NATIONAL BROADCAST

BY

THE HON. SHANE GIBSON MP

FEBRUARY 18^th, 2007 

In recent times, I have been the target of relentless attacks.  My good name has been besmirched.  My integrity has been impugned.  And my character has been assassinated.   Never have so many lies and falsehoods been told.     

Let me set the record straight. 

Firstly, I unequivocally deny that I have ever accepted any gift or favour from anyone as a reward for granting, or as an inducement to grant, any permit to the late Anna Nicole Smith, or any other person.   

Secondly, I unconditionally deny that I ever abused my ministerial office by granting Anna Nicole Smith any permit of which she was undeserving or for which she was not qualified under the laws of the Bahamas and long-established immigration policies.   

And thirdly, I flatly deny the scurrilous lie that I had a sexual relationship with the late Anna Nicole Smith.  This is the dirtiest, most low-down lie of all.  Not a shred of it is true.  My friendship with Anna Nicole Smith was shared with my wife, my children and my parents.  There was nothing that was in any way improper about this relationship.  

All my life I have been a fighter.  I have never backed down from anything nor buckled under pressure.  Instead I have always stood my ground and taken the best blows of my adversaries.  I live in the fear of the Lord but of no man.   

I can tell you, therefore, that every fiber of my being tells me to fight this thing, to stand and slug it out with those who are determined to bring me down.   

There is also, however, a quieter voice within me that tells me to Let go and let God.  It is this same voice that reminds me that, after God, I have to put my family first.   

My wife, my children, my parents, my entire family have suffered enough already.  For far too long they have had to listen on a daily basis to one nasty lie after another, one vicious untruth after another.  It can only get worse as long as I remain on the frontlines of the current controversy.  I am not prepared to let them suffer any further. It is time for their anguish to end so that the wounds they have suffered already can begin to heal.  I wish to thank them for their unwavering faith, loyalty, devotion and support. 

I am also conscious of the fact that my continued presence on the frontlines of the government would make it extremely difficult for the government to present its message on those things that are of central concern to the Bahamian people at this time : crime, illegal immigration, the economy, education, national health insurance, affordable housing and social welfare.  It is vitally important that nothing be allowed to distract the government from presenting its case to the nation on these all-important matters.  

I have therefore tendered my resignation from the cabinet with immediate effect.  This is a decision that I have arrived at after close consultation with my family and the Prime Minister.  I am convinced, however, that it is the right decision for the reasons I have given.  

I want to publicly thank the Right Honourable Prime Minister for having given me the opportunity to serve my country as a minister in the government over the past five years.  It has been a rare privilege and honour to serve in this capacity under the leadership of the Rt. Honourable Perry Christie.  I am now more convinced than ever that as long as he remains at the helm, our nation is in safe hands.   

I am particularly proud of my ministerial accomplishments over the past five years.  It gladdens my heart that I was able to make an important difference in the lives of so many struggling Bahamian families through my achievements as Housing Minister.  The facts are there for all to see.  In the three plus-years that I was responsible for the Government’s low-cost housing programme, we built more new houses than the former Government was able to do in its entire ten years in office.   

There are some who may be surprised to learn that I have helped so many people to improve their lot in life but those who know me will tell you that it simply is, and has always been, my nature to lend a helping hand to others.  Perfect strangers will tell you of how I moved the machinery of the government to lend assistance to them without any personal reward or even public recognition.  That’s simply the way I have always endeavoured to conduct my life, both at the personal and political levels.    My compassion for others and passion for life will always be reflective of who I am in every sphere of my existence.  I thank God for compassion because it enables me to stand in the face of adversities. 

I am also proud that I was able to make significant progress in the interception, capture and systematic repatriation of illegal immigrants, and in streamlining the bureaucracy of the Immigration Department for the more expeditious processing of citizenship, residency and work permit applications for all categories of persons.  I introduced “fast-tracking” systems so that the entire apparatus of the Immigration Department could be re-engineered to deal with applications more swiftly and more efficiently irrespective of who was making the application.  There are countless individuals in our society who can attest to the success of these initiatives.  They can also attest to the fact that in no instance was any corrupt advantage ever sought or received by me.  This was as true for the Anna Nicole Smith matter as for every other.  

I am also proud of the important advances that I made in furthering the cause of industrial peace and constructive labour relations in my capacity as Minister of Labour & Training.   

I especially want to thank the devoted and highly capable individuals who served as Permanent Secretaries, Directors and other officials in the several ministries that I headed over the past five years.  I am grateful for their loyal support, dedication to duty, and efficient service. 

I would also like to thank the many hundreds of friends, constituents, and Bahamians from all walks of life who have showered me and my family with their prayers, words of encouragement and support during this difficult period in our lives.  We are very grateful.   

Finally, I want to apologize to all persons who may in any way have been offended by anything that I have said, done or perceived to have said or done.  Further, to the extent that my beloved country has in any way suffered from anything that I was perceived to have said or done; I want to apologize to the Bahamian people as a whole.  It was never my intention to cause any damage, hurt or embarrassment to anyone.     

I shall be speaking further on this matter at the PLP Rally at Pinewood Park on Tuesday evening.  In the meantime, I can assure everybody that I intend to commit myself to helping my family heal, and to ensuring the success of my Party in the next General Election.   

I also intend to seek a complete vindication of my reputation and character from the vicious and wicked lies that have been told against me.  Although I am stepping down from the cabinet, I have every intention of continuing my quest to bring the full truth of this matter to the Bahamian people.  

Above all, I remain fully committed to the advancement of my beloved country, now and in the years to come.  

May God bless you all and may His Goodness and Grace continue to bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.      

Thank you and good night.  

_________________

D. Shane Gibson MP

18^th February, 2007