The Tribune

WHILE the Free National Movement’s overwhelming victory at the polls on Wednesday has sent seismic shockwaves through the whole nation, we hope that members of the new government will not be tempted to indulge in excessive self-congratulation.

For, with the Progressive Liberal Party all but wiped out and in total disarray, the battle is over and it is never too soon to try to rebuild unity in this small country which needs to come together for the common good.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and his group of new parliamentary colleagues, many of whom are fresh to politics, would be less than human if they were not now enjoying with gusto the sweet smell of success. He, in particular, must be savouring his landslide victory after enduring unrelenting criticism, not only from the PLP but from his own party during the FNM’s lengthy period of internecine warfare.

But they should be careful not to rest on their laurels since they clearly need to embark quickly on the Herculean task of fixing what is wrong with this country, much of which has been caused by mismanagement and poor governance, laced with corruption and scandals, during the last five years and for which the PLP has now finally been held accountable.

Nor is it too early to warn the winning FNM, which now dominates the House of Assembly, against political hubris. A small, weakened opposition, ill-equipped to challenge effectively a sitting government, is not good for democracy; but those exercising political power should always remember that they are representing the voters who elected them and it is the people who, ultimately, will hold them to account so that, if they fail to perform, they will be forced out of office.

The post-mortem on what went wrong for the PLP is unlikely to reveal reasons for its collapse which we do not already know. The causes of widespread dissatisfaction with the party and the Christie government are well documented and they go far deeper than simple fatigue with an administration which had been in office for too long.

In a nutshell, the public lost faith in, and respect for, the PLP leadership after an endless litany of ills - unfulfilled promises, unacceptable behaviour, dishonesty and other wrongdoing, corruption at every level and generally inefficient governance including rank bad management of the economy. Arrogant PLP politicians acted, unashamedly, in their own interests and for personal gain while neglecting even their own supporters. In reaction, younger voters especially, without the traditional party loyalties, were not prepared to put up with such blatant misuse of political power and they demanded change.

The irony is that when the newly-elected PLP government came to power in 2012, it was notably popular. But it botched its chance to provide good governance and consolidate its position and the now former Prime Minister must take responsibility for this failure, which resulted in large part from his lack of decisive leadership and refusal to exercise proper control over his own government.

The FNM must embark without delay on the serious business of governance. With a clear mandate, which has validated his leadership both of his own party and at the national level, Dr Minnis now has a similar opportunity to take this country forward. Expectations are high, not least because he has displayed strength in response to continued denigration of him as a leader. As a relative newcomer to politics with a fresh vision and energy, he has also spoken out with conviction against our pervasive culture of corruption and he is known to be business-oriented and to possess good management skills.

The next few years will be critical for The Bahamas and the new government faces huge challenges. The economy, crime, unemployment and corruption are major issues. In particular, this country is in a critical economic position with record high deficits, low growth and unsustainable levels of debt and public expenditure. More responsibility, transparency, professional management and accountability are required. Issues like renewable energy and climate change are also of concern to us, a small island state, and we urge the new government also to address other matters like inequality, poverty and social deprivation.

The outcome of the 2017 general election could turn out to be a major step in the development of the Bahamas. Outmoded ideas and practices hanging over from the Pindling years have now been consigned to history together with many PLP political dinosaurs, so there is a chance for the country to modernise and move forward.

If Dr Minnis, adopting a new constructive approach, can improve the efficiency of this country and lead it to greater political maturity - with, where possible, new bipartisan co-operation across-the-board in a spirit of inclusion - he will establish for himself an important legacy. The election is over. Now is the time for change. We should all wish him and his colleagues well.