Registrar General Elizabeth Thompson said last night that she was on the brink of handing in her letter of resignation, but could no longer do so because of new developments.
After saying earlier in the day that she was about to accept an offer from the government which is seeking to pay her off, Ms. Thompson claimed that it was expressed during negotiations that Minister of Financial Services and Investments Allyson Maynard-Gibson was seeking a guarantee that she would not be sued for defamation regarding certain comments she had made about the registrar general.
Ms. Thompson claimed that this concern apparently still existed even though the Minister’s controversial comments were made in the House of Assembly where parliamentary privilege applies.
But Minister Maynard-Gibson said she was not a part of those negotiations and she denied Ms. Thompson’s claim.
“I don’t have a clue over what she is talking about,” the Minister said last night.
Before the new development, Ms. Thompson had said yesterday afternoon that things were going “very well”.
Government officials were holding details of the planned payoff close to their chests. However, The Bahama Journal learnt that they are offering her $250,000 to resign thereby bringing an end to a dispute that has dragged on for months now.
Ms. Thompson was earning $52,000 annually as registrar general.
The debacle erupted earlier this year when government officials set into motion a process that eventually led to Ms. Thompson’s termination.
Minister Maynard-Gibson later called her rude and said she was ineffective in carrying out her duties.
Those comments came after it was revealed in court documents that Ms. Thompson and the Minister had a rocky relationship which eventually led to her firing.
“The relationship between [Ms. Thompson] and the Minister deteriorated to the point that by the end of October 2004, it became impossible for the Minister to appraise herself of the work of the registrar general’s department as [Ms. Thompson] had stopped attending weekly meetings with the Minister,” Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Financial Services and Investments Shiela Carey said in a affidavit.
In early June, the dispute was thrust into the headlines again when Supreme Court Justice Hugh Small ruled that Ms. Thompson had been unfairly terminated and quashed the government’s decision to have her fired.
The registrar general indicated at that point that she planned to return to work, but she also had unflattering comments about Minister Maynard-Gibson.
“Substantively, I am the registrar general. But let me be frank; to work again with [Minister] Allyson Maynard-Gibson, I don’t wish that on anyone,” she said.
Soon after, Attorney General Alfred Sears announced that the government was appealing the decision in the Court of Appeal.
Asked yesterday whether the appeal would be dropped if Ms. Thompson does resign, he said that it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the matter at this time.
Minister Sears did say, however, that, “Negotiations are underway and hopefully should be consummated shortly.”
Ms. Thompson’s presence in the department over the last few weeks has created a stir and even led to division among staff members confused over whether they should be taking instructions from the registrar general or Acting Registrar General Shane Miller who was appointed after she was fired in January.
News that Ms. Thompson plans to resign had come a day after an official in the Registrar General’s Department said Mr. Miller was on leave. Reports emerged that his time as Acting Registrar General had expired.
But no senior government official has yet confirmed this.
Seeking to block Ms. Thompson from returning to work, government officials had sought a stay of Justice Small’s ruling, but the judge refused to grant the stay, saying that he had no authority to order Ms. Thompson not to carry out her functions as registrar general.
In another affidavit following the judge’s earlier ruling, Ms. Carey also said that Ms. Thompson’s attendance at the Department and efforts to perform the functions of registrar general had attracted media attention that resulted in unnecessary crowds, and had a disruptive effect on the Department’s operations.
The whole affair had various persons appealing to the government to move speedily to bring resolution to the matter.
During his contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly last month, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham indicated that it would be wise for the government to clarify the question over who is the real registrar general.
Last Friday, Free National Movement Leader Tommy Turnquest appealed to Prime Minister Perry Christie to step in.
“Quite clearly there is too much chaos and confusion at this vital government department, and the country is in a case of crisis because of the government’s failure to act conclusively,” Mr. Turnquest said.
Even the Bahamas Bar Association expressed concerns over the dilemma with President Wayne Munroe saying lawyers were becoming increasingly concerned about the validity of the documents that were being signed by the registrar general and the acting registrar general.
When he appeared on the Love 97 programme “Issues of The Day” on Sunday, former PLP Minister Paul Adderley also commented on the dispute.
Mr. Adderley suggested that the Attorney General’s Office moved too slowly in attempting to get a stay of the ruling.
Despite Ms. Thompson’s claims last night, government officials are hopeful that the voices would soon be quieted as it relates to this dispute.
By: Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
