INSIGHT: Don’t be dazzled by the show - it’s substance we need

As of Monday, August 23, 2021

RIVALS in the House of Assembly - and now rivals on the election trail, FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis and PLP leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis.

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

IF you somehow missed Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ announcement, then the forest of signs that appeared overnight on the roads would soon have told you the election is coming.

As one post on social media put it, the roads looked like a hot dog bun with ketchup up one side and mustard down the other. The traditional colours of the FNM and the PLP are everywhere. No sign of relish though for the DNA.

Without a doubt, the game is on – and as Bahamians, we all tend to get drawn into the show, with our phones buzzing as we share memes and videos of parties out on the road as they try to entice us to vote for them.

So much of it is just that, though – a show, and with the future of our nation on the line, we would do well to pay a bit more attention to substance rather than to the spectacle and the style.

Over the coming weeks, the political parties will be expected to lay out their plans for the next five years.

The most important piece of those plans will be how each party expects to deal with the pandemic that still rages on around us.

The Family Islands are also feeling the pain of the pandemic right now, with case numbers over the past few days including 10 in Long Island, 16 in Eleuthera and a massive 27 in Abaco. Suddenly there is a demand for vaccination as people see the effects of the surge, as they see 149 people in hospital and a steady rise in deaths. Each week on social media, people have been posting how many extra pages of Obituaries have been in The Tribune and for those who thought the pandemic wouldn’t affect them, it has been coming closer and closer to home.

Thankfully, we are in a position where we now have enough vaccines for all of those who want it – but the winning party will have to oversee the rollout of that vaccine, and will be the ones who need to convince reluctant citizens and deal with the continued need for any restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. Remember, the vaccination on its own is not enough, we still need to limit the spread by following the guidance we’ve been living with for so long.

The PLP has in general opposed the limitations brought in by the FNM, so that’s a pointer to how they might operate in office – but as the campaign goes on, they ought to lay out more clearly what their plan is to deal with COVID-19.

For the FNM, we’ve been living with their plan, but they too should outline how they see the future.

Both parties also need to be clear with citizens too on their plans for the country’s economic recovery. The cost of COVID has been high, stacked on to the cost of Hurricane Dorian before it, and the country’s debts have piled up. Dealing with that burden of debt will be a major task for whoever wins the election, and each party needs to have a plan to do so.

All of that is before we even get to what parties might want to be talking about for the future. Ideally, we should be discussing such things as reforms in education, health, transparency in government, how to deal with crime, cracking down on corruption and a host of other things that would make the day-to-day life of citizens better. We would also be talking about taxation, the pressure on the international scene for tax reform, and how we’re going to pay for both the debts we have and the things we would like to invest in for the future.

None of that is answered by a red sign saying “It’s about your future” or a yellow sign saying “A new day”.

So when the candidates come knocking on the door, make sure they give you some answers. It has to be about more than red or yellow, it has to be about who will bring in the policies that make our country better. Everything else is just for show.

WETHEPEOPLE 3 years, 3 months ago

Well the show ive been watching for the past four years sucks! My first move was to cancel my cable, now its time to cancel the producer.

OMG 3 years, 3 months ago

And you really believe that an alternative party will wave a magic wand and anti vaxers will suddenly rush to be vaccinated, that covid will dissapear, that foreign lending institutions will forgive all the national debt and thousands of tourists will solve the problem. Oh add to that all the promises, new docks new hospitals glass window bridge, rebuilding Abaco GB and on and on. I guarantee a PLP gpvernment will not have any radical solutipn except to find new ways to tax the public. ( but that only comes after they have been elected, no mention before because its a vote looser)

tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago

Forget our need for COVID-19 to disappear. That's very much secondary to our desperate need to make sure Minnis disappears from our political landscape forevermore.

JokeyJack 3 years, 3 months ago

No. An alternative Party will NOT wave a magic wand and solve all of our problems. In fact no party will every solve ALL of our problems, but that is no excuse to sit back and accept garbage.

The COI is made up of enthusiastic people, intelligent people, experienced people, and of course they will have the experience of the public service from the Permanent Secretaries on down along with the Judges and Police and Defense Force and every other agency and even public groups.

Once it becomes clear (on election day) that the COI has won and the people of the Bahamas have finally decided that they will graduate from complaining at the dominos table to actually voting for change - the change will happen very very quickly. Educated Bahamians who are in excellent positions abroad having earned degrees and other accolades (many of them) would love to return home. However, for the past 40 years they have had to ask themselves "for what"? We are currently losing nurses like crazy crazy crazy to countries who offer to value and appreciate them. There are so many things that could be changed very quickly simply by asking for it and then the team will assemble and loyal and patriotic Bahamians will rise to the occasion and we will move forward, upward, onward together.

Or, you can go another 5 years with power brownouts. It is really that simple. That is a democracy. In a democracy the PEOPLE get to choose what they want their future to be.

So if we find out late night on the 16th that the people have chosen red or yellow, then head down to the harbour cause a couple pallets of vaseline are about to be landed (if we're that lucky).

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 3 months ago

" roads looked like a hot dog bun with ketchup up one side and mustard down the other."

Anyone responsible for organizing or approving the haphazard positioning of those signs is not worthy of any leadership role.

What a complete waste of money and a complete disregard for the environment. Some signs have been stapled to tree trunks and some even to tree leaves. Why with multiple posters covering the trunk of a tree, ten lawn signs in close vicinity to the tree would anyone make a judgement call to staple a sign to leaves??

The ultimate abomination of course is stapling a sign to a tree, the practice should be outlawed and those signs by law should not be less than 100ft apart

Two days and noone in the party has ordered the signs to be cleaned up???

TalRussell 3 years, 3 months ago

Much of the official opposition's party's campaign substance is under a self-imposed —lockdown curfew. — It's as if, Brave has placed a tight grip hold — on not forcing — the Truthout — the Reds 39 candidates — Yes?

The_Oracle 3 years, 3 months ago

The sudden appearance of Red and yellow "single use" plastic signs indicates two things: Both political parties had the same idiotic idea simultaneously, and it shows that neither is capable of leading us forward. In this day of digital social media, (which isn't subject to Curfews) and with people jobless and homeless, moneyless, that both parties would somehow think that such a waste of money was the way to go is astounding. I'm not even going to get into the idiotic placement of these reminders that we are doomed in either outcome.

Sickened 3 years, 3 months ago

Perfectly stated!!!!!

Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 3 months ago

Agreed. And do they really think an undecided voter doesn't know who their choice of parties is? Are they really going to vote for the party that has the most signs on the street. What a total waste of money

TalRussell 3 years, 3 months ago

No matter what — Perry Gladstone — was never threatening the freedom of Grocer Comrade Rupert — with imprisonment if shoppers were court engaged in criminal act buying plastic bags, — To now acting like criminal offenders — by the lining we roads with the Red Party's double-sided plastic campaign paraphilic. — You just can't make such hypocrisy up, — Yes?

A-S-S O-U-T!!!

tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago

I'm with you 100%

sheeprunner12 3 years, 2 months ago

Reality is that only FNM & PLP candidates will win on Sept 16 ........ So pick your poison

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