“No, I am not leaving anytime soon. There are too many drunks around town starting rumours,” said U.S. Ambassador J. Richard Blankenship, in response to published reports that he is set to give up his Ambassadorship in The Bahamas in July.
It is believed that such information surfaced after the controversial Ambassador spoke out publicly on several occasions on matters of national interest, including crime, drugs and most recently, the Nassau International Airport.
Instead of leaving, the Ambassador told the Guardian via telephone on Thursday that he has plans to be here to celebrate the United States independence at his residence on July 4, but he will be taking a vacation in August.
At an interview at his office earlier this year, Ambassador Blankenship told the newspaper that he is not bothered by public comments about his outspokenness and intends to be very straightforward and honest.
“There are those that will complain and say that I am meddling, but this is a free country and we can all speak our minds. I am thick skinned and I have learned to ignore those comments that arise from idle chatter,” he said.
At the time, Ambassador Blankenship further stated that if he cannot be honest with individuals, then he should not hold his position.
He explained that there were certain times when bad news should be delivered and during these times, he does not intend to lie or mislead the people, especially when it comes to crime and drugs.
“I will keep reminding people of the evils of drugs and what crime can do to a community and how it can harm the tourist industry. I am responsible for four million visitors that come here annually and the more violent crime that creeps up, the less secure they will feel, hence, the less the economy will prosper,” said the U.S. Ambassador.
Even though much has not been said from the Ambassador since he spoke out about Fidel Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba on May 13, he expressed that he is doing well.
The U.S. Ambassador was also questioned about the United States intention to fingerprint and photograph all visa-holding foreigners arriving at U.S. ports next year to prevent terrorism. However, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell has sent him a letter asking several questions about the issue, he prefers to respond to the Minister first.
“We really don’t have a lot of information yet ourselves. Homeland Security is in charge of visas and the State Department will be issuing them, but it will be according to Homeland Security’s rules and procedures. We have not gotten the rules and procedures yet,” explained Ambassador Blankenship.
The United States’ intention of tracking about 23 million visitors is expected to create by the end of 2005, a comprehensive tracking system for everyone entering and leaving the country. It will also add 1700 new immigration inspectors to take digital fingerprints and photos. There will also be more personal interviews of visa applicants at embassies abroad, of which visa exempt travellers will not be excluded.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
