Despite the fact that it makes no sense The Bahamas now boasts the dubious distinction of having two Registrars-General: Elizabeth Thompson and Shane Miller.
This is wrong and ridiculous.
This is a perfect absurdity.
As such a massive piece of nonsense – the Government of The Bahamas must without further delay fix whatever is broken in the Registrar-General’s Office.
Under the laws of The Bahamas we cannot have two Registrars-General. The public is today being obliged to swallow what seems to be a most objectionable probability that there are actually two public servants who have – one after the other – been told that each is the Registrar-General for The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Files and documents are being directed to one Registrar, while the other objects.
This unconscionable, untenable and completely out of order state of affairs is bad for the country. The entire sorry issue has gone on for far too long; and should be resolved once and for all. And as some Bahamians might be wont to cry out in the vernacular, ‘for crying out loud’ why has this issue been allowed to drip on and on and on, and at such great cost to The Bahamas and its reputation in the world.
In this regard, it is both instructive and interesting to note that The Bahamas Bar Association has asked the acting registrar general to explain under whose authority he continues to stay in office.
They are emphasizing the point that if his answer is unsatisfactory the Association intends to petition the Supreme Court to have him removed.
President of The Bar Association, attorney Wayne Munroe makes the point that although the government has already stated its intention to file an appeal against the June 6 ruling of Supreme Court Justice Hugh Small, there needs to be a stay of the judge’s ruling in order for Shane Miller to continue his duties. However it must be noted that the Judge did not make an order for Elizabeth Thompson to return to her post.
Readers would recall that Justice Small has ruled that the government’s termination of Registrar General Elizabeth Thompson earlier this year was unfair.
Despite this determination by the Courts, things have gone from bad to worse.
Of note in this regard, is the actions of the Bahamas Bar Association, which has written to Mr. Miller, saying -in part- that the Bar Council must consider steps it must take to protect the public interest and the legitimacy of documents, authenticated and signed by the registrar general.
The position now seems to be that if Mr. Miller is unable to justify his stay on the job, the Bar Association said it would “move the Supreme Court to seek injunction relief to prevent your further acting in the post of registrar general.”
As we now know, in a letter addressed to Mr. Miller and dated June 21, the Association expressed concerns that documents signed by Mr. Miller after the court’s ruling, may be invalid and therefore not legally binding.
The Association wrote: “We would be grateful therefore if you could supply us with the authority by which you are enabled to perform the functions which you have purported to carry out since the date of the aforesaid ruling.
“It is our view that by virtue of the judgment and the presence of the substantive office holder you lack jurisdiction to continue to act as registrar general.”
We note –albeit in passing- that what is happening today comes on the heels of a long-simmering dispute between Ms. Elizabeth Thompson and the Hon. Allyson Maynard Gibson, The Minister of Financial Services and Investment.
The minister spoke in the House of Assembly on Monday 13th June concerning this matter. We note that in her address she indicated that she had finally had enough of Elizabeth Thompson and the personal attacks which the lady had made on her. She was of the firm view that Ms. Thompson had attacked her integrity and that she would defend it.
As the records of the House of Assembly would attest, Minister Maynard-Gibson proceeded to do so by laying out in detailed chapter and verse what have been described as “the sins and transgressions of Ms. Thompson which led to her termination as the Registrar General”.
But as we all know, that was not the end of the story.
The attentive public wants and craves an end to this sorry saga. The Government of The Bahamas should oblige these fine people; and bring this issue to closure, either by giving Ms. Thompson a fair hearing by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission or by alternatively paying her in full for the contract which she signed.
Editorial from The Bahama Journal
