The Tribune

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

THE Free National Movement has failed in Opposition.

The FNM is on its political knees. Whilst the FNM and its leadership appears to believe that it is sauntering into electoral glory, such a formerly bright outlook now appears bleak. In recent times, I have observed and read of actions and utterances from the hierarchy of the party that are clearly disconnected from reality.

Of late, many would agree that the Opposition was given a golden ticket, encrusted in high-end yellow diamond, to becoming the next government. The revelations and attendant controversy arising from court filings involving billionaires Peter Nygard and Louis Bacon—where the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the PLP party itself was named in various affidavits, transcripts and videos—ought to have been a gold mine for the FNM. If the FNM was a strong, united force worthy of being referred to as “the Official Opposition”, they would have amassed their political forces and forced the resignations of at least two Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Cabinet ministers, inspired Bahamians to march on Parliament and demanded accountability of their elected representatives and used this occasion to demonstrate that they are the clear alternative to the PLP. They have not done so. They blundered.

Instead, the FNM spent a brief period on offence and has been perpetually on defence ever since. In fact, the FNM has suffered a political causality as former senator and chairman Michael Pintard, a talented and forward-thinking individual, had to resign. The FNM cannot afford such losses with a little over a year left before a general election! Are we witnessing the choreographed demise of the FNM?

The current Opposition has botched every opportunity to shine, every chance to capitalize on the governing party’s many scandals. Frankly, given the hobbled, weak-kneed performance of the Official Opposition thus far, members of the PLP could be photographed and recorded with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar and the FNM would still not know how to take advantage of such a political windfall in an effort to roundly oust the governing party from power.

Yesterday, former South Beach candidate and President of the Women’s Association Monique Gomez was appointed to the senate to replace Michael Pintard.

Frankly, Ms Gomez’s appointment might have been more readily accepted and viewed as reasonable if it followed the resignation of Heather Hunt last year. Given the fact that the FNM has been assailed by strong PLP teams in both the House of Assembly and the Senate, I expected the FNM to appoint someone to the senate who would’ve had a strong national and political presence, who could rally the party’s base and effectively respond to the PLP’s best “hitters.” I thought that the best persons to fill that vacant seat would’ve been South Beach candidate Howard Johnson, Elizabeth candidate Dr Duane Sands or former West End and Bimini candidate Pakeisha Parker. I imagine that such an appointment is to mend fences rather than put the most politically savvy persons in place.

Don’t get me wrong, Ms Gomez is no doubt a loyal and dedicated FNM. However, because the FNM is going into battle, Ms Gomez’s appointment hardly registers on the Richter scale. Not many people will take note of this other than sycophants who no doubt will issue the instructed fanfare.

As it stands, the FNM—with the exception of Carl Bethel—already has two ineffective senators. The FNM is already on a bad wicket and this most recent appointment is uninspiring.

The FNM has become dysfunctionally fractionated. The party does not appear to be able to unite.

The current Opposition is a cobbling of individuals with different philosophies and different interests who have staggered along all-the-while pretending to form a reasonable Opposition to a well-oiled political machine (PLP) who, though bereft of principles, understand how to win an election.

Never before have we seen such a David and Goliath like mismatch than was demonstrated when the PLP and Prime Minister Perry Christie dressed the FNM down to its underpants, whilst laughing and chuckling at the ease with which they could do so. Last week’s performance in the HOA was pathetic. What a manifestation of impotence!

The Council of the FNM has been so short-sighted, provincial and inbred in its views of the world that they have deceived themselves into believing that popularity in council automatically translates into electability. Group think and fantasy has led the council of the FNM to believe that, somehow, PLP fatigue translates into FNM support.

What’s more, there appears to be a perception that there is a global conspiracy to divide the political aspirations of what remains of the FNM and its leadership as opposed to an objective assessment of that group’s performance.

The FNM unfortunately has been asleep at the wheel except for a few lively performances by Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins, Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner and, occasionally, Montagu MP Richard Lightbourne. Otherwise, the Parliamentary team of the FNM could well have not bothered to show up! The impact of the others is negligible.

The performance of the Opposition over the last two weeks leaves much to be desired. They sat silently whilst private citizens are attacked behind the cloak of Parliamentary privilege.

They sat like mutes as the governing party took them off offence. Hubert Ingraham is surely no longer among their numbers!

Oh, and of course, Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner is sick (her impact is now ever so noticeable).

Quite honestly, part of the reason why the FNM finds itself in this is because it gave its best seats—those FNM-leaning seats—to members who lack the will to fight and are over-the-hill or simply uninterested. Just think about the seats currently held by the FNM. Going forward, the FNM must secure its brain trust, it must protect its young people, it must guard its future.

The election results of 2012 (and subsequent resignation of former PM Hubert Ingraham) severely damaged the ability of the FNM to mount an effective Parliamentary voice. For whatever reason, fate was unkind.

The isolation of Hubert Ingraham is a large part of the reason the FNM finds itself in the disadvantageous position that it is in. There has been a deliberate effort to minimize the importance of the Ingraham legacy.

One cannot redefine the FNM around an approach that ignores or minimizes Mr Ingraham’s contribution.

Why has he not been invited to help craft the party’s strategy? Why has the best PM we have had been so unwelcomed?

The PLP brings former PM Sir Lynden Pindling out of his grave every election.

They revere him. Mr Ingraham is alive.

He is the FNM’s trump card. He is the only man to have ever led that party to victory at the polls.

Why is he not sought out for advice and to steadily guide the FNM? It’s a doggone shame!

Thus far, the FNM has selected some candidates who do not increase the party’s chances of winning.

Some of them are undeserving of a nomination. Some of them came out of nowhere.

With exceptions, I do not believe that the public disagrees with PLP chairman Bradley Roberts’ assessment of many of them. Yes, there may be sleepers and we all may be shocked but, thus far, only about three or four of them are, in my opinion, worth their salt.

The FNM needs to have a “come to Jesus” moment with itself.

It’s not about feelings. It’s about restoring hope for a worried people.

As it stands, the FNM appears to be a broke, meandering and visionless party. I hope this changes…..fast!

When was the last time the FNM articulated something that one felt was progressive and long-term?

Unless the FNM gets its act together, history will prove that this iteration of the Official Opposition has been the most ineffective in the last 43 years of independent governance. And that’s a fact, Jack!