EDITOR, The Tribune.

The recent public tirade by Mr Franklyn Wilson over his speculations on the presidency of COB was as much shamelessly irresponsible and in poor taste as it was totally out-of-line, especially coming from a former Council Chairman who should have been able to show more restraint and better judgment.

As the President of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas, I take great issue with any public representation that recommendations coming from the Presidential Advisory Search Committee and the College Council – both of which I sit in my capacity as President – were not made in the best interest of the country and the advancement of the College of The Bahamas.

Firstly, it is important to note that the Advisory Search Committee was made up of a diverse, representative group of internal and external stakeholders who were selected for their credibility and ability to be impartial decision makers.

Secondly, the process was a competitive one that was uniformly structured to ensure that the same opportunity for success was afforded each candidate. In addition to the intensive interviews with the Advisory Committee, each candidate also met with student and union leaders and took part in an open public forum where the wider Bahamian public and media were given an opportunity to hear, question, evaluate, and provide feedback on each candidate. Those who felt the need took advantage and made the most of those opportunities.

Now at this stage, I, like many, feel very disappointed that Mr Wilson would seek to interfere with and undermine the integrity and credibility of the search process and the reputable individuals chosen to carry it out by making such alarmist and unfounded claims that the recommendation of the search committee and the College Council would be a “significant error for the country,” if that recommendation favoured one candidate over any other.

These actions and attacks by Mr Wilson are unbecoming and appear to be more personally driven, leaving many to question the real motives behind Mr Wilson’s refusal or inability to move on. As one of several committee members responsible for carrying out due diligence in matters related to all of the candidates in the process, I am not totally satisfied that Mr Wilson himself is being totally forthcoming and truthful.

Nonetheless, by making his dramatic and overblown “error” suggestions, Mr Wilson is calling into question and, in many ways, impugning the character and wisdom of noted individuals such as Dr Robin Roberts, Justice Cheryl Albury, Anthony Hamilton, Marcus Laing, Justice Rubie Nottage, William Fielding, Tamischa Richardson, Rodman Forbes, Anastasia Brown, Delreco Bonaby, and Calpurnia Campbell who all also served so unselfishly as members of the presidential search committee for more than 12 month to ensure that the search process was conducted with the utmost fairness and transparency.

I am sure that these individuals would like to know whether Mr Wilson, by making his wild claims, is suggesting to the public that they cannot be trusted to do what is in the best interest of the College and the nation, especially at this most crucial juncture in both of their development.

I am also sure that the former Minister of Education, Attorney General, and current College Council Chairman, Alfred Sears, and members of the present Council would also be gravely offended by the former Chairman’s suggestion that they, understanding the weight and importance of their decision, would make one that was not in the College’s and/or country’s best interest. It would be very important for Mr Wilson, if he is so inclined to speak publicly on this matter again, to clarify what he is suggesting about the members of both of these bodies, if in fact their recommendation was not to his liking.

For Mr Wilson to think or give the public impression that he alone has the country’s – or the college’s – interest at heart would make him out to be somewhat delusional. He may seek to suggest that some others are blind, but his suggestion does not automatically mean that he has vision.

Even though Mr Wilson is a tax-paying public figure and, as such, is entitled to voice his opinions freely, by virtue of his being the former Chairman of the College Council, he must also recognize that there is an expectation for him to act more responsibly in the public arena and show more restraint and respect for the process that is still underway – similar to that which the current College Chairman and Minister of Education has shown.

He should be careful not to allow his personal feelings to make him appear an emotional loose cannon.

There is no one who would not agree that Mr Wilson is not entitled to his opinion, but we should recognise it as just that – his opinion.

The Minister of Education and his cabinet colleagues would be mindful to note that the most significant error for the College of the Bahamas and the country, at this time in their development, would be to allow Mr Franklyn Wilson’s temperamental exaggerations to be the authority that guides and informs their outlook, if in fact the Search Committee and College Council forward a recommendation that is not to the liking of Mr Wilson.

MARK HUMES

President of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas,

Nassau,

July 14, 2014.