The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune,

AFTER reading a report in which former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell tried to downplay the Free National Movement’s (FNM) landslide victory in the May 10 General Election, where the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) was annihilated in the polls, I have one question to ask, and I will use common Bahamian vernacular for emphasis: “Bey, you fa real, King?”

The sheer ridiculousness of Mr Mitchell’s statement made me shake my head. When the results were read, and it became clear to everyone that the PLP had lost, Perry Christie, leader of the PLP and soon to be former Prime Minister, read a written statement where he congratulated the victor, FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis, and avoided speaking publicly for several days.

Even the usually pompous and bombastic PLP chairman, Bradley “Big Bad Brad” Roberts, showed great humility and professionalism by being the first within the party to concede defeat and congratulate both Dr Minnis and the FNM on their victory.

Nearly every PLP candidate lost their seat and the losers all graciously admitted and accepted their defeat, knowing that the obvious was undeniable. The people had spoken. They wanted change. They chose to “Rock wit’ Doc”.

Then Fred Mitchell opened his mouth. According to Mr Mitchell, the FNM only won because of “propaganda” and “manipulation”. He claims that there was nothing “revolutionary” about the May 10 election. Right.

The PLP suffered the worst defeat of any political party in the history of The Bahamas. Perry Christie became the first Prime Minister - ever - to lose his seat, a seat he held for 40 years.

Some of the biggest names in the PLP - Christie, Leslie Miller, Jerome Fitzgerald, Shane Gibson, Bernard Nottage and, yes, Fred Mitchell - all lost their seats. The PLP was utterly decimated, winning only four seats to the FNM’s 35.

And yet, Mr Mitchell says there was nothing “revolutionary” about this. Does this man live in outer space? How out of touch with reality can one man be?

Fred Mitchell simply does not get it.

It wasn’t propaganda or public manipulation that put the FNM in power. It was a people, a nation, fed up with the never ending “kaka” from the previous administration. A people fed up with the empty and broken promises. A people fed up with the scandals and blatant corruption. A people fed up with cronyism and nepotism. A people fed up with the xenophobia and fear mongering (which Mr Mitchell is indeed guilty of). A people fed up with the Baha Mar circus. A people fed up with the rise in unemployment and zero economic growth. A people fed up with the non-stop murders and never ending crime and violence, problems the PLP promised to fix, and didn’t.

How hypocritical of Mr Mitchell to talk about propaganda when his party “propagandised” harder than all the political parties that participated in this election.

One could not drive or walk 10 feet without seeing PLP posters plastered top to bottom on street lights, utility poles, traffic signals, trees and buildings.

Signs and billboards were even hung in the air. You couldn’t watch ZNS without seeing PLP ads. Even YouTube was bombarded with ads. That, Mr Mitchell, is propaganda.

Be a man, Fred Mitchell. Be a man, and accept that your party got clobbered. For once in your life Mr Mitchell, swallow that blue hyper-giant sized ego of yours, and show some humility.

TYRONE TAYLOR

Nassau,

May 15, 2017.