The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The FNM needs to tell the truth. It was interesting to see the barrage of letters that flooded your column a few weeks ago in response to the Mackey Street Man’s opinion on who should lead the FNM into the next general election. The litany of letters to the editors seemed so insubstantial and offered no real substantive case in support of Mr Pintard’s leadership, other than he is not Dr Minnis.

The Free National Movement, as an organisation, has still not faced the truth and squared up with the Bahamian people as to why they lost the last election. Because it is convenient, they are dropping the whole bus on the past leader. How jokey! And I say it’s jokey because they seem to be in denial or trying to avoid some things at all cost, hoping to squeak by and get back into the good graces of the Bahamian people. But people are not as fool as they make us out to be.

On the one hand, the party had a chairman in Carl Culmer who, in my opinion, was disastrous and, because he was no match for the PLP chairman on the simplest things, he seemed to turn the fire-power he should have used on Mr Mitchell and the PLP on the members of his own party and singlehandedly destroyed the innards of the FNM to the point that it was totally dysfunctional and in no shape to wage war against the PLP. It was claimed that he was known to be notorious for destroying the characters of his own Free National Movement members of Parliament in the public domain and creating rifts between MPs, associations, and supporters. In my opinion he was one of the PLP’s greatest gifts. Now, after being rewarded handsomely by Dr Minnis with important contracts, he quickly and without shame did a Brutus on Dr Minnis and is now seen latched to Mr Pintard like a tapeworm.

On the next hand, FNM’s cannibalized and destroyed each other because of greed. They didn’t have time to fight the PLP because they were too busy scrapping for contracts and favours, and doing each other in, in the public and in private. This was the PLP’s second greatest gift. All the PLP and their supports had to do was join the already shrill FNM chorus and help raise the temperature. But nothing is said about this.

Right now, the most of the very same characters are Mr Pintard’s biggest “supporters”, but not because they really like or believe in him. They live in this newly arranged marriage because they need him as much as he needs them. In actuality, you talk to most, and they will admit they are still not sure if Mr Pintard is the best that they can get and would like an alternative. But they are hoping on a prayer because they’ve already shown their hands to Minnis and, for pride, can’t or refuse to go back. What they do, they do because have no other choice right now. I guess to save face they have to press on and do their best to prop up Mr Pintard.

But the Free National Movement can try to fool itself all it wants by using Dr Minnis as the scapegoat. He was only a fraction, and this is the shameful part of it. The majority of the fraction are now singing a new song for supper.

There’s a saying, those who don’t learn from the past are sure to repeat it. Mr Pintard will be wise to learn and, in his apparent dislike for Dr Minnis, don’t make the mistake of thinking it was all Dr Minnis’ fault. There is nothing further from the truth. So, tell the truth, the whole truth.

ANT CLEAR

Nassau,

February 15, 2023.