Posted by Briland Modem News on November 20, 2001 at 10:08:59:
More of Sen. Mitchell's political observations can be found online at www.fredmitchelluncensored.com:
AN ACTING GOVERNOR GENERAL
The day after all the false pomp and pageantry - something that the FNM is good at, (false pageantry and false
history), Darrold Miller, the talk show host was back in Nassau, after sitting out Hurricane Michelle in Andros. He
hosted a talk show to hear from the public praise for Dame Ivy Dumont, the now acting Governor General. Dame
Ivy replaced outgoing Governor General Orville Turnquest, who will forever be known as the partying Governor
General. Following the announcement of his departure from office, there must have been a party every night at
Government House. Mr. Miller got what he was asking for on his radio show. There was every thing from pure
unmitigated hatred for Dame Ivy Dumont to contempt for the Government for choosing her. The Government was
obviously so stung by her unpopularity that they had to issue a statement on Friday 15 November showing that
she was not getting all the pension benefits that were being claimed around the town. The host Darrold Miller got
so frustrated at one point that he started cutting off callers and telling the audience: “If you can’t have anything
positive to say, don’t call this show, call the other one.” It was amazing. Guardian photo by Donald Knowles.
THE STORY OF DAME IVY
What many of the callers to the ZNS talk show asked was: How much more is this woman going to get from Hubert Ingraham? What has she
done so for him to appoint her to something again? Good question! You will remember that this is the same Dame Ivy who served as Hubert
Ingraham’s hand picked Secretary General of the FNM in the pre 1992 period. Then she inexplicably was chosen as the Leader of the Senate
from August 1992 to January 2001. Then after faking a retirement from the politics last January, he appointed her to the $30,000 per year job as
Chairman of the Public Service Commission, a bad choice because fresh from politics, she was going to influence the choice of FNMs to
government positions. The position also came with a car. Dame Ivy is 71 years old. Now she is Acting Governor General at $75,000 per year.
The Government was quick to point out that she will only get the salary, no pension benefits. But even FNMs are outraged at the appointment.
THE STORY ON DAME IVY’S PENSIONS
So stung was the Government by the criticism of Dame Ivy Dumont as Governor General that the Cabinet Office issued a statement relating to
the monetary arrangements surrounding the appointment of Dame Ivy to the job. According to the Cabinet Office after 37 years in the Public
Service she retired as Deputy Permanent Secretary with a pension of $9,187.50 per annum in 1978. That has now grown to $12, 833.20 per
annum. After eight years of service from 24 August 1992 as Minister she was entitled to a pension of $10,254.60 per annum. But while she is
Governor General she will receive neither of those pensions. And the Cabinet Office said that she does not get a national insurance pension to
which she is entitled. Further, she will receive no remuneration for the position of Chair of the Public Service Commission from which she is
now on leave. We believe that someone ought to take the issue to court of whether she can serve as Acting Governor General while holding
the substantive post of Chair of the Public Service Commission, there being a full blown case of a conflict of interest.
WHAT IS THE OUTGOING GG GOING TO DO?
Sir Orville Turnquest has now retired from public life or so we think. You can never tell with FNMs. He told the press
this week that he plans to start a new career as an historian. He would then join Sir Clifford Darling who is writing a
history along with Patty Roker of his political life. Sir Orville is living temporarily with his son the Minister Tommy in
the mansion that he gave Tommy on Harrold Road. He is doing repairs to a new home for himself and Lady
Turnquest on Skyline Drive, near the home of former policeman Courtney Strachan. As to the bit about writing a
history book, we always say that if you want your legacy to be protected, the thing to do is write it yourself. But left
to us, we would say that while there was a lot of pizzazz at Government House and plenty partying while Sir Orville
was Governor General, we shall remember him for his discrimination against this Senator. I serve as the Opposition
Spokesman on Foreign Affairs and despite repeated requests by the Leader of the Opposition, when official
presentations and rituals took place for arriving foreign diplomats, this spokesman was routinely ignored. This is
clearly contrary to the conventions of the constitution. It was one example of discrimination against the PLP while he was Governor General.
The other is the fact that Government House during his tenure often seemed to be used as a staging platform for FNM policies and
programmes.