The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Howard Johnson’s candid explanation on how he was able to leapfrog Monique Gomez for the South Beach nomination for the FNM has finally put to rest the misguided notion that Dr Hubert Minnis has set up a political pogrom with the aim of purging the party of Ingrahamites. However, it did very little in healing the ever widening rift within the FNM between the Minnis and Loretta Butler-Turner factions.

The anti-Minnis faction chose to interpret Gomez’s ouster in South Beach as just one more glaring example of Minnis’ witch hunt of those whom he perceives to be disloyal to him. The obvious contradiction in this perception is the fact that most of the eight candidates recently ratified by the party ran under former FNM Leader Hubert Ingraham. Consequently, this Ingraham witch hunt narrative has been neutralised effectively by Minnis, although many of them will stubbornly cling to it.

If nothing else, the South Beach FNM executives are to blamed, not Minnis or the FNM Central Council, for dumping Gomez after she was apparently given the green light to  that constituency with the tentative agreement that she would be the standard bearer for South Beach. From an objective standpoint, the South Beach FNM executives’s decision to renege on whatever arrangements were made with Gomez may be seen as being done in poor taste, as it needlessly exposed Minnis to more criticism from his diehard detractors who are already having a field day in bashing him.  

The South Beach executives should have at the very least told Gomez from the outset that they would be going in a different direction, rather than having her squander several valuable years canvassing their community, only to give her the proverbial boot by choosing Johnson in lieu of her. While politics is cut-throat, in the final analysis, Gomez is a human being. Human empathy must not be discarded in order to gain power.

This entire ordeal has left many wondering if they had led Gomez on. I believe South Beach executives view Johnson as a far more attractive candidate with a more valuable political capital than Gomez. They probably believe Johnson stands a much better chance of defeating PLP incumbent Cleola Hamilton. They are perhaps thinking that Johnson was able to strike a chord with the electorate in 2012 due to his charismatic personality.

One can understand why Minnis and the central council were anxious in not letting him get away. Whatever the case may be, the executives should at the very least show Gomez some common courtesy by apologising to Gomez. This would go a long way in repairing the damage that was unwittingly caused by this move.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, GB

January 19, 2016.