By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

TELLIS Bethel has been named commodore of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force following a massive promotion exercise of 427 officers announced yesterday, described as the largest ever for the law enforcement agency.

The revelation came a day after Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade announced promotions in the Royal Bahamas Police Force for 851 officers and less than a week after Prime Minister Perry Christie said that, despite years of insisting the government won’t make overtime payments to police officers, his administration has now decided to do so.

The promotions are seen by some as the Christie administration’s attempt to win the officers’ vote. Law enforcement officers vote in the general election’s advanced poll today.

“This is what I would refer to as a poor governance and not only poor governance, this is a political tactic on behalf of the government,” said Marvin Dames, the FNM candidate for Mount Mariah and a former deputy commissioner of police.

“There is no way in the world, in any country where a government, one day before law enforcement officers are about to cast their votes, rolls out a promotion. Whenever a party decides to use the government’s servicemen and women as political tools, that calls for great concern. What you are essentially doing is tampering with democracy.

“Whenever you promote people, that means you have a plan for those persons. How can you have a plan when you don’t know whether you will be the government tomorrow? They just confirmed a commodore. What craziness is this? We have to get serious about what it is we want from our elected officials. If we are going to continue playing games, and that is what this is, it’s frightening, using our government departments and the power entrusted to us by the people to advance your own personal ambitions.”

Mr Dames added: “I’m not taking anything away from these people who would’ve gotten promoted, but the point is when are we going to stop playing games? This government has hired more people in the last week than they have hired in the last five years. They are in a state of desperation.”

Commodore Bethel’s confirmation comes more than two years after he began serving as acting commodore of the RBDF.

His position was made retroactive to March 2015.

He is among more than 400 men and women in the force who were promoted.

In addition to Captain Bethel, Captain Samuel Evans was appointed deputy commander of the RBDF.

The promotions affect more than one quarter of defence force officers, a press statement said and are in effect from May 1, 2015.

The promotions comprise 66 officers, 17 warrant officers, 77 non-commissioned officers and 284 enlisted personnel.

Senior officer promotions include Captain Adrian Chriswell, who was promoted from commander. Other senior officers promoted from the rank of lieutenant commander to commander were: Clarence Dean, Michael Saunders, Raymond King, Chapell Whyms, Henry Daxon and Frederick Brown.

The RBPF also announced promotions of senior officers in early April.