- By Joette Penn
There is no doubt that elections are in the near future. All the signs are there that the Bahamas will have a general elections within the first quarter of 2012 or shortly thereafter. One of the biggest clues came during the Prime Minister’s Boundaries Communication when he stated that he would like for voters to begin collecting their voter’s cards in January of 2012. The Prime Minister has also done his best to show the Bahamian people that he is being stern on crime and criminality by passing some stiffer penalties for criminal acts. I don’t think that criminals heard his well-written speech or the debates in Parliament because they are still hard at work. Obviously they will not be detoured by legislation.
Another clue that general election is nigh is the ‘spat’ that erupted in the House of Assembly between the FNM and the DNA…..finally. I was wondering how long Mr. Ingraham would let Branville McCartney just dingle out there doing and saying what he felt like after breaking away from the FNM and taking supporters with him. It all started with Mr. Ingraham belittling Branville and his DNA and poking fun at his stature as leader of a political party. Mr. Ingraham said, “……Bamboo Town is a nice test case. Here’s a case where you (speaking of Mr.Christie) and I have taken two gentlemen who want to be leaders of The Bahamas and are putting them up as candidates. There’s another gentleman there in the person of the member for Bamboo Town who wants to a leader and we’ve asked them to fight in their league down there to see which of them is going to come out to become eligible to be leader.” It was rather funny you must admit. It had long been a theory amongst some political sets that Hubert Ingraham would in some way cut Bamboo Town out of the next elections because before this he had been so quiet on Branville McCartney and the DNA. Well Mr. Ingraham told the House of Assembly, “If the committee came back and said to cut Bamboo Town out, I would not accept that because I want him in Bamboo Town.” He further stated, “I want to meet him in Bamboo Town. He is not going to carry my things anywhere.”
At a later sitting of the House of Assembly, Mr. McCartney spoke of how the Prime Minister and other member had not declared and after a little back and forth the PM asked member of the House for declarations for 2009 and 2010. After this the member for South Abaco Edison Key said that the member for Bamboo Town had was paid $5,000 from BAIC and that his law firm did no work. Mr. McCartney of course denied and a row ensued blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada The speaker of the House of Assembly was considering the committee on privilege angle. Which is plain English means we only wanted to give the public something to bite on, no hard feelings. The PLP stayed out of the FNM’s spat with their offspring the DNA except that Perry Christie spoke up after Branville McCartney apparently said that he was a wimp.
The real question though is what is resonating with the voters. The Prime Minister is no doubt going to be going fast and furious after the holidays by shifting his electioneering into high gear. The FNM is yet to name one candidate publicly, but that does not mean that they are no ready. The FNM has yet to distribute any paraphernalia, but that does not mean that they are not sitting in a 40 foot container somewhere waiting on the appropriate time. The FNM has though been doing all their electioneering through their powers as government passing legislation and instituting their famous stop gap measures that almost never work.
On the other hand the Progressive Liberal Party has been having press conferences, summits, conclaves and that like in an effort to inform the public of its plans for a return to government. They have also made public all of the candidates that have been chosen so far and have seemed to be in organization mode. The PLP as in 2002 have a host of candidates that are new to front line politics and have their views on where the party and the country should be headed but is it good enough for a resounding win at the polls.
The DNA has been out working as well naming candidates, holding events and having town hall meetings. 
I may be behind that 8th ball but it was seem to me that the DNA has been doing a lot of talking but is yet to put a concrete plan to the electorate of how they would take this broken country and nurse it back to health. Besides the prettiness of its leader and his so called brave breakaway from the Free National Movement, besides the apparent flow of money and kindness shown by the media what does Branville McCartney and his DNA bring to the table. Is the electorate buying the “brave young soldier” routine and his frequent quoting of Sir Lynden Pindling enough to make him Prime Minister?
I am going to put on my objective hat and tell you a story. Everyone knows that I support the PLP but I was in the bank that other day and I was talking away about the economy. A gentleman whispered to me and another lady, “the problem we have is that McCartney and the DNA have no substance, Perry Christie has no substance either and Hubert Ingraham has nothing left to offer.” I totally agree with him on Hubert Ingraham and Branville McCartney but as for the PLP I will put it this way. Sometimes HOW you do things is more important than what you are doing and they obviously know how to win over an electorate because they have done it before but they must make sure that this new generation, the children of the 80s and later understand what the PLP is all about.
The country is at a crossroads and what we do as an electorate in this next general election will set the stage for the next generation. We are at a juncture where it is very important who governs and how. We can no longer play around with the Zhivargo Laings of this world who seem to be taking their notes from television where our economy is concerned. We cannot play around with the Phenton Neymours of this world who would sell the best corporation we had to watch Law and Order on the beach. We cannot play around with the Charles Maynards of this world who a lot of times seem to be a little out to lunch. We should have no more time for the Carl Bethels of this world who sometimes makes one wonder if he is somber when he speaks.
This one will be a very exciting election. Platforms and T-shirts are well and good but I think this one will take some real politicking. Get Ready!!!!
