The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

How is it that former FNM turned PLP facilitator turned Hubert Minnis propagandist Tennyson Wells keeps interjecting himself into the affairs of the FNM that clearly are none of his business?

Minnis has allowed the insufferable Mr. Wells to style himself as an apparatchik in the party. Or is Tennyson now Minnis’ puppet master? Tennyson holds no elected office in the FNM. He serves nobody’s interest but his own and has locked himself into a lovers embrace with the hapless Dr. Minnis.

Not once has he atoned for his past political treachery. He is an incendiary who connived and plotted with the PLP to bring down the FNM. O, how some people forget the sins of the past!

Tennyson is never shy to stand in front of any open microphone to beat up his gum about FNM party matters that should never be aired in public or are of no concern to poseurs and provocateurs like him.

Like the huge narcissist Donald Trump, Tennyson never misses a chance to make every FNM issue about him. He is the ultimate “I” specialist. I did this for the party. I did that.

And let us not forget that Wells believes that his wealth gives him 24/7 access to the gullible Minnis as well as the unfettered right to criticize poor people, especially those whose silence or acquiescence he can’t buy or intimidate.

He set his diamond-studded cap at Leonard Sands, the FNM candidate who took a principled stand to step back from his pursuit of the Bain and Grant’s Town MP presumably until the dust settles on the big FNM leadership dust-up.

Tennyson bellowed to the press that “You have to spend probably $3,000 per month if you want to run, and if you don’t have that, leave that alone.” Incredible! But quite revealing.

Left up to Tennyson, all aspiring FNM candidates should bring their bank-book, land papers, asue draw and numbers winnings to be vetted by Tennyson’s committee of one. As a super oligarch does Tennyson know what a loaf of bread or a can of corned beef costs in the supermarket these days?

Tennyson’s exception would be young, more impressionable, whippersnappers. The kind of people he can brainwash. In a deeply condescending tone he threw them a few crumbs of concession: “You might find young people who just started, you going to bring them up through the ranks, you can fund them.”

But God help you if you let mundane things like a job, marriage, kids or car loans set you back before you could pivot into politics. If you have 10 to 15 years of practical work experience under your belt but prefer to pay to keep a roof over your family’s head and have nothing left over to keep a roof over your campaign headquarters, then, in Tennyson’s view, you broke and poor and should stay far away from politics.

According to Tennyson, politics is a rich boy’s club and the price of admission is purposely set high. This is such a farce, not only because Tennyson is now the chief political henchman for Minnis, but Minnis brags that he will look out for the small man.

Rest assured the “small man” will hit “rock bottom with Doc”.

How many of our greatest leaders of yesterday were people of means who didn’t have to beg, borrow and scrape together the funds to pay their deposit on nomination day? Very few.

Trailblazers like Sammie Isaacs, a member of the first group of six heroes elected to the House of Assembly in 1956 and the many others like him who by their example proved that modest means was not an impediment to politics.

Like his mother Dame Bertha Isaacs before him, Sammie preached the gospel of transparency and accountability long before these were buzzwords. Words were his weapons and tenacity his currency. Dame Bertha was a shopkeeper and he was a proud civil servant, a plumber with the Public Works Department, and both were generous to a fault.

It is vulgar to brag about being well off, Tennyson. It is downright obnoxious to imply that wealth begets status in a political organisation like the FNM whose grass roots run deep, a party founded on the concept “All Together”.

The gap between rich and poor is ever widening in this country and we don’t need Tennyson or Hubert Minnis lording over us about how wealthy they have become. And telling those who are not as fortunate to get out of way.

They can’t buy and sell us. Instead they should channel their funds towards supporting bright young aspiring leaders. Where would the money come from to do this? Cutting their budget for wining, dining and bamboozling FNM delegates would be a good place to start.

Put your money where your mouth is Tennyson, but first remove your foot.

THE GRADUATE

Nassau,

July 19, 2016.