NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Prime Minister Phillip Davis has described his Social Companies and City Renewal Minister, Obediah Hercules Wilchcombe, as “a real patriot, a visionary chief, and a cherished pal” following his demise on the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama on Monday.
He stated, “Obie’ as he was popularly identified, had for the previous two years “served with nice distinction as Member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama and Bimini and Minister of Social Companies and City Renewal.” He was not too long ago appointed to tackle the extra portfolio of Data and Broadcasting.
“Obie’s premature passing may be very stunning and really unhappy. Regardless that he has achieved a lot in his a few years of public service, he nonetheless had a lot extra to supply,” Davis stated of his senior minister, born on November 4, 1958. The reason for demise has not been disclosed.
Wilchcombe, In 1975, began his profession as a journalist with the Broadcasting Company of The Bahamas, and Davis stated, “We bear in mind effectively his many inventions, equivalent to being the primary to report a narrative, not from behind a desk, however strolling and speaking to the digicam.
“This private contact mirrored the straightforward, intimate fashion with which he addressed everybody. Over 25 years, he rose via the ranks, holding numerous positions together with Deputy Director of Information, Information Director, and Assistant Normal Supervisor.”
Davis stated he was “resolute and brave in reporting and protection of the Fourth Property.
“He’s maybe the one journalist within the nation to have been despatched to jail for refusing to disclose his sources, an episode that continued to traumatize him a few years later.”
Wilchcombe had refused to disclose from whom he acquired a letter handed to him from a condemned inmate who, on the identical night that the letter was acquired, dedicated suicide.
Davis stated that though he formally started his political profession in 1994, his political roots ran rather more profound,” noting that Obie had “lower his tooth writing speeches for the Father of the Nation, Sir Lynden Pindling.
He stated, politically, Obie held many senior workplaces, each inside the ruling Progressive Liberal Get together (PLP) and inside the authorities.
“ He’ll doubtless be remembered most for his two stints as Minister of Tourism, the place his visionary initiatives, such because the introduction of Sports activities, Spiritual, and African-American Tourism, considerably enhanced the tourism product of The Bahamas.
“His contribution to the event of the movie trade was exemplary, and the success of this coverage was evident when two of the highest three movies of 2006 had been shot in our stunning nation,” Davis added.
“He was humorous and considerate, with an amazing sense of our historic place. His articulate discourse and considerate insights had been profound and infrequently shocked the conscience of the Progressive Liberal Get together, resulting in significant deliberations and impactful resolutions.”
“His favourite phrase, “One Love,” exemplified his worldview, symbolizing unity, compassion, and a deep love for humanity,” Davis stated.
Wilchcombe is a former president of the Grand Bahama Basketball Affiliation and the Commonwealth American Soccer League (CAFL).
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