Kirkland 'KB' Bodie
SINGER turned activist Kirkland “KB” Bodie yesterday called the government’s actions against the Save The Bays (STB) organisation in Parliament hypocritical and disgusting.
In a scathing rebuke, Mr. Bodie - a director of STB - defended his integrity against claims that he was paid by the environmental group or a political party to create disparaging songs against the government. He said attempts to “drag down” STB was evidence that the organisation was doing an effective job of holding the government accountable.
“The punk action of hiding behind parliamentary privilege while trying to ruin another’s good name is cowardly and shameful,” Mr. Bodie said in a letter to the editor.
“I’ve never had a government job, never compromised my ethics for anyone and will never cloak wrongdoing. I have always been forthright and if you can prove otherwise then put me before the courts, or shut up.
“All the rigmarole and spin doctoring you all have thrown at us must mean that Save The Bays is doing an effective job in holding this administration accountable that you would have to sink so low with your disgusting House of Assembly antics. Real men would never do such a thing.”
The STB controversy was sparked after its confidential financial affairs and e-mails were read out in Parliament.
Cabinet ministers, Jerome Fitzgerald and Fred Mitchell, and Water & Sewerage Corporation Chairman Leslie Miller, all disclosed the private information under the protection of parliamentary privilege during the House of Assembly’s mid-year debate.
Fred Smith QC, Save the Bays’ legal adviser, together with fellow plaintiffs, the Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay environmental group, and Zack Bacon, brother of hedge fund billionaire, Louis Bacon, subsequently obtained a Supreme Court injunction to prevent further disclosure of the documents obtained by the three MPs.
In the House, Mr. Fitzgerald claimed that Save the Bays masquerades as an environmental watchdog group but has used million of dollars to “entrap” Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard in an alleged murder plot to ultimately “destabilise” the government.
Mr. Fitzgerald also said members of STB, including an entertainer, are paid handsomely.
In his letter, Mr. Bodie said: “I was not paid by any political party to write songs, I wrote them on my own, nothing to do with Save The Bays, because I saw this government as incompetent.
“Did your political party pay me when I wrote the song ‘Dey Sellin’ Our Country’ under the last FNM administration? Once again, Mr. Fitzgerald you and your kind are hypocrisy at its finest, you all loved it, called me a genius.”
Mr. Bodie said he was proud of his journey from a humble start in Eight Mile Rock to musical acclaim. He said his job as director of STB’s music division has allowed him to make a transition from an artist focused on culture to one that also advocates for environmental preservation – expanding his repertoire as a composer, writer, producer and performer.
Mr. Bodie said: “If asking the government to assist in protecting its nation’s natural resources, or insisting on the passage of a Freedom of Information Act for transparency and accountability in our public service; if insisting that you would facilitate these things is compared to toppling the government, then I understand why our education statistics are so abysmal, when the bottom is actually mirroring the leadership at the top.”
Mr. Bodie pointed out that the government paid a Trinidadian artist $100,000 to perform at last year’s Junkanoo Carnival, but was now raising concerns about his ability to earn the same figure annually.
“Is this another example of them believing in Bahamians? Only a foreign mother can spawn a child to make that kind of money? It seems that these politicians think that Bahamians don’t deserve this, but I deserve it and more. I am talented, I am dedicated, and I’ve paid my dues through hard work and sacrifice.”
By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
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