By Joette Penn

I guess that most of you have heard or sang the song speaking of “that old time religion” well substitute the word politics for religion and you will have what the current Prime Minister is giving, “Old time politics. It is actually a little disappointing but interesting at the same time that the Prime Minister seems to have resorted to 80s and 90s politics in order to have a chance in the next general elections. I see it as an admission that he knows that this administration has sucked badly and will probably go down as his worst. But here you have a has been man that is trying everything he can to hold on to power and leave public life on his own terms instead of in defeat.

The Boundaries Commission has made numerous cuts to the current constituencies cutting out three of them making the eligible constituencies for election 38. Now rational people now that it is more sensible to have an odd number so that there is no chance of a tie but we must remember that we are taking about Hubert Ingraham here. The interesting part is that he has cut his own constituencies Kennedy, Clifton and Eight Mile Rock. If I were one of these MPs I would resign my position forthwith but for some reason the courage and political strategy that once occupied the halls of Parliament has disappeared. It would seem that everyone is satisfied to tow the party line no matter what because any show of having your own mind and beliefs is a mortal sin. It is said that more FNM MPs were to join Branville McCartney in leaving back when the BTC sale was being debated and the question is why didn’t they? Mr. McCartney’s has because of his actions made his mark on history for that if nothing else.

It is now becoming clearer and clearer that Mr. Ingraham is not going to be running on the issues but will be using political strategy and every power available to him to try to scrape out a win from the sound beating at the polls that he should be getting and deserves. It will no doubt be a short election campaign season and the thrust of the FNMs message will be the usual “look what we built”, “look what we do”, “look at our roads.” This is evident in the fact that the roads that have been open and in an unfinished state for years are now to be closed and done by Christmas.

The Bahamian people will have to think about where they are now under the FNM and where they would like to be. What is very clever about the FNM strategy is the fact that the issue is not that they have not done anything the point is how miserably they have failed at what they have done or attempted to do. For example, at a time when we should have been investing in new industries and our people so that there would be a RETURN for the money we spent, we built roads instead. Another example, they brag about how much money they have budgeted for Social Service not acknowledging that the more money you need for that ministry the more people in the country cannot take care of themselves. An event better example is the temporary government jobs that had been giving out and the fact that a lot of those people are right back where they started from and that strain on the public purse did not help either. Now there is the $
25 million jobs training program that will last until shortly after the next general elections.

The opposition has to be able to not only know the issues and tout them but more importantly they have to be able to resurrect the Bahamian dream and sell it to a new generation who more than likely does not even know that there was one. The people born after Independence who may not know of the struggle and they dream of having a piece of the rock. We have reached to the place where was have to make Bahamianization, Education, Health Care, Creativity and New Industries. The things that we need have never been the strong suit of the “brick and mortar” FNM. This is the government that built a huge government complex on an island that is in dire need of a hospital. This is the government that has had the Monavie Scandal, the helicopter ride, the digging of the protected Land and Sea Park, the chump change sale of BTC, the multiple economy downgrades, the highest crime rate ever, the massive national debt, the botched road works, the citizenship granting scandal, the ever present Bahamas Hotmix and Brent Symonette scandal, the Arawak Cay port debacle.

The Bahamian people will have to decide whether they like seeing foreign national have good jobs in the Bahamas, whether they like see big buildings go up and the same people making all the money. They will have to decide whether they want education, a fair chance at financial prosperity and first preference in their own nation. They will have to remember everything that has happened in this administration and pay their employees (the politicians) based on merit.

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!!!!

You doing a heck of a job Brownie...yeah, right

When Katrina struck the gulf states of Louisiana and Mississippi, devastating New Orleans with wind and water never before seen, millions of Americans were affected, most notably, the poor and black underclass that called New Orleans home. Nobody can forget the image of people standing on their rooftops holding signs begging for assistance, be it food, water or shelter. Nobody can forget the image of thousands upon thousands of people swarming the doors of the New Orleans Superdome, which was converted to the ground zero of displaced Americans. Many Bahamians were riveted to that saga and can recite line for line, the myriad of blunders that seemed to pop up every step of the way. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had as its head, a former manager of a horse farm, hired on by Bush as payback for supporting Bush’s 2004 campaign. Micheal Brown, the then head of FEMA, famously became the poster boy for cronyism at its worst.  So detached from reality was the US government that Bush himself offered up “you’re doing a heck of a job Brownie” while Louisiana was under water and its people dying.

Fast forward 6 years and change the location to The Bahamas and you have the same shit all over again. When Hurricane Irene was first tracked by the weather people, it was known early that it would become the third hurricane to affect the entire Bahama Island chain. With strengths varying between category 2 and 4, there was little doubt that the country was in for a walloping. And walloped we were. At least on certain islands, in particular, Acklins, Long Island, Eleuthera and most notably Cat Island.

Hurricane Irene put such a beat down on those islands that they remain effectively cut off from civilization. Phone lines were knocked down. Power lines were pulled down with poles snapped like twigs. The production of water has been affected by the lack of power. The got it bad, real bad. I had the opportunity to go down to Cat Island with its MP, Philip “Brave” Davis the day after the all clear was given. It was a saddening experience to see Bahamians who were instantly made homeless by Irene hold out hope that would not be coming for some time. Nobody expected the help and aid from our own government to be so spotty and so porous. Then the reality of just how bad the government failed the Bahamian people started to sink in. It was Katrina all over again, but this time with the Bahamas as the location and Ingraham as the man in charge.

No bucket trucks on the islands so they have to fend for themselves.

Where do we begin?  We can start with the fact that electricity will not likely be restored in any reasonable time because BEC is basically broke. There are no bucket trucks on Cat Island that are operational. BEC staff must use ladders poised on the rooftop of trucks. No joke. Compounding the lack of supplies, personnel and the accompanying expertise, is the fact that the Ingraham government pissed off the regional aid that comes with being members of Carilec, the assistance cooperative made up of the region’s electricity companies. Apparently, they were invited to assist in the restoration of power to the affected islands and none of the expected assistance from our government ever materialized. These guys were pissed off and reportedly let BEC know about it. No word on whether or not they have returned to work.

The Hope Foundation, a non profit organization, attempted to fly in relief supplies of food, water, building supplies and clothing via two helicopters and an airplane. One of the choppers flew too low and they were ordered out of the sky by the police, taken off of their aircrafts at gunpoint and their helicopters and plane were taken into the custody of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force. According to Mr. Adler, the last time they were forced from their vehicles at gunpoint was in Ethiopia. While their helicopter was in police custody, members of the RBDF allegedly helped themselves to some of the supplies. The Hope Foundation attempted to get their stuff back and to find out who is responsible and were shut down at every turn. Eventually, they recovered their aircrafts minus their supplies and left the country in disgust. Help for Cat Island and the Bahamas was taken to North America. So much for us.

Then we have NEMA. Goods that were collected by various charities were directed through the operations of NEMA to ensure greater accountability and fair distribution of supplies. The Red Cross took their stuff there but how about this little factoid. A Bahamasair flight that was set to go to Acklins on the Friday right after the passage of Irene. The Red Cross took supplies intended for Acklins to the airport with intentions of having them delivered along with the political and government figures. The supplies were taken off the plane in order to make room for more government officials. Shows you where their priorities lie.

The supplies that did make it through were taken to Cat Island and sat on the dock for more than a week because the administrator for the island couldn’t get off her ass to help her people out. The minister of local government, Byran Woodside, went down to see what was going on and didn’t see the urgency of making sure people get help right away, famously saying when asked why the help wasn’t issued, “who works on Sundays?” You can’t get more moronic than that.

But should anyone be surprised at this? After all, Ingraham flew over some of the islands, not bothering to stop in and check on the people. On some islands, he didn’t bother to go at all, opting to send the “dream team” of Tommy Turnquest and Dion Foulkes to represent him. It seems nobody who can help, is willing to help so it all falls on the MPs responsible for the affected islands.

Is it any coincidence that the islands affected are all represented by PLP MPs? Maybe. I think its simply because Ingraham doesn’t give a damn. Meanwhile, a boat packed with 50 tons of supplies was anchored off the western coast of Abaco at the behest of guess who? Yup. He doesn’t give a damn. Bush had Katrina and now Papa has Irene.

The helicopter is owned by the Aga Khan who also owns an island in the Bahamas national land and sea park, where, by an act of Parliament, no dredging or actions harmful to the environment is to be conducted.

This would not be a serious issue, but for the fact that the FNM government has compromised the integrity of the government administration that will have to at some point respond to demands made by investors in the Bahamas,
and here a dangerous precedent has been set.

It is alleged that on being granted approval to dredge in the land and sea park, the Aga Khan donated one million dollars to the Bahamas
National Trust.

FNM 1 also known as The Aga Khan's Helicopter

Was that a payoff?

Is that one million dollars worth more than the damage that will be done to our national resources which are getting scarce?

Mind you, there are marshals in the land and sea park and if they catch any BAHAMIAN fishing in the land and sea park that person is subject to prosecution to the full extent of the law.  Are there one set of laws for BAHAMIANS and another set of laws for rich investors?

Should then the oil speculators, who have near trillions to invest,  but can destroy our entire tourism product with one oil leak expect to also ride around the Prime Minister and government officials and then have the rights to dredge for oil, damage our marine resources and beaches and give a cool million to ‘the TRUST’ and who knows how much else to the FNM and government officials?

Why should they expect any less?

This is the same Prime Minister who tells government employees to “bring your own lunch money”. Why doesn’t he use the government aircraft? It appears that the Prime Minister has made an error in judgment and the press and other stakeholders that are to guard the public trust and hold the government accountable have been noticeably quiet.

This is unlike several years ago when former Prime Minister Sir Lynden O.
Pindling took ONE PLANE RIDE from Grand Bahama to Nassau aboard an airplane owned by one of the principals in the Grand Bahama Port Authority.

While the Prime Minister fly’s around on the luxury helicopter owned by the Aga Khan, the question must be put to the government to account for the purchase of the aircraft by the Ministry of National Security which was purchased and may be used for such trips. The point made here is, the Bahamas government has access to funds to charter, lease or buy an aircraft … and IN FACT OWNS AN AIRCRAFT!

Chuckle!

On assuming office in 1992, then Prime Minister Hubert Alexander Ingraham SOLD THE KING AIR AIRCRAFT purchased and used by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet for travels given that our Bahamas is an archipelago.

Bahamians are everyday growing more and more concerned about the actions and behaviour of the Prime Minister who seems to have the Press wrapped around his finger and silent on issues of transparency, accountability and trust in government.

Perhaps, that was his trust agenda.

Mario Scott Bannister

By Joette Penn

I have been tucked away for a while now working on some projects but I have been trying to keep abreast of the goings on in politics.

I see that the leader of the Democratic National Alliance finally admitted that he was stifled as Minister of Immigration that was a huge DUH!!!!!! Moment but I guess he was dropping a bombshell or something.  In an article published in the Tribune on July 20^th, Mr. McCartney was quoted as saying, “When I resigned I said my hands are tied. We are being stagnated. My hands are tied.  Those are the words I used. When you have persons telling you, ‘no one told you to do this’; ‘you did not get my permission to do that’. When you have persons ahead of you telling you that, what are you to do?” When I read it I was shocked by how Mr. McCartney could have thought that it would not be that way, after all this is politics and he was in Hubigetty’s cabinet, in The Bahamas.  It would seem that Mr. McCartney would have us believe that he was a chipper little birdy doing his
job and got his wing clipped one too many times so he bailed.

As for the DNA campaign, I must admit I have liked the enthusiasm that they have brought to politics.  I also like that they seem not to be afraid of making mistakes and doing things a little differently.  The problem is I think that their campaign is extremely top heavy and by that I mean that they have come out the dugout full blast with no opponents because the FNM and PLP are yet to do any really blatant campaigning like having rallies and giving out T-shirts on a national level, though the PLP has been making alot of Family Island appearances.  Mind you the FNM and PLP are on the ground going from house to house in certain constituencies.  The question for the DNA is can they gain substance to their rhetoric.  Also will the candidates be able to hold their own on the ground and can they keep the momentum going under intense pressure when the campaigning goes into full gear.  The fact the just anyone
can run for the House of Assembly is a blessing and a curse and the DNA needs to be considerate of how they use that privilege.

The PLP on the other hand has been doing some things here and there.  The most recent was a “conclave” held within the eastern constituencies
that brought about a pretty good speech from the Leader of the Opposition Perry Christie, whom people have been lamenting as being “too quiet” on issues in the country.   In the speech Mr. Christie said, “…the PLP offers something unique to Bahamians – we’re a party with a very proud history, and we’re a party of new ideas. That’s what it’s going to take – old values and new ideas. We need to respect who we are and where we have come from, and we need to embrace the best new ideas the world has to offer.”    He also said, “My fellow Bahamians, I believe in you. Where others see only problems, I see so much promise. I believe with all my heart we will successfully meet our challenges, even our most difficult ones. Nelson Mandela once said, “It always feels like it’s impossible and then it’s done.” There is no problem we face that we cannot solve. But make no mistake, it’s not going to happen without you.” Mr. Christie also made an appearance on Issues of the Day with Algernon Allen to answer questions from the general public.  In my estimation that the PLP needs to create a buzz around itself that is positive and consistent.  It has to make sure that the leader of the party can shake off the FNM’s lazy, indecisive and late stigma and speak directly to the people of the country as was done in the last speech the Mr. Christie gave.  Let’s hope the speech had more reach then just preaching to the choir.

The FNM has been pretty predictable up to date.  They have been using the powers of government to campaign by seemingly giving everyone what they want.  They are putting things in place to help to remove the aura of stupidity they have around them, I really do not see how
well it has been working.  The FNM has done themselves a grave disservice by doing so many incredibly stupid and
unpopular things in a single term.  For them things went wrong from the start with the stop, review and cancel programme, to the Standard and Poors debacle, to the road works, to the port deal, to the selling of BTC, to escalating crime, to digging in the National Land and Sea Park, to the stop gap measures that stopped nothing, to the Mackey Yard nonsense.  It has all mostly just been one long downhill trip for them.  They
have done some real politicking though I would have to admit.  The campaign of blaming everything on the global economy was a good one for them.  The FNM record in office from 2007- present has been horrific so I am curious to see if they will have the testicular fortitude to run on their
record, knowing them they will do just that.  There is no shame in their game it all.  Then there is the point that our system gives the government a pretty good advantage when it comes to elections.  They can change boundaries, give citizenship, they choose the date, now students abroad will be voting is government offices.  So I would not completely count the FNM out because they are crafty along with being shameless and that it not a good combination.

However you slice it this will be a very interesting election period.  Not only do we have a new party who seem to be capturing the curiosity of some people and the frustration with the major parties from others but you have two major parties whose leaders are, I would guess, on their last big dance. No doubt there is an incredible amount of jockeying for position going within both major parties and maybe even the smaller parties. You should never enter politics if you have no come to he realization that it is a game, a serious one.  The game is to get in position, hold your position and advance your position (if you want to). You are supposed to be the advocate of the people, but not all politicians give a damn about people or good policies.  Those that do care have to find a way to beat those that don’t at the game of politics.  Then maybe we the people will get good
governance.

By Joette Penn

Crime has become a major problem in The Bahamas.   Please don’t kid yourself into thinking that if you take all your earthly possessions to the bank as collateral and move into “a good  neighbourhood” or a gated community that that will somehow give you immunity to the crisis of heartlessness that is plaguing this nation.  If you are blessed enough that actual crime  never touches your life then the fear of crime will surely get you.  I am sure that many of you as I do stay close to home as much as possible and think twice before going certain places at certain times or going places alone.  I am also sure that a lot of you have security bars on your windows, surveillance systems, alarm systems, guard dogs, and high walls or fences.  We are so fearful of crime that we have imprisoned ourselves away from it or so we think.

I am privileged to be able to speak to and hear from people who were alive in the “good ole days” in The Bahamas and I get jealous when they speak of how they were able to go from house to house.  How they were able to play in the streets and how there was such a sense of community.  They speak of how everyone knew everyone else and of how the friendships forged in the early days are still alive.  How you could have gone to the neighbour to borrow sugar or cream.  The Bahamas of today is very different however.

Somewhere along the line we became a materialistic nation where compassion, empathy and fair play became foreign to us.  The Bahamas we see today is filled with jealousy, corruption at all levels and selfishness.  People feel no weight in watching others suffer for food, love or even companionship without even batting an eye as long as it is not them or theirs.  We have ignored the enormous need to uplift and edify one another instead of pulling down.  We have developed an insatiable appetite for money and the things that it can buy us, leaving beyond the simple virtues like honor, integrity and kindness.  This lack of virtue and misplaced priority has worsened over the years and is now manifesting in people who have no respect for the life or property of others.  I am not just talking about the drug dealer, contract killer or petty
thief.  I am also talking about the big time lawyer, accountant or banker that is using his pen to steal and destroy, I am talking about the politician who wants nothing more than to pad his resume, make him or herself wealthy and say and do anything to win an election with no regard
for the plight of people.

Now while I do believe that crime is a societal problem and does not fall on the shoulders of one government or the next.  I do believe that in some regards the present government is trying to shirk its responsibility as society’s leaders.  In November of 2006 the present PM then leader of the opposition said, “Crime is out of control in New Providence; and in a number of our Family Island communities it is rising with alarming speed.
But rather than effectively addressing the crime the Christie Cabinet is busing making excuses for neglecting the judicial system. And, when they are not making excuses for their failure to adequately address the out-of-control crime problem, they are busy with public relations exercises like the now infamous “swift justice”.  But public relations alone cannot address the crime problem, and a slogan by itself cannot
fix what is wrong.  That takes commitment of resources, imagination, competent administration and effective leadership.”  It is a pity that when elected to office Mr. Ingraham did not take his own advice.  Instead he went on to diminish the enormity of the problem by stating it was criminals killing criminals and instituting policies that did nothing more than throw a cup of water on a raging inferno.

You can think and say what you like about the PLP version of Urban Renewal but the basis of the programme in my estimation was to foster the sense of community of old.  So that people would once again give a damn about the welfare of each other.  Someone would care the Ms. Mary was attacked, Mr. Doe was robbed or that little Johnny does not attend school and seek to rectify the problem.

We must get our priorities straightened out.  It is not about how many bodies stack up in the morgue and who has an accurate count.  It is not about
political parties comparing statistics.  It is about healing the heartlessness, desperation, and anger that would cause a person to kill, maim, dismember, rape, or beat another without a care.  It is about making sure that there is justice for the victim and for the perpetrator.  It is about knowing that you can get by asking and not have to forcibly take.  The simple truth is that Bebe Winans was right when he sang “It all comes down to LOVE.”

Keod's new gig has him looking deep into the waters for economic opportunities for Bahamians.

Now if you know Mr. Keod Smith, you know two things. He is no shrinking violet and will always voice his opinion, even if its not popular with an audience. The other thing is, well, we all know this one. The guy is a fighter and this may very well have a lot to do with the first thing mentioned earlier. So for Keod to pull out of a fight that arguably, he had the ability and the resources to win at the request of Perry Christie is rather extraordinary. Not only on Keod’s part but also on the part of Christie, who the armchair pundits were pointing to to sort out what they saw as a building crisis in South Andros with a sitting MP having to compete openly with others for his party’s nomination. Me personally, I have other opinions on that but thats for later in this piece.

Perry Christie may quite well have silenced the noise in the market about South Andros for the time being. He may have also given the Bahamian people a glimpse of the quiet but deadly effective way he moves behind the scenes in the PLP. Unfortunately for our people, we have confused power and control of political parties with Ingraham’s brute force approach to the FNM. The PLP is fundamentally different from the FNM in how it is run and as such, requires a much more considerate set of political tinkering to control. Christie masters that and the public rarely gets to see this so they buy into this “weak leader” propaganda.

A weak leader could not have gotten Keod Smith to pull out of a race that could have been won by him. A weak leader could not have done that AND keep Keod Smith from going the way of too many pig headed young political wannabes who think they invented Bahamian politics and say he’s running “independent.” No. Christie managed to do three things skillfully at once with this announcement. He got Keod to leave the fight. He got Keod to stay with the party and he also managed to give Keod some plum responsibilities in the upcoming election without upsetting the apple cart.

Imagine Ingraham in that position. Surely, there would have been a humiliated contender sitting next to his leader for the time being, reading a statement he did not write and probably had not read before being told to present it. There would have been bone deep hard feelings and the contender would have had to deal with Hubert’s “like it or lump it” approach and banished for good measure. What Perry pulled off is both an example of smooth diplomacy and deft leadership. Ingraham wants to talk about leadership, then maybe he can start there and tell the people why it is the FNM has yet to name its candidates. Hint hint, he has his own two man, one seat drama to deal with.

To his credit, Keod Smith deserves a heck of a lot of respect for how he managed things. Having put his own money into a number of projects in Andros in hopes of securing the nod, Keod could have gotten upset and declared he’s in it to win it. He fixed a bridge and sponsored the regatta for goodness sakes. Thats an investment in a nomination that most people would find difficult to walk away from. He did and he did so without having his arm twisted or holding a grudge. That, in my opinion, elevates Keod in the eyes of political observers and even some skeptics who have already begun asking what was he promised. Well, he said what he was promised. More work, just elsewhere in the campaign.

The other contender in the race, Sharmaine Farrington Austin has not officially pulled out of the race but it seems likely she will consider it strongly and follow suit while serving in the campaign in another capacity. Again, a strong leader creates the desire for people to serve. Perry has done that, no question about it. Now the only challenge that remains for him in South Andros is to get his current MP to understand that this was not a false alarm but an indication to him that you cannot take anything for granted and nothing is a foregone conclusion. Picewell has to work on a lot of things, not the least of which, is the perception that he spends more time talking to the leader of the FNM than his own leader. We know better but it doesn’t help his cause when he says to the Tribune that he “gave up two lucrative offers from Ingraham for what? This shit?” That was a stupid thing for him to say in the press but we all say stupid things in the heat of the moment.  Now he has to work hard. Harder than he worked to become the MP in the first place and he must remember that his leader is the one who pulled Keod Smith out of South Andros and may very well cause Sharmie to ease off too. His leader is Perry Christie, not the other guy.

By Joette Penn

For the last few weeks we have been watching the budget debate and they have been very
predictable to those who watch these things.
Those who you thought would be good were and those who (as Madea says) “should
have gone to school on the little bus” stayed true to that as well.  We all know that this budget is nothing if
not very brazen in its giveaways and discounts and concessions.  Mr. Ingraham has never been one to hide what
his was doing, he is the one who does whatever he wants and then gives the
proverbial finger to anyone who disagrees.
This budget is not sustainable and will probably cause more damage than
it fixes in the long run.  What I find so
amazing it how the Prime Minister seems not to be able to correlate the need
for economic diversification and two facts.
The first one being that there are too many foreign nationals doing work
that Bahamians and secondly the fact that there are less jobs available in the
country than unemployed people.  The $25
million would have been better spent creating new industries, if only one, and
there should be an immediate policy to make sure that Bahamians get the jobs in
the Bahamas that they can do.  However we
do not have a thinking Prime Minister, we have a doing Prime Minister and that
is not a good thing no matter how much the FNM wants to make it seem so.

Anyhoo back to what I was talking about.  As it
stands today it looks as though the Progressive Liberal Party will win the next
elections.  I don’t know if that knowledge is a good or bad thing for them because knowing that can cause
content laziness which is should not; it should cause intense determination to
make it happen.  Meanwhile some think that these elections will be the first of any real success for a third party
because of the DNA.  Branville McCartney came to the House of Assembly and gave what I call the “I once was lost, but
now I am found” speech.  His refrain when speaking about the government was, “I BELIEVED, I TRUSTED, I SUPPORTED!!!!”  I for one think that this speech is a few months, maybe a year, late and serves to answer those who think that the DNA is simply
an appendage of the Free National Movement.  I do understand how a person just listening to
it would think that Branville McCartney has awakened to common sense and may be
someone to watch.  I am on record as thinking that McCartney simply wants to be Prime Minister and is doing what he
has to do to put himself in a position to get as close as possible to if not in the chair as CEO of the Bahamas.

The DNA is going around and they are hitting the public relations very hard.  They are doing their constituency meetings
and other events that seem to be very well attended.  They have taken on the slogan “go green” the
same one that Nicole Martin had when she and her team ran for the Hotel Union
elections.  The reason I bring this all up is because I think that the FNM, PLP and the DNA are all in interesting positions.  I named the post as I did because should none of these parties be able to swing the momentum nationally to get a decisive win
it is going to be all about “holding ya man” in your constituency as a candidate
in my most humble and unqualified estimation.

The position that the FNM is that they have managed to make a lot of people think
that the PLP did nothing in their administration and that they are a corrupt
group.  However because of their actions, inactions, and downright wrongdoing while managing the peoples purse a lot of
people have come to the conclusion that the FNM is not a viable option any
longer. They must admit that their governance over the last term as been horrid,
recession or no.  The PLP position to me is that of the perceived sleeping lion that everyone is poking because they
think it has no teeth left.  The people are
waiting for the lion to roar and protect them and the ones doing the poking do
not think that the lion will ever WAKE “the hell” UP.  The DNA position is a party that was founded
in a strange way, to my knowledge there was no announcement of officers etc.
and their leader was selected instead of elected.  They are also an untried third party filled
with newcomers (some that raise an eyebrow) whose leader was in the cabinet for
two years as a JUNIOR minister.  They are
hoping that the lion sleeps on and that the FNM has disgusted enough people to make
a difference to them.

Now that we have all seen the electioneering budget and heard the lame ass speeches
from the government those of us that follow this sort of thing would know that
not too far on the agenda of the government will be to change the constituency
boundaries beyond recognition in their favor. This election period however I
see as no regular election for the fact that I think that the next government
will set the framework for the next generation of Bahamian and Hubert Ingraham
in not capable to doing that in any way that is positive and sustainable.  His tenure as Prime Minister has proven that
he is either remedial or diabolical in his treatment of the people of this
country and its management.

Hubert Ingraham has the jitters!

Can you imagine?  After unveiling a plan to hire 3000 persons
on a temporary job scheme, hire 400 new government employees and give civil
servants a lump sum payment, promotions and raise … the governing party could
not muster up 500 persons on the Labour Day parade.

Hubert Ingraham has the jitters!

It is a case of  “too little, too late” for the FNM. It is
clear that Perry Gladstone Christie will form the next government of the Bahamas.

The Bahamian people by their actions are demonstrating two things. Firstly, the PLP is the party of ideas to deal with the problems that beset our country. The fact is, if the FNM had not dismantled the URBAN RENEWAL PROGRAM or taken the POLICE OUT OF THE SCHOOLS,
our crime problem would not have been where it is.

The fact is, if the FNM had created jobs and expanded the economy rather than giving the jobs to foreign
workers like Chinese, Argentineans and Haitians (yes – there are more than 100 Haitians working on the road project), our crime problem would not have been where it is.

The fact is, if the FNM had not cancelled the projects that the PLP had on the drawing board (such as the
BahaMar project, the I Group Project in Mayaguana and others) there would have
been no recession in theBahamas.

Bahamians are not fooled this time. The mood of the country has changed, the FNM will be voted out!  And that is why Hubert FROGGY Ingraham has
the jitters! This time, not from drinking too much!