Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and the Free National Movement, the Hon. Michael Pintard paid final respects to former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament and Diplomat, the late Vernon Symonette, in the foyer of the House of Assembly Thursday July 28th. Mr. Pintard also signed the book of condolences.
Mr. Symonette hailed from Inagua, where he served as an executive at Morton Salt before successfully contesting the Inagua seat in the 1982 general elections. When the two Parliamentary seats were combined in the southern Bahamas to create MICAL, the new seat was secured for the FNM by Vernon Symonette.
As Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1992 to 1997, Mr. Symonette carried out his duties in an atmosphere of good will, while maintaining an orderly and courteous character: he indeed was a statesman. As a diplomat he served the nation as a Non-Resident Ambassador to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
