The Tribune

ALL hell broke loose on Bay Street last week. The day’s atmosphere was already charged as what seemed to be just over one hundred FNM support- ers gathered downtown. Had it stopped there, the media probably would have already moved on to the next story. 

It did not stop there, for Shanendon Cartwright cooked a political grenade by lunging for the house mace and flinging it to the crowd below. The metaphorical explosion’s aftermath wasn’t pretty— legions of police were summoned, all of the opposition MPs present were dragged out of the House and a firestorm of memes, reactions and commentary sprung fresh online.

The grenade was aimed at the PLP, but the shrapnel went in all directions.

Cartwright’s actions were a more effective version of what used to be a singular brand of rabble-rousing by the CoI. With no seat or House platform, Bain’s crew was upstaged this time around.

For the FNM, the play was risky, to say the least. More than a handful accuse the party of the worst kind of political theatre—the kind where people want to get up and leave half-way through. But even more, in my humble estimation, agree that the Speaker of the House had it coming. Most seem to acknowledge that her obvious bias towards her party is beneath the standard of her office.

And for the PLP? There are serious cracks in the armor. The public’s mood has shifted notably toward ‘election mode.’ The PLP is facing an increasingly agitated and exhausted public that is just starting to tune in. What will they see in Davis’ leadership in this moment?

Whether the FNM admits it or not, it’s clear that some or all of “Red Wednesday” was cooked up in advance. By the looks of things now, it sure looks like a calculated risk.

ZIENNIAL BAHAMIAN

December 7, 2024.