Members of the Opposition Free National Movement did show up on Thursday for the renaming of Nassau International Airport in honour of former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling.
But the noticeable absence of Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and his colleagues drew the derision of members opposite and even the public who saw the event as one that should have galvanized national harmony.
Prime Minister Perry Christie made subtle references to the opposition�s absence as he addressed the crowd that was eager to see history in the making. He declared that naming the airport Lynden Pindling International was historically correct and perfectly appropriate.
“This is one of those moments in our life as a national family when all Bahamians of whatever racial hue, of whatever political stripe and of whatever social station, should rise above their differences to join hands and hearts in common praise for the father of our nation,” he said.
The absence of Mr. Ingraham and his opposition colleagues came as no surprise to many people who had watched intently as he took issue on Wednesday in the House of Assembly with having received his invitation to the event only a day prior to it happening. At that time Mr. Ingraham also took issue with the fact that the invitation envelope was addressed to Mrs. Delores Ingraham – his wife – and himself, which was delivered to her.
A prot�g� of Sir Lynden, Mr. Ingraham said he had no problem with that arrangement but stressed that he should have also received a separate invitation as a Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition.
In addressing Mr. Ingraham�s concerns, Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna Martin assured him that the invitations were sent out at least two weeks prior. Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe also suggested that Mr. Ingraham should not to let the matter prevent him from attending the ceremony in Sir Lynden�s honour.
The exchange eventually spiraled into a shouting match with Mr., Ingraham retorting that it was he who took action that lead to Sir Lynden�s image being placed on the one dollar bill.
Whitney Bastian, the Member of Parliament for South Andros – the constituency that Sir Lynden represented for many decades � also indicated that he only received his invitation a day prior to the event occurring. However Mr. Bastian attended the renaming ceremony as did Tennyson Wells, the independent Member of Parliament for Bamboo Town and other members of the House of Assembly and the Senate.
So peeved was the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resorces and Member of Parliament Leslie Miller over the Opposition�s decision to boycott the event that he called in to the Love 97 talk show Issues of The Day.
Mr. Miller also decried the absence of white Bahamians.
“I didn�t see two white Bahamians there either. They never participate in anything meaningful in our country when it comes to black people,” he said.
He also sought to champion the legacy that Sir Lynden left taking issue with certain comments that appeared in the print media that focused on the former leader�s shortcomings calling it an “utter disgrace.”
In his charismatic way, Sir Lynden led the masses to majority rule, independence, the entrenchment of gender equality and a programme of social security and drove the ‘Bahamianization’ of the labour force.
But he was voted out of power in 1992. He eventually retired from politics and died from prostate cancer in 2000.
By: Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
