The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

You can tell about someone’s leadership potential by how they respond in a crisis. This is when instincts and judgment are tested. In the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin, Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner demonstrated that she has the good instincts and good judgment to be prime minister.

The entire country is talking about how well she’s performing. The people of Long Island are so proud of how she responded in their hour of need. Everywhere I go people are talking about her leadership ability.

Unlike Prime Minister Perry Christie, who was late-again in how he responded to Hurricane Joaquin, Butler-Turner responded immediately. She’s the kind of leader we need in a time of crisis. And God knows the country is in crisis.

Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis showed that he doesn’t perform well in a crisis. He initially told people only to give money to the Red Cross. This was an obvious and big mistake.

As Butler-Turner was working around the clock to get help to her people, Minnis couldn’t bring himself to fully praise her efforts. Instead, he said that she only had Long Island to deal with. Well, of the 5,000 people affected by Joaquin, 3,000 of them are in Long Island.

Butler-Turner not only initially helped to assess and bring early relief supplies to other islands while Christie and Minnis were still organizing to get off the ground. Butler-Turner has also done much more in the aftermath of the hurricane than Minnis who, by the way, does not help to run the country.

While Minnis was talking big, Butler-Turner was doing her job, and doing it so well.

When Butler-Turner rose in the House of Assembly to speak on behalf of the people of Long Island, Minnis sat there and said nothing on behalf of those affected by Hurricane Joaquin. He abandoned a parliamentary colleague.

Instead of defending Butler-Turner’s right to speak, Minnis just sat there. It was another sad example of his seeming to support the PLP instead of speaking on behalf of the Bahamian people.

Just last week when 2,000 people were fired from Baha Mar, Butler-Turner, who is the Shadow Minister of Labour and Social Development, spoke up right away. As usual, it took Dr Minnis quite a while to respond.

In a crisis, Perry Christie will talk plenty and usually be late in responding. Hubert Minnis will simply be confused and do and say the wrong things. Loretta Butler-Turner will think and act decisively. This is why even many PLPs want her to be our next prime minister.

MAH

Nassau,

October 28, 2015.