US embassy cable - 03NASSAU2421

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NASSAU 002421 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2013 
TAGS: BF, PGOV, PINR, SCUL, SOCI, Bahamian Politics 
SUBJECT: BISHOP ELLIS RELISHES ROLE AS POLITICAL 
'ANNOINTER,' AND WITH GOOD REASON 
 
REF: (A) NASSAU 1066 (B) NASSAU 2056 
 
Classified By: Charge Kay Crawford for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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(1) (U) On December 2, Charge and Political Officer paid 
courtesy call to hard-to-pin-down, charismatic Bishop Neil 
Ellis.  During the nearly two hour meeting, Ellis described 
the enterprise his parish has become.  He also outlined his 
role as the local Dixville Notch, New Hampshire of Bahamian 
politics -- the one visit that all aspiring politicians must 
make in order to confirm their legitimacy.  Ellis has come 
far, from a humble background, mentored and supported by 
prominent businessman Frankie Wilson, with whom he maintains 
a close personal and business relationship. End Summary 
 
 
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THOU DARE NOT CROSS THE RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP 
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(2) (C) As reported ref. B, the conventional wisdom holds 
that former Freedom National Movement (FNM) Prime Minister 
Hubert Ingraham sealed his fate by displaying arrogance 
towards the religious leadership.  The electorate in The 
Bahamas is devout, and the church leaders refused to remain 
silent after the former PM had expressed views antithetical 
to religious conservatives, such as welcoming to port a 
cruise liner catering to gay clientele and advocating for 
constitutional reform targeted toward improving women's 
rights.  Ellis continued along this line, claiming that 
Ingraham is not religious and is definitely "not a man of 
God," even if he does attend church.  However, nor does Ellis 
regard current Prime Minister Perry Christie as a "true man 
of God," although he feels that the PM is trying to be 
religious.  Ellis then described a strange ritual (reported 
similarly ref. A) whereby Christie sought a meeting with 
Ellis over a several week period as he was gearing up his 
election campaign.  Ellis kept rebuffing the PM's request, 
offering him only a 10 minute slot.  Finally, however, Ellis 
offered the PM the opportunity to travel with him on a 
religious speaking tour in the U.S., promising that if the PM 
attended three of his sermons, he would be available to 
counsel the PM throughout the tour.  Thus, the two men spent 
many intense hours together, during which time Ellis looked 
into the PM's soul and concluded that the PM has religious 
inclinations, but is "not yet there."  Though the PM is not 
one of Ellis's regular parishioners, since the last election, 
he attends from time to time, as do all but three cabinet 
ministers. 
 
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MOUNT TABOR BAPTIST CHURCH -- A TRULY REMARKABLE INSTITUTION 
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(3) (U) Launched by a then very young Bishop Ellis from 
scratch in the late 1980's, Mount Tabor is now a thriving 
community of more than 7,000 members, including more than 500 
who tithe.  The church supports a wide range of missions and 
scholarship programs in The Bahamas, in the United States, 
and in Africa.  The Church has a full-time staff of 27, 
including two who manage its insurance and banking 
businesses.  During his adolescence, Bishop Ellis received 
encouragement and financial support from maverick businessman 
Frankie Wilson, with whom he lived in for 14 years.  Wilson 
is now a leader in the Bahamian insurance industry which 
underwrites a branch in Ellis's parish.  The church compound 
also houses a cooperative bank.  Both are exclusively for 
church members.  Ellis claims that his members pay the 
guaranteed lowest premiums for insurance products in The 
Bahamas. 
 
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COMMENT 
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(4) (U) Bishop Ellis is certainly a player in the local 
political scene.  He also very much enjoys life in the 
limelight as he recalls visits with prominent local 
politicians and local and international celebrities.  He 
knows how to weave names into discussions without crossing 
the line into arrogance.  While he and other religious 
leaders continue to claim credit for Christie's dramatic 
victory in the last election, this claim may be overstated. 
Ingraham had been in power for 10 years, and given his 
autocratic style, he had ruffled many feathers. 
Nevertheless, in the current context, political leaders seem 
to have learned their lessons as they increasingly pay homage 
to religious leaders, such as Bishop Ellis. 
WITAJEWSKI