The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

For a “tribe” to be successful, there must be a strong, decisive and well loved chief. In recent times, everyone, his brother and sister wants to be “chief” or leader. This may very well be a healthy phenomenon but I beg to differ. In the splintered FNM we are witnesses to a never ending speculation about the leadership qualities of Dr Hubert Minnis (FNM-Killarney). In the PLP, we are relieved that the political wolves, who were once disguised in political sheep’s clothing, have now parted company with us. The DNA is a work in progress and is being held hostage by the oversized ego of its one man band leader.

I, for one, am glad that Gregory Moss and Andre Rollins have crossed the floor and will no longer caucus with the iconic Progressive Liberal Party. They will not, I assure you, be missed. They were becoming distractions and were gaining free publicity at the expense of the party while making the Prime Minister look foolish and dithering. They never should have been embraced by the PLP as none of them, including Renward Wells, were ever down with the core philosophy of our party. He should go now or be thrown out, sooner rather than later.

It is rumoured that there might be three more MPs who while claiming to be PLPs may wish to cross the floor. With general elections looming and with our agenda, politically; socially and economically still influx, the PLP must collectively go into a retreat mode. Hard decisions must be made. Personal loyalties and perceived friendships all have their places but nation building requires a whole lot more.

As we prepare to go into electoral mode, the first question is: “Are we prepared to take another five years of bumbling and chaotic leadership or do we jettison excess baggage and reset the political clock?”

Christie has proven to be a weak, indecisive and clueless leader. He allowed the party to be brought into public contempt and ridicule by embracing new generational leaders. He was the one who allowed functionaries to dictate public policy initiatives. He was the one who cried crocodile tears, massively, while Baha Mar twisted on the ropes.

Christie should simply retire and assume the role of Senior Minister pending the eventual retirement of Dame Pindling. After that, seeing that he loves prom and ceremony, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis (PLP-Cat Island), as he will become, may wish to throw Christie a bone.

Other than this, we must move on as time waits for no man; woman or child. If Brave wants to move forward, we are down with him. If he develops cold feet, he is on his own.

I have long held and still hold to this very day that Christie is now politically passé.  He is Minister of Finance, when he so chooses, but has yet to tell us if his former client Phil Ruffin has paid the millions of dollars in casino and other taxes which he allegedly owes to the hard pressed Bahamian people. It was a sense of deja vu with the recent ground breaking in central and south Eleuthera the other day with Dr Samientos. Did we not witness this same man breaking ground in Eleuthera some years ago?

Some opine that I am too supportive of Brave. Sometimes I believe that even Brave may believe that I am too strident in my very public support for him. I could care less. It is not about personalities, but rather about those forces which must drive the process of nation building. Brave, et al, are merely tools to be utilised to build the structure called The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Yes, I love and respect him to the maximum, both personally and politically, but his shelf life, like that of Christie, has a time limit.

The lust for leadership is crippling our political parties and continues to consume those who are currently in power; those who ascribe to power and those who are self deluded into believing that, by the grace of God, they have something of value to offer the people of this wonderful nation.

The Hon Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dr Kendal Major (PLP-Garden Hills) is a good man and a firm Christian. He made some initial missteps following his election as Speaker, but he has grown exceedingly well in office. The PLP and its operatives must cease and desist from the veiled and not so hidden attempts to derail or lambaste him.

There should be absolutely no foolish talk of denying him a renomination in Garden Hills by the party which we both support. I would not support this in any way, shape or form. The Speaker has a sacred duty to uphold and secure the parliamentary rights of all MPS, regardless of party labels. In fact, after we wipe out all opposition forces and fringe groups in the near future, electorally, Dr Major should be elevated to cabinet status as a Minister by the incoming Prime Minister.

The Hon D Shayne Gibson (PLP-Golden Gates) will make an excellent Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Service & Commerce. With Brave and Shayne the PLP will reclaim the high ground and will, finally, set the ordinary Bahamian on track to become real stakeholders in our wonderful nation.

The size of the cabinet is too big and we should have no more than the bare minimum prescribed by our constitution. Party and personal loyalty should not and must not be based on the corralling of perceived supporters in the cabinet of the day. The lust for leadership and control are softly, sometimes violently, killing us, politically. I thank God daily that Brave has never overtly demonstrated any sort of lust for power, unlike so many others.

Yes, I am honoured to be perceived as a “general” for Brave Davis. No, I will never advise him, publicly at least, to overthrow Christie, but we will have to do what we have to do when we arrive at that cross road. Brave is advised to: “Be willing to learn, to listen and to grow in his awareness and abilities to perform the duties of his office. He will not, however, accomplish them without tremendous effort and sacrifice of other interests...”

His window of opportunity, however, is closing at a rapid pace and either he can let Christie, Allen & Company to continue to bamboozle him, politically, or he can draw a definable line in the sand. The lust for leadership and its retention are literally killing this wonderful nation.

I would advise my benefactor, however, never to render a political blow or insult unless you are able or capable of following it through. To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE Jr

Nassau,

June 20, 2015.