By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Deputy Chief Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie said yesterday there is a very “tenuous line” between the manifestation of “hatred” and “violence” while admonishing Bahamians that “we must all live together” after next month’s general election.
Expressing concern over “serious” division among voters, Mr Christie suggested that the actions of some political groupings will do nothing to connect citizens, but instead only amount to a “confrontation”.
He said it is up to Bahamians to understand the workings of the country’s democracy, which allows everyone to choose who they would like to represent them, and for politicians on the losing end to accept their fate.
These remarks were not part of the Prime Minister’s prepared speech, which he said would “take too much intellectual fortitude” to read during the commissioning ceremony of the Public Hospitals Authority and Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre’s Community Counselling and Assessment Centre, a newly renovated $950,000 facility on Collins Avenue at the former Ministry of Sports building.
“We must avoid in our country some of the serious things that I am observing when it comes to division,” Mr Christie said yesterday. “Politics in small countries has to be managed properly.
“Hubert Ingraham and I tried to manage it properly. We happen to have been law partners and shared a lot of assets together, so there’s an understanding that you have to be civilised notwithstanding strong criticisms of each other.
“But I want to express a concern, it has to do with mental health, that there is a very tenuous line between the manifestation of hatred and violence and we must exercise the greatest care of citizens of our country to ensure that we set a standard for our democracy, which has demonstrated that change can take place and take place fluidly from one to the other.
“We must exercise the greatest care because if you jump into my yard as they have done and tear down my posters as they have done, what do you expect me to do? That is the average person.
“And when you have me pulling down yours and you pulling down mine what do you expect to happen? At some stage, a confrontation. And what do you expect to happen when there is confrontation?”
He continued: “So we have to recognise that when the Bishop of the Anglican Church spoke out, other church leaders must speak out, other leaders and civic leaders must speak out also because we have too much of a wonderful country with a wonderful reputation outside of this country.
“We’re making too many advances as a country not to recognise the care we ought to exercise and that no matter how much we feel that there should be change, at the end of the day we must remember we must all live together after it takes place. That is the point I thought I should make.
“We are a family as a country and the best form of mental health is to understand what that means. There is more that connects us than divides us and we must understand the workings of our democracy. It is meant to give people the best choice at a certain time to make whatever decision they make and then for those of us who are on the losing side to accept it and move on because that’s what our country is like and what it should be like,” Mr Christie also said.
Mr Christie went on to admit that given the resources available, there is more that can be done for people in the country. He pointed to a scenario that he came across while campaigning, in which among several people living in one household, only one individual was employed.
“As a political leader I speak to it. There is anguish, there is bewilderment and anguish. And bewilderment not known, not identified, not counselled on, just continues to develop into (mental illness).”
He added that he is “worried” that unless the country can introduce an effective healthy lifestyles programme, the Bahamas will have a tough time dealing with sick residents.
Earlier this week, Reverend Laish Boyd, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, denounced the “gutter politics and venom” associated with the general election, charging that the practice could hinder upstanding persons seeking to offer themselves for public office in the future.
In a pastoral letter to his parishioners and the nation over the current election cycle, Bishop Boyd said he is “personally horrified” at the “terrible practice of denigrating and maligning others” by “unscrupulous opponents” in the political realm, which he said ultimately discourages “some decent people” from wanting to serve.
The letter, released on Monday, comes amid an election cycle that has already been marred by verbal jousting between political parties, and at least one confirmed physical altercation between supporters of two of the country’s major political parties, the PLP and the FNM.
There has also been name-calling. In March, FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis dubbed Prime Minister Perry Christie “Cotton Candy Christie” while insinuating that Mr Christie’s soft policies have contributed to Grand Bahama’s economic hardships. He has repeated the nickname over the past few weeks.
In January, PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts criticised Dr Minnis’ and the FNM’s new slate of candidates to contest the upcoming election, charging that Dr Minnis’ selection of “hapless, perennial losers and visionless personalities” gave the impression that he rummaged through former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham’s “political junkyard or graveyard” to salvage what he termed a “political scrap gang.”
Despite also calling those FNM candidates “bad and unfit” to run in the impending election, Mr Roberts later called for “peace and calm” during this election season, adding that “we can disagree without being disagreeable or insulting” each other.
• Mental health of the Nation: click HERE
Comments
TalRussell 7 years, 8 months ago
Comrades! I can't help myself. I can't stop laughing at this - and I only read as far as
the beginning this - when the PM said - "there is a very “tenuous line” between the manifestation!
I ain't been clocking myself whilst reading but it got be's a laugh a second?
B_I_D___ 7 years, 8 months ago
I lost it with mental health!! LOL
realfreethinker 7 years, 8 months ago
Can you give the jist of what the article sais. I only read the headline
Gotoutintime 7 years, 8 months ago
I am starting to get the feeling that they might be a question of "mental health" with our PM.
asiseeit 7 years, 8 months ago
Mr. P.M. it is simple, look in the mirror and you will see the main reason for what is going on. You and your merry band of corrupt thieves have used and abused our country for YOUR benefit not the country's. We are done being your indentured servants. We are done being stolen from, we are done being sidelined. We are done being down graded, we are done getting swung by your greedy, disgusting, malicious, nasty brand of politics! GO, GET, BE GONE, YOU DEMON!
John 7 years, 8 months ago
If you ride past the pm's residence you will see only PLP posters. But if you look closely you will see remnants of FNM posters that have been torn down or covered with PLP posters. If you drive in Fox Hill around the park, the same thing. If you pass on Carmichael From Gladstone Road going West, every single DNA poster, that has been place high up on the lamp pole pout of ordinary reach, has been torn in half or completely ripped down and in other areas PLP posters have been torn down or defaced or covered up. The FNM seems like a happy bunch, who feels they are headed towards victory (some say 22 17, others say 20-17-02., but the 17 PLP seems constant),and will not do anything stupid to jeopardize their victory. The DNA is a more quiet bunch. Self motivated and knocking on every door, getting their message out and prepared to accept the outcome of the elections. The PLP is a bunch of sour grapes. Many are aggressive rebel rousers. They seem to have already tasted the agony of defeat and seems determined to wreak havoc on everyone else.
Emac 7 years, 8 months ago
So true!
sheeprunner12 7 years, 8 months ago
Perry should have been worrying about violence, hatred and division when he told us to "F#&@K off"
Jetflt 7 years, 8 months ago
Amen to that!
That's right Mr. PM........when your party loses in another week make sure you reiterate the need to stay calm and dignified! Start packin' up! Soon time to moo out!
birdiestrachan 7 years, 8 months ago
Did Brent Symonett receive as much criticism when he awarded himself a contract? this pales in comparison to that. He later became DP.
Cobalt 7 years, 8 months ago
Tell the entire story and stop talking shit! Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham made Brent Symonette relinquish that contract or he was about to make him step down. So Brent gave up the contract!
That's the difference between the FNM and the PLP. When members of the FNM are caught in any type of scandal, actions are taken by the leader of the party and members are held accountable. Just ask John Bostwick!
The PLP on the other hand has NO ethics or moral compass! None of their members have EVER been held accountable for their actions. EVER!!! So carry ya stupid, shit-talkin ass Birdie. Roun here tellin half a story.
John 7 years, 8 months ago
So did BJ suffer a mild stroke last night of was he just suffering from exhaustion. He needs to stop following Perry Christie and go into retirement. Not that his performance as minister of national security is at all impressive. Go home ole boy and get some rest. Look how they are falling one by one. Didn't Miles Mumford tell you that?
realfreethinker 7 years, 8 months ago
This is the second time this has happened recently and they keep making excuses. These assholes just don't know when to let go.
banker 7 years, 8 months ago
The thinking is that BJ suffers TIAs - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transient…
Alex_Charles 7 years, 8 months ago
I agree with MR. Christie, although at this point I don't care about the system or division. Bring it on. People are sick and tired of political victimization and the status quo of business. If we end up with a country where killing happen over political matters then it's a symptom of something serious wrong with our system and execution of governance. I am not picking on any particular side since both of the two historic ruling parties are guilty of this.
If you try to do the same foolishness of the past then such action is unfortunate but inevitable. This isn't the Bahamas of 1967, we are far more violent, volatile and many have nothing to lose anymore.
The biggest mistake these political parties can make now is to assume Bahamians are stupid.
banker 7 years, 8 months ago
What concerns me is that the PM cannot hold a coherent conversation - he rambles from divisive politics to non sequiturs like eating healthy. He is too far gone in a cognitive sense to realise that he is propped up as a loquacious, blithely ignorant front man while his cabinet rapes the country.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 8 months ago
Christie should be shaking with fear at the prospect of a Royal Commission of Enquiry being constituted this summer to thoroughly investigate the large scale government corruption that has occurred in recent years. We so desperately need a Royal Commission of Enquiry into the rampant corruption involving Baha Mar, Bank of The Bahamas, the gaming web shops, Crown Land, etc. Without a Royal Commission of Enquiry the next government and all future governments will be emboldened by the feeling of impunity to take the Bahamian people to the cleaners on an even more horrific scale than Christie and his elitist political friends and other cronies have done. For the Enquiry proceedings to be independent, thorough and free of government interference of any kind, three highly reputable and well qualified foreigners from our region should be appointed to conduct the Commission's investigations and report on its findings. At least one of the Commissioners should be a renowned litigator of the highest calibre with ties to a major law firm in our region. Another should have expert multi-jurisdictional banking knowledge in the field of wealth management to facilitate tracing funds that have been squirreled away by corrupt government officials in financial institutions and clients' accounts of law firms both here and abroad. The third Commissioner should have expertise in forensic financial investigations and civil law proceedings. The Commission should be mandated to submit a written progress report to the Bahamian people within 18 months followed by a final written report within 30 months. All of the proceedings should be videotaped for later scheduled unedited televising to the Bahamian public during evening hours. The Royal Commission of Enquiry, if given the broad powers and financial support needed to properly carry out a well defined mandate, would undoubtedly result in the recovery of mega millions of unjust riches effectively stolen from the Bahamian people. Every voter in the upcoming general election should have great pause for concern that neither Minnis nor McCartney is firmly and passionately committed to holding a Royal Commission of Enquiry for the purpose of eventually pressing formal charges against those corrupt politicians and other government officials where it could easily be proven they have committed serious major crimes through the abuse of their office.
proudloudandfnm 7 years, 8 months ago
Birdie you live in a world of lies.
Wake up.
Get an education.
It's never to late....
licks2 7 years, 8 months ago
The PM is now "reading the hand writing on the wall '. . . division in the people in his political mind is "we done lost this one". . .why can't we all just get along. . .in other words. . . "we know yall ger dig up in all the crap we did. . .yinna just need to let us walk away and lee we alone after the people run us out of office". . .we are Bahamian too ya know. . .please leave us alone hear!
sheeprunner12 7 years, 8 months ago
Will Perry seek asylum????????? ......... Where can he go to escape Doc Minnis RCOI????
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