The Tribune

By NICOLE BURROWS

Loretta Butler-Turner and Duane Sands are the Free National Movement’s (FNM) latest treat.

Don’t ridicule or underestimate the possibility; these two leaders may actually stand a chance of making waves in political leadership if they really do run as a team in the FNM convention next month and also as a team in the 2017 general election.

Goodness knows they would give life and hope to the FNM like its current leader Hubert Minnis cannot.

And for the millionth time, for all those who believe there is some secret campaign to slaughter Minnis’ political life, Minnis is simply not a leader … not in politics. He may be able to adopt some of the dirty tricks of politics, but a natural leader will automatically draw people to the cause, and for the last several years we’ve watched FNM supporters and Bahamians sitting on the political fence scratching their heads about Minnis, giving him tentative or no support.

The kind of leader the FNM needs now is one the people clamour to follow; nothing else will be viewed confidently enough to confront the political machinations of a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and annihilate them at the polls in 2017.

So maybe this duo can get somewhere. And Sands is quoted as saying, “I believe that Butler and Sands is the tonic we need.” Now while that may be true for the FNM, I beg of him, please, no more cheesy analogies. The last thing we want Bahamians thinking of while the future of the country depends on their vote is liquor. Besides, the PLP already has dibs on that platform.

• • •

Deputy Prime Minister Davis has suggested that one of the problems in the referendum voting-counting process is the fact that The Bahamas is an archipelago. He hints at waiting on New Providence for information to come to the centre of the islands for distribution.

Mr Davis, look out your window. While I know it may seem hard to tell at first because things look pretty much the same as they did in 1967 under your party’s governance, it is in fact 2016. Why is being an archipelago still a problem to blame anything on … least of all communications?

The only thing communications relies on is power. Oh, I see. The problem is not communications, it’s power … power generation, transmission and distribution. Well, I wonder what could be the cause of a problem with those things? Let’s ask the Minister of Public Works. Ah, that’s right. The minister is in fact you. And that is where the story ends. So let’s talk about that. It’s 2016. Why is power supply a problem on one small island in a land of sun, wind, garbage, heat, water? We are tired. Don’t you get it? Go away into a corner and come back making sense or don’t come back at all.

• • •

Hubert Minnis says “crime is out of control”. The Minister of National Security, Bernard Nottage, says crime is “down”. It’s politics as usual.

You have a murderer with a long list of other serious offences tied to his name walking free on the streets, moving from one crime to the next … How?! Why?! And you have the nerve to utter statistics?

Tell the family of Mr Cleare and all the families who have lost loved ones to crime that crime is down. Try telling them that to their faces. Say, oh, but Mrs Cleare, you know, I know you lost your husband, but crime is down. See what you get in return. You sicken me. You sicken us. Stop. Just stop talking. If the only thing you can say is some senseless, insensitive remark about crime stats, then don’t say anything at all. We. Are. Tired.

To Mr Nottage and all the men (and women) who think they can say anything and do nothing, and stay until they decide to leave, have done with it. Be gone, or we will dismiss you.

• • •

Dame Anita Allen recently made some interesting statements about marriage ... and gay marriage. There’s a long letter to the editor justifying her position on the subject and the timing of her presentation.

While the timing of her remarks could simply be as the letter indicated, the best time for the presentation based on the schedules of all involved and the concern about swaying the outcome of the referendum, the timing that I actually find more curious is that of Wayne Munroe’s presentation of the same concept on the heels of the referendum.

Is the good lady preparing the way for Munroe’s undoubtedly imminent court case on same-sex marriage? Or is it just convenient that they are both singing the same song?

• • •

Prime Minister Christie apologised to the Bahamian people from the floor of Parliament last week.

He apologised for unleashing that troublesome Andre Rollins on Bahamians, by having given him access to Parliament. Of course, Rollins’ immediate and direct rebuttal was made in his best debate voice and language: “His regret is my regret.”

Christie painted Rollins as a master opportunist. But, if Rollins is such an opportunist, then Christie, wise man that he is, would know that the way to affect him is to deny him opportunity. And if he is an opportunist and Christie didn’t know that or didn’t realise it when he met him and after months of knowing him, what does that say of Christie’s judgment?

Atop Christie’s rebuke of Rollins, House Speaker Kendal Major threw his lighter fluid on the flame, admonishing Rollins of his absence in Parliament without notice. In my view, the Speaker over exerted his authority. Whether or not he was justified, all it sounded like was “Tell me sorry! Tell me sorry! Or I ain ga let you play no more!”

• • •

While the PLP and FNM bicker amongst themselves and each other, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) should be working overtime to pull together a winning team for the 2017 general election.

DNA leaders, you have the youth vote. You have a large portion of the female vote. You have PLP-FNM ship-jumpers. You have the vote of the business people who can get nowhere in the current climate of business/economics and politics/government.

Do something. Make it big. Find and focus on the present Achilles heels of these two parties. With Butler-Turner and Sands, the FNM may have a fighting chance, but, if these two are unsuccessful in their bid to lead the FNM, the challenge will still be to defeat the PLP in the election.

Be mindful of the FNM situation, but keep focused on the PLP … you take your eyes off of them, the election will be lost to them.

• • •

This morning’s news tells us a little more about the voter turnout on June 7. In short, less than half of registered voters voted.

Killarney had the highest voter turnout … not surprising considering the demographics of that constituency. And Centreville, beloved of the Prime Minister, had 30 plus per cent voter turnout. I’m guessing the other 60 to 70 per cent of registered voters were pumping water, defecating outside or cooking noodles and weenies, and could not make themselves available to vote at the time.

Mr Christie should go in person and ask them why they didn’t vote.

• • •

In closing, Mr Christie, we believe in you like you believe in us. We believe you, too. We believe you because you say so. We believe you, not because you inspire confidence, not because you’ve demonstrated trustworthiness, but because your mouth said it and therefore it is truth.

Ponder that on the way into 2017.

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