Vice president-elect Mike Pence, right, watches as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an election night rally. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Deputy Chief Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
TWO veteran Progressive Liberal Party members yesterday told The Tribune that the unexpected results of the United States’ presidential election could signal a defeat at the polls for the governing party, with one insisting that the party use this as a “wake-up call” as it prepares to campaign for the impending election.
Reacting to US President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller said he had hoped Mrs Clinton would win, which he said would have boosted the PLP’s confidence heading into the 2017 general election.
Meanwhile, former PLP MP Philip Galanis said the party needed to wake up as some of its members have become too “arrogant”. Both admitted that Bahamians were dissatisfied with the Christie administration and wanted change.
“This should be a wakeup call for the PLP, absolutely,” Mr Galanis said. “Unquestionably. We’ve become too arrogant, some of our members have become too arrogant, they are in denial. There are a lot of people on the streets, in offices, in their homes, who are dissatisfied, and they feel disconnected from MPs.
“And this most recent fiasco with (Agriculture and Marine Resources) Minister (V Alfred) Gray and the possibility or even consideration of giving fishing rights or allowing foreigners to be engaged in the fishing industry, that’s a no, no, clearly not a PLP philosophy. The PLP better wake up because if it doesn’t, it’s going to find itself in exactly the same position as the Democrats.”
For his part, Mr Miller said while he thinks a Republican US government has historically done well for the Bahamas’ economy, it might not bode well for the PLP’s chances of re-election. He said there is a general feeling throughout the county that Bahamians want change.
Mr Miller said: “I think if you go back in history, you will find that in our history anytime the Republicans win, I hate to say it, we (the PLP) normally lose and that’s why I was hoping Hillary would have won, but she didn’t.
“Most people will tell you that the Republicans do more for us than the Democrats financially. That is because they don’t come after us with our tax havens and stuff. To say that I was surprised that he won is an understatement. I was shell-shocked.
“So we could very well find ourselves out of office. From my reading now from going through and through in New Providence, the good MPs will survive and those who are not up to power will not.”
And while there may be some in the country who believe that an America led by Mr Trump, who has taken a hardline immigration stance, could be bad for Bahamians travelling to the US, Mr Miller said he doubted there would be any problems there.
Mr Trump claimed his place on Wednesday as America’s 45th president.
It was an astonishing victory for the celebrity, businessman and political novice who capitalised on voters’ economic anxieties, took advantage of racial tensions and overcame a string of sexual assault allegations on his way to the White House.
His triumph over Mrs Clinton, not declared until well after midnight, will end eight years of Democratic dominance of the White House. He will govern with Congress fully under Republican control and lead a country deeply divided by his rancorous campaign against Mrs Clinton. He faces fractures within his own party, too, given the numerous Republicans who either tepidly supported his nomination or never backed him at all.
As he claimed victory, Mr Trump urged Americans to “come together as one united people”.
More like this story
- A YOUNG MAN'S VIEW: Who will play the Trump card in Bahamian elections?
- It's Trump! Stunning outsider victory for 45th president
- EDITORIAL: A Republican rout - but what next?
- INSIGHT: Conventional wisdom hard to find at home and abroad
- BUSINESS BITES: Trump may have won a battle with Kavanaugh appointment but could end up losing the war
Comments
sealice 8 years ago
See i took it the other way... if the morons in the US can elect Trump then Christie must feel confident about winning - 6 of one and half dozen of the next? And really anyone thinking Christie and Obama are on par has drunk way WAY too much of der PLP Koolaid.....Glad the Potcake can admit to the still existing illegal hideaways our banks are still providing... potcake still crazy though WHAT GOOD MP's will maintain their seats??? Good MPs????
TalRussell 8 years ago
Comrades! Donald Trump tried to woke us up a long time ago that a constructing a massive resort project such as Cable Beach's Baha Mar Resorts, would be a costly mistake for taxpayers. That any attempt to waste taxpayers crown lands and moneys would turn itself into but a failed white elephant shadow of itself.
Comrades! Few may recall that Donald Trump and The Bahamaland, done have a history dating as far back as the 1980s through the 1990s.
The Paradise Island Resort was once owned by two resort companies with Trump being one.The former privately owned Hog Island renamed Paradise Island by its owner Huntington Hartford, was also also once owned by one Donald Trump (Trump Resorts), then Merv Griffin (Resorts International). Both resort companies tried unsuccessfully to turn the resort and the island into a premier gambling location. By the early 1990s, the resort had become a shadow of its former self both physically and financially, filing for bankruptcy in 1993. Lessons not learned by either PM Christie and his former law partner Papa Hubert is that both Baha Mar and Atlantis have fallen on hard financial times and that massive tourism resort development projects in we Bahamaland are proven risky investments for taxpayers. Truth be told is that both Donald Trump and Merv Griffin mistakenly pictured Paradise Island as an tourism opportunity to turn a quick gambling profit venture. The Chinese have yet to explain to the Bahamalander people, exactly what their true long term "100 years" intentions really are for The Bahamaland?
Zakary 8 years ago
Why don't they talk about low voter registration? What a waste... I wonder what the boundaries commission is up to...hmm.
OMG 8 years ago
Low voter registration is a sign of voter apathy, given the desperate desire of the politicians to cling onto their jobs at any cost to the country. You have to ask why any educated individual trained in a well paying profession would enter politics for what by comparison is a measly salary. The answer is obvious and applies to most other countries as well.
Honestman 8 years ago
There is a worldwide movement of people taking back control of their destiny from the elitist establishment. The UK has shown the way with BREXIT and Trump has followed up in the USA. Next year there is a good chance that France will start the process of exiting the European Union when the right wing Marine Le Pen gains control of their Parliament. People are sick and tired of not having their voices heard. It is the same in The Bahamas where the corrupt and calamitous PLP has trodden roughshod over the interests and wishes of the Bahamian people these last four and a half years. So how will Bahamians respond? I have no doubt that only the delusional and brainwashed PLP diehards and those in the PLP inner circle will vote for the status quo. Everyone else is desperate to "stick it" to the Party and consign them to the annals of history never to return. But who to trust the protest vote to? This is the dilemma. All honest Bahamians are desperate for change but too many see the FNM under Hubert Minnis as just another part of the political elite. McCartney and the DNA don't seem to have enough momentum or profile to challenge in their own right. In my view, therefore, there needs to be an electoral pact between the FNM and the DNA in order to remove the PLP. This HAS to be THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE. Once the PLP is gone, the country can start to look at future leadership and direction. For now it is critical that the protest vote is not split. Another 5 years of PLP mis-rule would tip the country over the edge.
Publius 8 years ago
This is a stupid analogy raised.
John 8 years ago
It was mostly Americas' uneducated (white) voters that brought Trump to office. Ninety percent (97) of the Black men who voted voted for Clinton while 85% of Black women also voted for her. Sixty five percent of female Hispanics also voted for Clinton, while 69% of the Hispanic men did. But what really help tilt the scales for Trump was a large number of Black eligible voters (TEN MILLION) did not vote. They did not vote at all. Also millions of Hispanic voters did not vote and so states like Florida and Michigan and Ohio went to Trump. In the main time Hillary Clinton may still win the popular even though she lost the white house. Similar was the case in 2002 when the PLP won the seats but not the popular vote. With the low level of voter registration, hard work, long hours and good campaign strategy can tilt the scales in either direction, and can even cause the DNA to garner more votes and maybe even some seats. Remember also the FBI release just a few days before the election, that they were going to prosecute Hillary Clinton also help to tilt the scales in Trump's favor. This release either caused voters, especially Blacks and Hispanics, not to vote for Clinton or not to vote at all. This event was criminal, to say the least and caused the most unpopular person ever, to be elected president of the USA. the Simpsons cartoon series predicted the Trump win 16 years ago. The cartoon also predicted that the USA will go broke under Trump and the dollar will collapse. Will Trump settle Down and be a good president or will he reveal himself to be that 'vile one' a man "doomed to destruction", "the lawless one." Especially when dealing with enimies of the US and allies, time alone will reveal.
alfalfa 8 years ago
I have always thought that most Americans have little knowledge about what their government does, or what is foreign policy. They watch the reality shows, and the extent of their political acumen revolves around who is winning the bachelor or dancing with the stars. Now they have elected a self proclaimed racist, a bigot, a person who has no respect for women or autistic people, but who has promised to "make America great again". They have elected Mr. Trump and I hope that they can live with their selection. Good luck. Before he is ratified as President he has to face court charges for his unscrupulous business practices. What a way for a President to begin his term. God bless America and good luck with this imbecile.
Laura1Nassau 8 years ago
Are all of these comments powered by people with generators? Isn't your power off in Nassau? It usually is in your third world country. Don't worry about who the Americans voted for their President. Busy yourselves with your own torrid (look it up in your dictionary) political situation.
John 8 years ago
Well at least America or even the world 🌎 cannot blame this one on Black folk or Hispanics!!! The polls clearly document who voted for Donald Trump, who brought him to the most powerful office in the world. So when he starts calling up your sons and daughters to go do battle you have to comply.
SP 8 years ago
................................ Veteran Politicians Senile, Delusional ............................................
Miller, Galanis and all the geriatric politicians are totally out of touch with reality! Bahamians are fed up with the PLP and FNM and wanted no part of them even before Trump's victory.
History shows the electorate see-sawing back and forth between the PLP and FNM desperately looking for change.
The people are tired of not being heard and excluded in their own country by corrupt politicians and their grouping of friends, family and lovers.
Nobody with sense wants anything to do with the PLP or FNM!
John 8 years ago
There's a strong 💪🏿 possibility that Trump may strike out at Blacks and Hispanics and Educated White folk for not supporting his m.
ashley14 8 years ago
You guys have it all wrong. Obama was not disliked because of his race. American's broke records on voter turnout. All races. Trump won because the democrats we not listening to the people. One big example Obama Care, we didn't want it, so he just said screw you and signed a executive order. Insurance has tripled in price and covers less. Deductibles quadrupled. They want a one payer system socialized medicine. When your old they will just keep you comfortable. We fought for our freedoms. The democrats want this to be a socialist country. America is the home of the free. Our men died for these rights. We're not going to watch them striped away. It had NOTHING to do with race.
John 8 years ago
But where in this post is Obama mentioned @ ashley14 ? O I get it you just needed another opportunity to bash Obama.
ashley14 8 years ago
I'm sorry you feel that way. I like Obama. There are certain beliefs that he has that is not what I would like to see in America. You John can come to America and be what you want to be. This is what we fought for when we left England. My dad fought on the front lines in World War two for 4 years for this country. I don't know why Obama leans toward a socialist system. In America if you work hard you can be anything you want. Yes, I am white and you probably won't believe me, I am not racist at all! Why do you think I read the Tribune everyday. I have been in love with a black man for more than 30 years. Absolutely treasure him. Actually his name is John and I met him in Freeport 30 years ago. Unfortunately I'm not rich and I can not work in the Bahamas. Actually I'm not sure where he is now. I understand in Nassau. I saw him in the newspaper one day last fall at the Beres Hammond concert. Any little thing to make me feel close to him once again. My granddaughter is biracial. You come to my house and you find all races here. I do not see color. This time about me John your wrong. I just want our Constitution upheld. Obama stated it was outdated now and wanted to throw it out and start over. That isn't the country we want, Freedom is what it's about.
ashley14 8 years ago
Maybe you know John Braynen. If you do ask him if he would mind you telling me where he is. He was called John Boy back then, and was in a band called John Boy and the Mustangs. He worked at the Holiday Inn for years. He knew my mother and I. I loved him although I was very immature or I probably would of never left. I would love to reunite with him again. My name is Lisa Harris.
http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2016…
TalRussell 8 years ago
Comrade Ashley14, your kind are easily recognized for what you really are. You're just another typical poppycock Republican who selectively misrepresents either out of ignorance or out of adhering to the party's propaganda.
Obviously you have chosen fallacy which involves blind or intentional ignorance pertaining to the history of the Social Security Act of the United States, which was signed into law back on August 14, 1935, by another Democratic President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
For it's an impossibility for any American citizen to even begin to understand ObamaCARE, if you do not recognize the "pure socialism" behind the Social Security Act of 1935.
Yet, no Republican with even the minimum of money sense intelligence, would dare call for President Trump to do away with a "Socialism Act" that millions of "Republican Seniors" have become economically dependent upon the US Postal Service delivering their monthly checks.
ashley14 8 years ago
No one wants to change The Social Security Act! We pay into out of our pay checks every week. We never touch the money. And at age 62 - 65 we can start drawing our SSI check. No one wants to change that. Medicare Insurance Health Care is also offered at that time for our seniors and disabled. We also have SSI for those with Disabilities whether that is illness or just born with something wrong with them. We also have section 8 for housing that the government pays for, and it's nice housing. If your disabled there is a program here to take care of you. That isn't even being looked at to change. Socialism that I'm talking about is where they take all of our citizens money and disburse them among the citizens. Like in China they tell you what job you have to work, where you have to live and what you eat. They take 80% of what you earn and control your life. This kind of control is what Americans were beginning to fear.The Right to Bear Arms is another thing that the Democrats want to change. If we do this only the criminals will have protection. It shows in cities here where there is gun control the crime is out of control. Example Chicago, N Y City Only the gangs have guns and people die daily for no cause. I'm sorry to offend anyone for expressing how I see it. Our choices weren't good for this election, but I don't think Hillary was the answer.
ashley14 8 years ago
I'm just learning about Trumph financial involvements in the Bahamas. I am certain that Trumph is a very unscrupulous business man. I am sorry for that. I understand more of some of the reactions. In this matter, I am totally uniformed. I am truly sorry for offending anyone. As I said our choices we not good this election. I know when to shut up. I'll not respond to any other comments on this matter.
ThisIsOurs 8 years ago
"Mr Miller said while he thinks a Republican US government has historically done well for the Bahamas’ economy"
I'm convinced people keep repeating this line because they believe it makes them sound intelligent. Does no one remember the mortgage crisis, too big to fail and bank bailout??? Under, drum roll please... republican president George Bush. Those slack economic policies have wreaked havoc on our local economy. Guess who saved the day? Democrat Barack Obama. Guess who screwed up the lifeline? The fiscally irresponsible PLP. "All politics is local" is a much more appropriate line.
sheeprunner12 8 years ago
We need to know the boundaries and the PLP & FNM candidates before we register ............ why do our politicians think that they have the right to determine where and who we vote for?????? ....... That is not democracy, that is dictatorship ............. the major parties want to manipulate constituencies and candidates once they see where the main voting populations are located ...... this time Bahamians are holding out until the boundaries are cut and the candidates are named by the PLP and FNM ........... that is the reason Mr. PLP puppet Hall
Sign in to comment
OpenID