The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

IN 2012, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) came to office on a wave of “Believing in Bahamians” and claiming to be the “Bridge to the Future”.

At the time we believed them. We believed them, not because the leader of the PLP said so but because in the PLP we saw credible persons like Khaalis Rolle, Ryan Pinder, Michael Halkitis and - yes - even Jerome Fitzgerald and others to whom we could relate and whom we felt would strongly represent our views.

Sadly this was not the case as these persons have proven to be a great disappointment and have not represented us well. Instead their arrogance, personal interests and ambitions seem to have eclipsed the people’s interest.

We also believed them because regardless of party colours or affiliation we wanted the best for our country and to see the country succeed. For his part Jerome Fitzgerald has been the greatest disappointment of them all and has set that bridge ablaze like the Harold Road dump which continues to burn and negatively affect the people in the surrounding communities.

His decision to delay the government’s findings into the Rubis leak to the detriment of the citizens of Marathon was a damning indictment on his character and was the first public indication that his position in Cabinet and that of his party trumped the needs and concerns of his constituents. If that was not enough, The Tribune’s exposé on Mr Fitzgerald and his admission that he had indeed written to Bahamar developer Sarkis Izmirilian to follow up on contracts for his father’s business further demonstrated Mr Fitzgerald’s poor judgment.

As Bahamians prepare to go to the polls, the PLP is again parading these men around and are asking us to believe that they actually have our best interest at heart and that we matter to them above their personal interests.

In my opinion, over the past five years Perry Christie and the PLP have squandered any opportunity that they may have had to actually make a positive difference in our country, in favour of party politics. While I have the greatest of respect for our leaders I believe in the saying that right is right and wrong is wrong. Mr Christie’s inability to act in instances like those involving Jerome Fitzgerald or Shane Gibson over the past five years and to condemn the wrongdoing of his members will be to the detriment of his party at the polls on Election Day.

In regards to the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), Branville McCartney seemed poised, following the impressive showing of his party after the 2012 elections, to assume a substantial position of political leadership in the country. However, like the PLP, he too squandered a great opportunity and failed to establish himself and his party as an alternative to the PLP or Free National Movement (FNM). In fact, when the FNM was at its lowest and the people were crying out for someone to lead them and represent their views Mr McCartney’s voice could not be heard. The failure of Mr McCartney to fill this void demonstrated to me that he was simply going through the motions and was pleasantly content on being nothing more than a spoiler on Election Day. His presentations, when made, lacked substance and seemed to be more of an exercise in public relations as he appeared not to have the “fire in his belly” or the fight to convince the Bahamian public that he could seriously lead a political party to victory at the polls. In fact, what he has demonstrated is that, as a spoiler, a vote for the DNA is a vote for the PLP.

For its part the FNM under Dr Hubert Minnis has had a tumultuous five years, as infighting and questions surrounding the ability of Dr Minnis to lead his party into the general elections have abounded. In my opinion the opposition that he faced from within his own party and the lashing and criticisms that he received from the government, the press and the public seem to have made him a more focused and stronger leader. During this period there were many times that it seemed as if Dr Minnis would fold under the intense pressure, but instead he continued to move forward and demonstrated that he had the “fire in his belly” to not only withstand the threats to his leadership but to do what was necessary to put the FNM in fighting form ahead of the general elections.

To his credit, Dr Minnis swallowed his pride and reached out to the various factions within his party that were critical to uniting the party and moving it forward. Signs of this could be seen in Tommy Turnquest’s call to action speech on R M Bailey Park - which was reminiscent of the FNM of years past and reminded supporters of the reasons why they joined the FNM in the first place. This was followed by the emergence of Hubert Ingraham on the campaign trail which was the icing on the cake. Mr Ingraham’s command of the rally stage, his grasp of the issues facing the country and his ability to so easily navigate them is a huge plus for the FNM and provides the united front which the party has been lacking.

In addition the confidence that Dr Minnis showed by welcoming Mr Ingraham to the campaign trail and thanking him for his leadership, further demonstrates his strength and comfort level as Leader of the FNM.

As Bahamians go to the polls on Election Day we can only hope that they will evaluate each party, its candidates and its leaders carefully and vote for the candidate or party that they feel will be best for the country and not just best for them personally.

MACS

May 9, 2017