May 30, 2014

Dear Sir,

It is to be noted that Premier Dunkley has retained the National Security portfolio. He is therefore “Premier and Minister of National Security”.

In the last decade we have had a “Premier and Minister of Finance” as well as a “Premier and Minister of Tourism and Transport”. The latter Premier coined a phrase which often rankled the media and the sensitive supporters of his then Opposition.

The term “plantation question” was defined as a question that would only be posed to a black politician but never to a white one. This notion was soundly rejected by many of your readers and became a source of obvious irritation to your reporters.

One of the questions deemed a “plantation question” by that Premier and Minister of Tourism and Transport was whether he would receive two salaries for holding two portfolios.

Of course the answer would have been “no”, but the question was posed throughout his tenure and that of his successor when she retained the Finance portfolio.

To date, I can find no record or even hint among your regular bloggers, most of whom asked this question about two salaries to Cox and Brown, of this same question being asked of Premier Dunkley.

The question is a ridiculous one but having never even considered it with this Premier, but allowing it to form part of the narrative surrounding two other Premiers in identical situations, proves that “plantation questions” are real. The subtleties of Bermuda-style racism are not lost on those of us who pay attention.

AS SIMONS

Paget