The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is making plenty noise in Abaco nowadays. Opposition Leader Perry G Christie and Chairman Bradley Roberts are both convinced that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham will be toppled at the polls in North Abaco by their standard bearer for that area, Renaldo Curry. Roberts said this much in a recent interview on the Love 97.5FM radio talk show Issues of The Day with host Wendell Jones. Roberts also said that the PLP's candidate for South Abaco Gary Sawyer will defeat the FNM's standard bearer Edison Key in that electoral contest.

Ingraham has represented the North Abaco/Cooper's Town constituency since 1977. By most accounts, the prime minister has been a very productive member of Parliament. Roberts told Jones during the interview that the young people of North Abaco are fed up with the dictatorial ways of Ingraham, and will vote for Curry, the man they have chosen to run against the prime minister in the upcoming election. Roberts also added that Ingraham does not have a relationship with these young people. However, one wonders who these young people are. They are obviously opposed to the Free National Movement (FNM) and the prime minister. It appears as if these people are supporters of the PLP. Furthermore, other than the fact that they are opposition supporters, what exactly is their gripe with Ingraham? I mean, the prime minister has worked his tail off to build Abaco's economy during the past five years.

Abaco's economy is the third strongest in the nation, behind New Providence and Grand Bahama. A $12 million contract was recently signed for the construction of a state-of-the-art community hospital in Abaco. Additionally, a $27 million international airport is currently under construction in Marsh Harbour. The FNM Government has also spent $100 million on a new Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) Power Plant on that northern island. Ingraham has done so much in his area that several PLP representatives were complaining that Abaco has got too big a share of the economic pie.

That is why I am a bit baffled as to why Christie and Roberts are so confident that a political newcomer could gain a major upset victory in North Abaco against the prime minister. They cannot look you straight in the face and say that Ingraham has been an ineffective, incompetent member of Parliament. I am sure that they would have loved to go around The Bahamas and say that Ingraham has been a poor representative for his area, but they can't do that. Apparently, Christie and Roberts have come to the incredible conclusion that Ingraham is in deep trouble in North Abaco because of what some young PLP supporters have told them. Hardly convincing.

If the young voters of a prosperous North Abaco constituency feel so dissatisfied with the prime minister's representation, then what is the political mood of the young voters in the impoverished constituency of Farm Road? If one were to compare Ingraham's performance in North Abaco with the performance of Perry Christie in Farm Road, you would honestly have to conclude that the prime minister has outperformed the PLP Leader. Farm Road is one of the most impoverished constituencies in The Bahamas. There have been reports that many Bahamians living in that area are living in substandard houses without indoor plumbing.

Yet Christie has continued to win that seat by huge margins. It is my humble opinion that Christie doesn't deserve to win Farm Road anymore. His critics have alleged that Farm Road has been badly neglected over the years that he has represented that area. However, rather than working to improve the economy of that constituency, Christie wants to pound his political chest in North Abaco instead. In light of all that Ingraham has accomplished for his constituents over the past five years, the question that I would like to ask is this: What possible reason would the voters of North Abaco have for rejecting Ingraham at the polls? They have absolutely no reason at all to vote against the prime minister.

Ingraham should win his contest with his hands tied behind his back and his eyes blindfolded. Despite the optimism of the hierarchy of the PLP, Curry does not stand a snowball's chance in hell of defeating Ingraham in North Abaco.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama,

April 16, 2012.