The Tribune

Another split in the opposition votes will serve only to return an unpopular PLP government at the general election next year. Malcolm J Strachan examines the changing dynamics in Bahamian politics

History is filled with moments when once opposing forces, sensing the opportunity for greater good, threw their lot in together and defeated the common enemy.

The Bahamas will be faced with this reality in 2017.

There’s no secret that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), which currently leads the government of the Bahamas, must be removed from office. They have single-handedly destroyed the economy of the Bahamas, weakened the sovereignty of our nation by deferring to China on any and every request, and have failed miserably to keep us, the citizens of this country, safe from the scourge of crime.

Add to this unprecedented levels of corruption and cronyism and you see why the Bahamian people have had enough of Perry Christie and his merry lot of PLPs. They have enriched themselves, their friends, families and lovers and their new Chinese masters at the expense of the Bahamian people and future generations yet born.

The people have had enough and want a change, but a change to whom?

A change must come

There is an interesting dynamic developing in the politics of the Bahamas. For decades, there have only been two major political forces - the PLP and the Free National Movement (FNM).

Then, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) came. They played a critical role in splitting the anti-PLP vote in 2012, causing that party to squeak away a win at the polls. Now, with 2017 approaching, party leadership in both organisations fear a repeat if an accommodation is not made before the election is called.

But the question is: how can an accommodation between both opposition forces be made, a coalition as it were for the betterment of the country?

There would have to be sacrifices on both sides, but this coalition would result in the best-case scenario for both parties who will likely face considerable challenges going toe-to-toe with the PLP on money in 2017. The one thing we know for sure is that Christie and his crew will be flooded with number shop money and Chinese dollars. Opposition forces will likely be shaking the same trees as they approach donors in the lead up to the general election. With that in mind, donors may feel more inclined to give if they knew it was going to one source, which had the best chance of unseating this corrupt administration.

Then there is the issue of supporters and constituency numbers.

In the last general election, if you estimated that both the PLP and the FNM garnered roughly 40 per cent of the vote each, that leaves the DNA with 20 per cent. If we estimate that the DNA has seen an increase of at least 50 per cent growth over the last five years (which is quite possible), they could stand to represent 30 per cent of the voting public. That 10 per cent bump, though, must be accounted for from the other two major parties, which means that the DNA can no longer be overlooked: it should be viewed not as a vote spoiler, but an election winner for the FNM.

Last week, a party insider in the FNM called us to complain about the state of affairs of their organisation. They lamented a lack of political movement and opportunities being taken advantage of by their party. The FNM, as they put it, should be further ahead in the political field than they are. We reminded them that they were in Opposition and as such should concern themselves with showing the Bahamian people why they should be given the opportunity to lead. Opposing for opposing’s sake will no longer work. The Bahamian people want solutions and plans - not empty rhetoric.

The Chinese factor

Regular Insight readers would recall that we have warned for some time about the impending influence that China is having over our government and the implications this has on our country and future generations of Bahamians.

This will be - by far - the deciding factor for the 2017 general election.

We have tried to balance these concerns against what we know would be pushback by PLP supporters who blindly follow their party come Hell or high water. We have always been firm in our belief that the Bahamas should diversify its foreign investment portfolio, to mitigate against outside market forces having an over-influence on the shape/course of our country.

This is why we have been preaching our warnings about this Christie administration’s over-reliance on China, and Chinese investment.

As expected, our government has taken a “take it, shut up” approach to concerns by the public about China and Chinese influence in the Bahamas. The Christie administration’s hardened stance on these issues has forced the people to now take matters into their own hands. On Friday, the people of this country will come together and march on Parliament to demonstrate. We wish them well. We would remind the organisers of this demonstration that our government had received a “donation” from the Chinese to purchase anti-riot grenade launchers and tear gas grenades “amongst other things”. The donation took place at the beginning of the year.

Perhaps our new Chinese overlords knew that one day the Bahamian people may get to the point when they felt enough was enough and wanted to ensure that “their government” had the necessary tools in place to fend off the masses. Inquiring minds would like to know.

Come what may

Whether the FNM and the PLP get their acts together is still yet to be seen. What we do know is that they have a short window in which to meet, agree terms, roll out a plan and policy to their supporters and shift their campaigns into high gear. The Bahamian people want change. We should be giving them change for the better. The leadership of both parties should see the awesome responsibility before them and realise that the task ahead is large than either the FNM or the DNA. The fight ahead is about the survival of the country. Level minds, and cool heads should prevail in the weeks and months to come.

There is more at stake here than egos. The future of the country hangs in the balance and the Bahamian people are watching and waiting.

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