The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

A POLITICAL defeat is like a messy divorce. The ‘blame game’ becomes quickly apparent once a petition for dissolution is filed and served or when political entities are deposed. This is now the case here in our wonderful nation.

Eighteen months ago, I advised the leadership of my party, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), that our then leader, Perry Gladstone Christie, had become ‘the most hated man’, politically speaking, in the Bahamas. Very few of those therein wanted to accept that prognostication. The rest, as they say, is history. In his elusive quest for ‘legacy’ the former Prime Minister, took his eyes, so to speak, off the ball.

The PLP sold the Bahamian people a ‘Bill of Goods’ back in 2012 reinforced by the catchy slogan: ‘We believe in Bahamians’. The strategy actually worked and we were elected into governance. Almost immediately, however, many of our parliamentarians and cabinet members dropped the proverbial ball, big time. Our marketing and messaging were terrible. We appeared to many, in my view, to be in hot pursuit of personal and business agendas.

The rest is now history ... we were literally wiped out on May 10, 2017.

The PLP will regroup under the leadership of Philip ‘Brave’ Davis (PLP-Cat Island, Rum Cay & San Salvador). Brave, like the new Prime Minister, Dr Hubert A Minnis (FNM-Killarney), has personal challenges but, as the PM has vividly demonstrated, those, whatever they might be, need not be fatal to a successful climb to the top of the political totem pole.

We wanted to politely ‘retire’ our former leader but there was too much ego at play and too little concern, overall, for the political sustainability of the party and the ‘Gold Rush’ Administration. Had we succeeded in deposing Brother Christie, we would have, I postulate, fared a whole lot better than we did on May 10. It is what it is, however, and the electorate, like the wind, has blown us away. The fabled movie ‘Gone with the Wind’ portrays it all.

Dr Minnis, the Prime Minister of all Bahamians, astounded me, personally, on his unwavering approach to attaining the government, along with an excellent team of new and old members of the Free National Movement (FNM). They are to be congratulated and, where possible, all Bahamians must give them our support as we continue to build our wonderful nation.

To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE JR

Nassau

May 19, 2017