News of Floyd Watkins’ death this morning jarred me. We were really never “friends” in the acute meaning of the word; but we knew each other and connected in our stories and politics. He was super confident in his dispatch and his life’s work showed he was a careful and resolute planner. Nothing for him happened by chance or luck of the draw. He worked for the fulfillment of his dreams and ambitions and actually was very quiet about it and there was no pretentiousness or haughtiness in his delivery.
Floyd Watkins was a barrister at law and my first memory of him in the Supreme Court was where he acted as Defence Attorney for the Bahamian architect Gene Vanderpool. I was a junior reporter working the Crime and Court beat for The Tribune.
Gene had been a close associate and friend of the then Numbers or illegal lottery game czar Vendal Percy Munnings. For more years than one could care to remember; Gene did the designs for all of Percy’s houses in various subdivisions.
It was assumed that Percy paid Gene well.
Percy discovered by accident; Gene was ripping him off and padding the bills from construction material suppliers. Hell hath no fury like Percy when he discovered anyone was getting over on him.
Percy complained and here was Gene, an aging white haired, wizened old man on trial in the Supreme Court for fraud and theft from Percy.
Floyd took on Percy in the sworn witness box. Floyd indirectly appealed to the long years of Gene’s association with Percy and indicated in cross that at times it was Gene who had been the one of whom advantage was taken. Floyd tried introduced into evidence in direct to Percy; the Numbers business and Percy’s immense wealth.
Somehow the prosecutor’s name escapes me, but it would have been Mrs. Cleopatra Christie, Burton Hall or Vincent Peet. The back door attempt to put Percy’s Numbers Empire out there on the public record failed and the Judge chided Floyd to move on.
Gene Vanderpool was frail and frightened. He took the stand in his own defense and Floyd tried as best to pad a sketch of this top Bahamian professional architect who had for a very long part of his career; worked at pittance level for Percy out of their friendship and out of the exclusivity of the work.
The prosecutor percolated Gene in cross and the jury poured the coffee.
Floyd was smitten by the conviction. Not so much because of not recognizing there was a crime committed but more so on how this matter amongst long standing friends had to be resolved at court and the loser would now do time at the Fox Hill Prison; and the monies in question that were compromised were a drop in the bucket to Percy’s huge fortune.
I began watching Floyd as he moved through the courts. He was married to a fellow barrister and husband and wife teams at the bar; were historic and noteworthy, Henry and Janet Bostwick, Elliot and Clarita Lockhart, Kendal (not practicing at the time)and Rubie Nottage, Algernon and Anita Allen; Tennyson and Stephanie Wells.
I soon learned Floyd was more of a businessman than a fierce and determined standard bearer at the bar. On St. Albans Drive he was putting up a fortress of condominiums and apartments and a convenience food store and hardware. He was particularly proud of launching his children into this business.
It was in the turn of 1990- three years after the PLPs crushing and surprising lynching of the Free National Movement led by Kendal George Lamont Isaacs in the 1987 general elections, that Floyd emerged on the political pendulum.
Mr. Isaacs occupied the Delaporte seat in the House of Assembly which today is the twin flame of what is now known as the Killarney Constituency.
The Delaporte FNM Association knew Mr. Isaacs had no interest in competing in the 1992 General Elections and Floyd Watkins was the assumed shoo-in and appointed successor to the FNM nomination by Mr. Isaacs. This was no easy feat. Floyd was a black boy from around the Chippingham area who joined the Delaporte Association and brought the vibrancy that a retiring and ailing Mr. Isaacs once so keenly displayed. The seat was a crown jewel of the FNM and the saturation of the upper Middle Class. Here leading politicians and affluent business and professional persons resided in the constituency. So there was much competition in FNM circles to inherit Mr. Isaacs’s mantle.
By this time, I was out of mainstream journalism so to speak and running the political streets with Rodney Moncur. Floyd’s assumed right to the FNM nomination on the blessing of Mr. Isaacs had to be tested. Rodney and I sprang into action. We wrote letters to the Editor, had a demonstration or two in which we demanded transparency in how the FNM Candidate for the seat would be chosen. And we concluded Floyd was not the right man for the job.
Floyd took it all in stride and whenever we ran into each other, he took the criticism with delightful humor and I suppose was flattered over our sojourn.
Nevertheless we continued that it was dishonest and political chicanery for Mr. Isaacs, to behave as if the seat was his to depose of in his last political Will and Testament.
The stink reached a fever pitch in the country when influential forces began the grass news feed that Pindling and the PLP government had cut a deal with Mr. Isaacs to resign from the seat before the general election and for Mr. Isaacs to accept the post of Chief Justice.
Rodney and I were in nuclear overload with our protest. Mr. Isaacs’ niece, the distinguished barrister Jeanne Thompson joined the conversation in protesting her uncle negotiating the post of Chief Justice on the toss of a political horse shoe.
Meanwhile Floyd was all geared up and ready to slip into the nomination and the seat.
Mr. Wallace Whitfield became leader of the FNM after the 1987 general elections and on his death in May 1990, enter Hubert Alexander Ingraham.
The game for Floyd was about to change. Ingraham made no secret of his personal dislike for Floyd but as a newcomer to the FNM he did not have the status to nick Mr. Isaacs choice or to fight the wealthy and formidable Delaporte FNM association.
Ingraham would simply wait his time.
Floyd explained to me the germination of the conflict. As an attorney he had acted for a local bank; who had some interesting persons on its debtors’ list.
And of course as we do things in the Bahamas; the sociopaths never acknowledge their trespass but choose rather than to bully or victimize the innocent agent of their creditor.
That’s all I will say about that.
In those early years it was the breakfast club at Lums’ Restaurant down town. Gene Toote, Alphonso “Boogalloo” Elliot, Pemmie Sutherland, Lionel “Lil Murph” Murphy, Oswald Greenslade, George Wilson, Oswald Marshall, Rodney Braynen, Alphonso from North Andros, Cedric Parker, William S. Gibson, Moncur, William Life Curtis, Stephen “Daddy O” Mitchell, Sammie “Daddy O” Miller, Jim Wood, Chess Wood, Tina Isaacs, Allan Ingraham, Carl Bethel, Napoleon McPhee, Rag Poitier, Everett Bannister, Derek Simms. So many divergent political paths and ideas under one roof sharing a cup of coffee and peacefully and non -violently sword fighting their way through their agenda. In later years I would join Floyd and the regular crew for lunch on some weekdays at The Nailer’s Club at Fish Fry. We would acknowledge each other’s presence when I ran into Floyd checking in or out of the El Greco Hotel; ironically just in the front door of my numbers bookie; where Floyd said he had come for “rest and relaxation”.
Floyd won the Delaporte Seat in the 1992 general elections. He was ceremoniously perched on Mr. Ingraham’s back bench along with Peter Galanis.
It was no secret he was not to the Ingraham manor born and while Mr. Isaacs, the former leader of the party held Floyd on a pedestal, there was a new Pharaoh in town and Floyd Watkins was not a courtier at this Ingraham Palace.
The divide grew more intense leading to the 2002 general elections. Mr. Ingraham was rolling out his controversial Referendum, an arbiter for his general election campaign; with a second term under his belt in the 1997 theatre.
The PLP now led by Perry Gladstone Christie had initially supported in principle the issues raised in the Referendum by the FNM Government. The matter got unanimous parliamentary support. ENTER THE TRUE LEGAL EAGLE PAUL LAWRENCE ADDERLEY.
“Cannonballs” Adderley single handedly took down the Referendum and a punch drunk Hubert Ingraham spent the entire campaign leading up to the vote in February 2002 heckling that the PLP and Christie agreed to the Referendum at the Parliamentary level; and were now opposing it.
I was a leader on the ground for Christie and Adderley anti-referendum forces.
Ingraham wanted the Referendum to pass on all the proposed amendments and to use this to catapult himself into Constitutional change and history. He was about to be denied, scarred and embarrassed.
The Referendum was drawn on political lines and the PLP and FNM had agents at the polling stations. I recall Floyd’s delight in reporting to me at the C. C. Sweeting Senior High School polling station in the Delaporte Constituency that when the voting closed at 6pm and the box was opened for the count; Mr. Ingraham would be a disappointed Prime Minister.
Floyd had also worked the back room scene to dislodge Mr. Ingraham as Leader of the party.
“I am ashamed” Mr. Ingraham would cry at his morning after the humiliating defeat of his referendum, news conference.
It was three months later –May 2002 and the general election was on. Floyd’s bleeding of the waters in the Referendum was about to give him the big pay back.
Neville Wisdom the PLP candidate and Floyd could pass for brothers. They traded the most terrible barbs on the campaign trail. It was at festival in Rock Crusher Road, sponsored by Neville and Floyd arrived with his impressive entourage and his spending power to woo Neville’s base.
It was stuff you can only find in a Norman Lear sitcom. But never personally demeaning or obscene. Condescending but never bitter.
Neville would emerge the victor and end Floyd’s two terms in the House of Assembly as the Delaporte MP. The Referendum vote reflected the General Election blood bathe. The FNM was only able to muster one parliamentary seat on New Providence- that being Montague, the strong hold of white oligarchy and black and coloured elites. Montague was the only constituency on the island which supported the referendum.
I found Floyd sometime much later one afternoon over at Nailer’s Club, he said it had been a long day for him in his businesses and he was getting a late bite.
He had and held no remorse on being voted out. In fact he accepted it and was proud of his service.
What was on his mind that evening?
Christie was now Prime Minister and Hubert Ingraham had returned to private law practice. Philip “Brave” Davis, who was a senior partner in the Christie Ingraham & Co law firm had now formed Davis & Co on Mr. Christie’s election as Prime Minister.
The Davis & Co law firm continued to operate out of Del-Bern House on Victoria Avenue, owned by Mr. Christie and Mr. Ingraham, and named for their wives.
According to Floyd, Brave Davis had not been given a fair deal or chance in purchasing the building or continuing as a rental/lease tenant.
Floyd was angry over what he said to me was the good cop/bad cop drama that was being played out.
This was the stuff of lawyers and far beyond my pay grade but Floyd Watkins was again on the side of the underdog.
The last time I saw him was in August of this year when I walked into St Barnabas Anglican Church for the funeral service of former senior Customs Officer Eddie Smith.
“Earlin what’s happening man?” he greeted me enthusiastically.
We shook hands and exchanged pleasantries after the service. I remember wanting to know the connect between Eddie and Floyd considering Eddie was a loud and proud Brave Davis supporter and life- long Long Island PLP. I never got to ask the question.
I heard about Floyd’s terrible traffic accident. His recovery was painful. Complications set in. Things worsened.
This morning I rang his friend and fellow St. Albans’ Drive businessman Harrison Petty on learning of Floyd’s passing. We needed to express our grief together and salute Floyd’s memory.
Floyd Watkins was never an ass kisser and he was nobody’s water boy and nor would he let political expediency cloud his judgement.
I will remember him for his honesty in that regard. He did not let politics consume him. He was always aware of his limitations. He inherited a parliamentary seat from a party leader but he never remotely expressed an interest in that superior title.
He just wanted to serve at the level he was allowed; and when it was over and done; he still remained Floyd Watkins.
May He Rest in Peace.