The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

I was astonished to learn that former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chair and Bain and Grants Town MP Bradley Roberts had passed away on the afternoon of October 25.

His passing is a massive blow to not only the party he was actively involved with for decades, but also to the entire country. The Bahamas continues to lose prominent citizens at such a rapid rate in 2018. Politicians of the Pindling era - individuals who played an important role in nation building - are dying out.

All things considered, Roberts’ death has taught me about the mortality of our fragile life. The New Testament apostle James described life as a vapour.

The entire country must learn from this. We must live each day as if it were our last. We must be our brother’s keeper. We must all work towards building The Bahamas.

Free National Movement (FNM) supporters mustn’t hate PLPs. PLPs mustn’t hate FNMs. We are all Bahamians. We are all human beings. We should not allow politics to divide us to the point of hating our political rivals. There are some things in life that are far more important than politics.

I believe Roberts fulfilled his calling as a politician and nation builder. Now he, like the rest of us one day, must now give an account of his stewardship to the sovereign Lord of the universe.

While his political views were not shared by this writer, the writer nevertheless regarded him as a vivacious and fierce political debater who was a firm believer in his political philosophy.

His views were always worth listening to, even if you vigorously disagreed with them. He was rightly considered to be one of the best debaters in Parliament, perhaps in our generation.

Without him now, the PLP will never be the same. The entire political landscape will never be the same.

His departure has left massive shoes to fill. Even while in retirement, Roberts continued to passionately voice his opinions in the national discourse. No one can deny that Roberts loved his country passionately.

While his views on how to manage The Bahamas differed from those of the governing FNM, no one can deny that he had the best interests of the country at heart. Even objective FNMs would admit that Roberts meant well for the country.

I wish to express sincere condolences to the PLP and its leadership of Philip “Brave” Davis, Deputy Leader Chester Cooper and Chairman Fred Mitchell; former Prime Minister Perry Christie and the Roberts’ family. May his soul rest in eternal peace!

In closing, I will quote these words from the late American evangelist Billy Graham: “There comes a time when we must all realise that life is short, and in the end the only thing that really counts is not how others see us, but how God sees us.”

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport

Grand Bahama

October 25, 2018