.
Mr. Henfield cites the booming economy as evidence of the Prime Minister’s stellar leadership, in which he places such unshakable confidence. I live in Grand Bahama so obviously I don’t share Mr. Henfield’s delirious report of the Prime Minister’s economic wizardry in the transformation of the Bahamian economy.
I can assure him that this economic boom of which he so gallantly speaks has not yet reached the desperate edges of our northern shores. He also cites as a mark of the Prime Minister’s leadership the granting of crown land.
With just even a casual acquaintance with Bahamian history regarding the granting of crown land, Mr. Henfield would know that any old crook and scoundrel over the years has given out crown land. That action doesn’t require any great leadership skills or moral uprightness.
Flippantly, Mr. Henfield makes some passing remarks about Baha Mar in a feeble attempt to claim this hotel’s success. Again, I’m offended. He and his friend, the Prime Minister, and the entire group of clowns called it a “Fake opening”. They shunned this place whose success they now want to utilize as evidence of the Prime Minister’s leadership success.
Nevertheless, all of this is just an elaborate smokescreen, and attempt at obfuscation, to blind and distract the Bahamian people from paying attention to the real issue at hand. And on that day in the People’s House there was only one issue: Did the Prime Minister mislead Parliament?
We can argue until thy-kingdom-come about whether the Prime Minister is a good leader or not; I suspect that by now 90% of the people think that he is not, but that is not the point. Mr. Henfield says the opposition is politically motivated; they certainly maybe; but that is not the point. The only issue on the floor for debate is whether or not the Prime Minister has misled Parliament and should he suffer the time-honored penalty for doing so.
Perhaps the people of North Abaco are unaware, and maybe the people of Killarney have no clue, and the people of Fort Charlotte may be oblivious, but the people of Grand Bahama know quite well that the Prime Minister lied about the Oban matter. He misled the people; he misled parliament; and he misled the press, who because of their diligence exposed his wicked deeds. Not only did he tell a bald-faced lie in parliament, but he also came back with his slide show to cover-up and double down on his misrepresentation of the truth.
He even tried to deflect from his contemptible behavior by blaming, as usual, the PLP. And when none of that fooled the Bahamian people, he conceded that he made some missteps. I know the Prime Minister is not good with words, but premeditated actions cannot be summed up as missteps.
But to the central issue, the proverbial straw which broke the camel’s back, the post office deal with one Mr. Brent Symonette, the Prime Minister lied again. He misled parliament, plain and simple.
And if Mr. Henfield in his passionate contribution is defending those lies, he is a reprehensible fellow. Henfield says the post office employees were happy to be in a new space, as they should have been and deserve to be, but, again, that is not the point. The point is: did the Prime Minister come to parliament and lied about the deal. And if Mr. Henfield is defending those actions, he is a reprehensible fellow. It renders him morally and ethically corrupt.
Mr. Henfield, obviously, missed the lesson on means and ends. Unjust means can’t achieve just ends, because the end is always preexistent in the means.
Mr. Henfield says it is a waste of time to come to Parliament to bring such a charge against the prime minister, claiming that this is not a jurisdiction where we remove sitting Prime Ministers. But is this a jurisdiction where we hold them to account? Or should we just allow Prime Ministers to violate the law and common decency for five years unchecked? Henfield’s argument, seemingly, is that they have the votes in the house and it can’t happen anyway. “It’s a waste of time.”
He then retreats to that low, sunken place where he employs the pain and suffering of the people of Abaco and Grand Bahama in his diabolical scheme. We should be dealing with their matters he says. He has no shame, this fellow. For him it is a waste of time to make the house honorable; a waste of time to point out wrong; a waste of time to uphold the rule of law; a waste of time to do the right thing; a waste of time to show a sitting Prime Minister that he is not above the law.
Finally, he points to the persons bringing to the House the resolution of no confidence in the Prime Minister, persons, he claims, who mislead Parliament themselves. I remind Mr. Henfield and the rest of these morons, you ought not to concern yourself with how many votes you have inside the house; you should be more concerned about how many votes you have outside the house. And pointing out the flaws of the PLP is a useless engagement. The people already had a referendum on the PLP; and they spoke loudly and clearly. Whatever misleading of Parliament Mr. Henfield thinks that Mr. Davis, Leader of the Opposition committed, the people have already punished him for that. And since Mr. Henfield and his spineless colleagues don’t have the moral courage to punish his friend, Mr. Minnis, for his misdeeds, we have the numbers and we will. Just wait and see.
I write; you decide!
Keith Russell
