By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRESS Secretary Anthony Newbold said it “serves nobody” when Cabinet ministers contradict themselves publicly as National Security Minister Marvin Dames and Attorney General Carl Bethel have done over the Royal Bahamas Defence Force’s response to the Byron Ferguson plane crash.

Long-time political observers said Mr Bethel’s criticism of the RBDF last week was extraordinary, and Mr Dames’ rebuttal yesterday was also highly unusual.

The statements came days after Commodore Tellis Bethel admitted that the RBDF’s own communication in the matter was lacking. Mr Bethel had argued that the RBDF was not sensitised to accident disaster recovery.

Yesterday, Mr Newbold was asked how Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis feels about Mr Dames and Mr Bethel contradicting themselves in public.

“Well, obviously that serves nobody,” he said.

“The prime minister has promised that he will have a full review of what has happened with respect to that plane crash.

“We know there are two investigations ongoing now. Once those reports have been completed, they will be reviewed and recommendations, decisions made as to what happened. Lots of talk in the public and media about that plane crash and the way it has been handled.

“The prime minister has spoken to the family. I have spoken to the family. You know the person in question, (is) the son of a former colleague of ours, Agnes Ferguson, so everybody wants the family to have some closure and the family is going to wait for those investigations to be completed, they will be reviewed and everything that’s happened will be addressed but some comments were made (by public officials). (I have) no comments on those.”

Asked if Dr Minnis wanted Cabinet ministers to withhold comments until the completion of the investigation, Mr Newbold said: “All the conversations going on about this investigation and crash, they won’t serve anybody to continue talking about them until those investigations are done and reviews completed.”