Former Prime Minister Perry Christie,today, slammed Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis and ministers of his cabinet for failing to attend the Official Funeral of former House Speaker and Deputy Governor General Oswald Ingraham who was laid to rest on Saturday in his native Eleuthera.
Acknowledging FNM MP Hank Johnson who attended Ingraham’s funeral and paid tribute, Christie asked Johnson to take a message back to Minnis.
“I have been very quiet out of public life. This is an official funeral. This is not just a funeral. This is an official funeral deserving of at least one member of the cabinet being here,” Christie said during his tribute to his former colleague.
“I say that in the best of faith without any interest whatsoever in politics but simply to the culture that we must create in this country. Hank spoke about Oswald being above politics, a transformative personality who would reach out to him notwithstanding political differences. A man, therefore, of the ages, deserving of the very best,” Christie added to applause from mourners.
Following the Progressive Liberal Party’s election victory in 2012, then Prime Minister Christie not only attended but delivered remarks at the funeral of Free National Movement Chairman and former member of parliament Charles Maynard who died suddenly and tragically in Abaco to the shock of many who knew and lived him. So did the majority of the members of his cabinet and parliamentary caucus.
During his term, Christie also attended the funerals of several former FNM parliamentarians.
Though Prime Minister Minnis and large delegations have been island hopping in recent weeks campaigning, he nor one of his ministers thought it important enough to attend the home-going service of a man who sat in the House of Assembly for ten years, served as speaker of the House of Assembly for five years and as Deputy to the Governor General.
Christie has been relatively silent since his party’s defeat in the 2017 General Election. However, he broke his silence recently to urge the government and the opposition to work together to help battle COVID-19.