Protesting against what they called victimisation of a prominent Free National Movement member, FNM members and supporters staged a demonstration in front of the government complex in Freeport yesterday.
They claimed that Pineridge MP and Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ann Percentie-Russell, had denied Naomi Lady Wallace-Whitfield access to her office in the Ministry of Financial Services and Investments.
But an official in the office denied this.
Lady Wallace-Whitfield is the office manager at the ministry. She is also a trustee of the FNM Womenﾒs Association, and widow of FNM founder, Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield.
Speaking to reporters at the demonstration, MP for High Rock Kenneth Russell claimed to have documented proof that at least one lock was changed to Lady Wallace-Whitfieldﾒs office.
“For a parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister to victimise somebody in her office, to lock her out of her office, to re-key her office, to cause her to feel as if she is pushed aside unfairly, the FNM would no longer allow this type of activity to happen,” Mr. Russell said.
“This is a warning that is going out to every government department, every person who is practicing victimisation in this country, that we will no longer stand for it and no matter how big or small, we will challenge victimisation in all fronts.”
Demonstrators marched in front of the complex around 8:30am, carrying placards that decried victimidation and chanting, “Victimidation, no. Ann Percentie has to go.”
The demonstrators called for Mrs. Percentie-Russellﾒs resignation.
“We will be on her like white on rice, and parliament will be back in session on Wednesday, and we will deal with her at that time too ﾖ budget or not ﾖ we will deal with her in parliament because this is absolutely wrong,” Mr. Russell said.
“There are other employees in the Office of the Prime Minister who have complained from time to time, but in the beginning we thought it was Ann Percentie just being nasty.
“But after repeatedly speaking to the prime minister, we now believe that this must be a design by the government to get back at persons who they believe did not support them at the last election.”
Undersecretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Carnard Bethell, told the Bahama Journal yesterday that the incident was “blown out of proportion,” and he hopes this matter will “quiet down.”
Other sources in the office, speaking in defense of Mrs. Percentie-Russell, strenuously denied the allegations leveled against her.
The Bahama Journal attempted to contact Mrs. Percentie-Russell, but was told by her office that she was in New Providence on business.
Meanwhile, Mr. Russell said the FNM will continue demonstrating today.
“We have given this government a chance over and over [given] that the present prime minister heralded many times that he is not a prime minister of victimisation, yet still we are here at his office, where victimisation has taken place,” Mr. Russell claimed.
According to Mr. Russell, Lady Wallace-Whitfield was out of town on vacation.
“We havenﾒt been in contact with her since this happened on Friday. She came in on Saturday; everything was exposed at that time, and she already had previous plans to go away and so she continued [to go] away,” he said.
“But itﾒs not just Lady Whitfield; itﾒs the fact that the victimization was done in this country blatantly and especially in this prime ministerﾒs office.”
By: Courtnee Romer, The Bahama Journal
