MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and Public Service Fred Mitchell. Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff
By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT
tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net
FOREIGN Affairs and Public Service Minister Fred Mitchell said the Free National Movement lost the goodwill of the Bahamian people early in its term and the party “couldn’t see the forest for the trees” and just went downhill.
Mr Mitchell, also the Progressive Liberal Party’s chairman, said he hopes his party remembers that lesson on goodwill.
“Goodwill is that je ne sais quoi which causes life to move in the right direction,” Mr Mitchell said yesterday. “A political party and political leaders need that goodwill to operate.
“Early in the term of Hubert Minnis and the FNM, 35 to four seats in the House and 12 to four in the Senate, the FNM lost the goodwill of the Bahamian people. Once the Oban deal was found to be fake, it was downhill from there.
“They were so self-absorbed, of course and full of hubris, that they continued with this folly by firing PLPs and then trying to put three of our former parliamentarians in jail. They couldn’t see the forest for the trees and life for the FNM went downhill.”
Mr Mitchell said with 57 months to go, he hopes the PLP government continues to enjoy the goodwill of the Bahamian people.
“They never recovered because they lost the goodwill of the Bahamian people,” Mr Mitchell said. “A hundred days have gone since we were elected on the 16th of September this year. We have 57 months to go and the quality of those 57 months will depend on whether or not we continue to have the goodwill of the Bahamian people for the rest of our term.
“I believe, I hope, the PLP remembers this lesson about goodwill. The message of power and goodwill. I would argue that goodwill in the business of politics is, if not more valuable, at least equal to money. And, you know what the Americans say, there are two rules in politics. Rule number one is that you need money to operate. Rule number two is see rule number one.”
Mr Mitchell said as someone who has lost an election and come back victorious, he understands the need to be there for constituents.
“I try as best I can to deal with every call, text message and any inquiry even in the dark of night. Goodwill is what causes me to be able to win again and to serve.
“For my other colleagues, through the darkest days of opposition politics, that lady who sent you a meal for lunch, the man or woman who sent you unsolicited small contributions in the envelope for the party, people who saw adverse decisions being made against you by the last administration and warned you to duck.”
He gave examples of political goodwill and goodwill in general.
“Even FNMs would call and say, ‘I don’t agree with what my party and my leader are doing,’” he said. “An example of goodwill I often use with students of politics is I say a police officer sent to guard a politician can do his or her duties in two ways.
“One, they can see the stone about to be thrown and stop it, or they can allow the stone to be thrown and then go and arrest the person.
“The outcome, of course, depends on the goodwill of the officer doing his duty, but the outcome is practically different if the stone hits you.”
Comments
stillwaters 2 years, 4 months ago
Is this the only bright insight Fred can come up with? He must be bored......
TalRussell 2 years, 4 months ago
You know what Comrade Frederick Audley Mitchell Jr, whatever our scars, or lack of, are inside that's really de nuts and bolts to what determines how we are with different situations.
Like a song, can mean a completely different thing to one person to the other an altogether different thing,
More to de point, means that I left with uncanny uncertainty as to who or what is in youse true aim and everything else like this and that, why even a newly inflected scar can also mess we emotions makes us utter out aloud others hear and who might not take too kindly to what we said, even if be de case that we were even aware life's scarring, ― Yes?
carltonr61 2 years, 4 months ago
Fred should have added that Christie's PLP voted enmass against the PLP for selling the nation's dollar to the gambling groups. Rule number one of money gas seen both FPNLMP accept money or in political terms, bribes from numbers shadow government that has grown as powerful as the Queen. Australia Gambling Commission attested to the difficulty in separation of power as gambling supplies tax for governments in a partnership. Also the AGC talked about gambling making destitute outlying communities similar to our out islands stripping communities of money. Australia and Canada saw the heavy burden gambling harms placed on infants, females, families, breadwinners, communities, violence and social services that surmounted tax revenue earned. The solution was Independent Gambling Commission to address Problem Gambling Harms as in 90% of gamblers they grow from innocent entertainment to clinical addiction as outlined by Sandilands doctors Knowles and Christie. Political money rules and ruins.
carltonr61 2 years, 4 months ago
Those with the goodwill of The Bahamas as a primary democratic objective are sorry the PLP did not win every seat away from Minnis.
Topdude 2 years, 4 months ago
What medication is this gentle man taking or needs to take? These comments are as puerile as on can make. As I have always said this man is incapable of performing in the current roles he is filling. Clearly he is in over his head and is now attempting to philosophize about the culture of politics. What about when a politician loses the respect of the electorate as a result of his lack of moral fiber? When his personal behavior is immoral and filthy? What example does this set for the youth of the nation? One who lives in a glass house should not throw stones.
Morality is way above anything else in the ranking of attributes required of any politician. It always was and always will be.
themessenger 2 years, 4 months ago
Well, as Harold MacMillan once said, “If you want morality go talk to the Bishops.”
licks2 2 years, 4 months ago
Now yinna know that AF Mitchelle and me een no "frens" them by a long shot!! But, HE IS RIGHT ABOUT THINGS HE IS SAYING HERE!!
Doc and his crew "did make a mess" of the good will of the Bahamian public in their first year in office!! By dang. . .by their first 11 months or so, errybody was saying "how dumb and shaddy" them seem to be!! And by the election, they were "talking fool and tellin lies" like it was going out of style!!
Doc them had "no eyes, ears or mouth" for the Bahamian people going into the election. They were playing Public servants for the fool by tellin them "dis and dat" all over the place. . .without doing and damn thing they said that they will do!!
That's when I start saying: "this crew gone like Pat Boone" for real now!! Pure and simple, just like Minister Mitch says: "doc was clueless" as PM for the Bahamian people. . .he een know how "ta feel dem" one lil bit!!
They "learned" to dislike Doc in a serious way. . .so much so that they "did not give a damn" if the PLP crooks got back in power. . .they just wanted Doc azz gone "from round dem".
On the other side of that same coin. . . Mitch is also warning yinna PLP dem. . ."if ynna #$@!!^^%$& around, yinna een ger be around too"!!
Yinna PLP them stay right there talking fool all over the place. . .people dem "gettin mad at yinna by the day". . .mad enough "ta gee yinna a PM Pintard"!! It realy een ger matter if he is the leader going into the next election. . .that een the main point!! The "meanest pernt" will be. . .get them PLP crooks "outta we house". "ween on yall run" with yall old style political BS!! do it the ole way. . .BAM. . .yinna tails dem gone!! We will take no prisoners dem. . .the last 3 elections show yinna dat!!!
We "gat we eyes" on yinna crooks (FNM and PLP). . ."one-done-and-ya-gone"!! Lol!!
sheeprunner12 2 years, 4 months ago
242 is in big trouble ..... Fweddy & the PLP trapped in the brier patch like Brer Bookie dem.
IslandWarrior 2 years, 4 months ago
I never in my life could I think I would agree with you, Fred, when you say FNM 'Couldn't See Forest For The Trees' and may I add "all the smoke". Most of them didn't know the fight that went into getting the FNM where it was by so many that they ignored, laughed at, and outright insulted, so it was easy for the idiot crew to fu'ked up so badly.
PTI Bahamas
licks2 2 years, 4 months ago
My discussion group all agreed %100. . .doc was "clueless" and was a poor PM!! Remember how mad the people were with Perry in 2017?? They went to the polls ""after leaving they breens at home". . .so to speak!! Even though doc had some "lost causes" in his government like Lloyd, Wells, Rolle et. al. . .himself was the "hate factor" among the voting public. . .it seem that he would not lead and had little "compunction" about "storyin" to us!!
Mr. Davis ger "get da same thing" if he act like a fool with us. . .that is fer sure!!! Ya see me?
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