The Enigma of Branville
McCartney
By ADRIAN GIBSON
OVER time, my outlook on Branville McCartney
has evolved from being particularly enthusiastic about his youthful vigour and
gravitas to a diverse perspective where one appreciates his outspokenness and
ability to organize, to an opinion that his apparent arrogance, messianic
deportment and smug giddiness has created a seemingly enigmatic figure.
A one-time blue-eyed boy of the local media,
Bran McCartney is today a hyperactive populist who leads a fledgling third
political party—the Democratic National Alliance (DNA). Undoubtedly, Mr McCartney ignited the
political flames leading up to this election year, flicking lit firecrackers
into the core of the political establishment. Bran McCartney—regardless of his
razor thin political résumé now the centrepiece of the DNA, whilst the other
DNA candidates appear to be mere space-filling, political accessories. Having
heard Mr. McCartney’s hot political rhetoric of late, one can conclude that he
has seemingly become a mealy-mouthed, one man news cycle. Even more, recently
there seems to have been more political departures and drama within the DNA
than is on an episode of the Oxygen Network’s TV show “Girls Behaving Badly.”
Certainly, it makes for great theatre.
Politically standing between PLP leader Perry
Christie and Prime Minister/FNM leader Hubert Ingraham, Bran McCartney has now
forayed into the land of giants where he hopes to out-manoeuvre PM Ingraham and
outfox Mr. Christie at the polls.
That said, the DNA leader has shown himself to
be a flip-flopper over the years. Whilst his opinion about PM Ingraham may now
differ due to politically expedient motives, in a story published in The
Tribune on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 he said:
“The Prime Minister is also a person who I
have learnt a lot from as well. I think he has the best interest of the country
at heart. He makes decisions and he is very direct.”
In another Tribune story, published on the
aforementioned date and entitled “I want to run for FNM in Bamboo Town at next
election”, Mr. McCartney asserted that he was hopeful that the Prime Minister
(PM) would not seek to “punish” him, noting that he hadn’t decided if he would
again contest the Bamboo Town seat.
However, he went on to say:
“I had five years to serve. Right now I have
two more years. If I don’t get a nomination from the party I doubt I will run
as an Independent—or anything else for that matter. I would have done my time
and I would have done my time well. I guarantee you that. I would have done my
time well and I will move on.”
What?! In the wake of this statement, Mr
McCartney waffled and not only decided to run—he even formed an entire
political party in the process.
In the earlier report, Mr McCartney maintained
that he came into Bamboo Town as an FNM and would leave Bamboo Town as an FNM.
Of course, the evidence clearly contradicts that statement.
In a Tribune article published on Monday,
October 4, 2010 and entitled “McCartney predicts tough 2012 general election
fight for FNM,” Mr. McCartney declared that the FNM was still the best choice
for the country although the party would have to go in overdrive to win over
disgruntled voters.
According to the Bamboo Town
MP:
“And I think the FNM, it’s a party of doing
things but we’ve not promoted what we’ve done, public relations is not good
with the FNM. There have been things done and statements made that perhaps
turned off a lot of people, I think showing a lack of compassion. The party
will also have to win over young ‘swing’ voters who were not old enough to cast
a vote in 2007.”
Mr McCartney added:
“It places us to a certain extent at a
disadvantage but I have no doubt in my mind that the FNM is the best party (to
lead the country).” He then referred to the FNM as an “awesome political
machinery.”
Wow! I wonder if Mr. McCartney still feels
that the FNM—and not the DNA—is the best party to lead the country. Such a
statement makes one wonder about the real reason behind the formation of the
DNA and why Mr McCartney had a sudden change of heart just seven months later
(the DNA was launched in May 2011). Could it be that Mr McCartney was upset
that the FNM did not hold a convention, one where it was speculated that he had
plans to challenge Mr Ingraham for party’s leadership? Was he angry that the PM
had not yielded the reigns of the FNM/government when he (McCartney) stated
that the time had come for Mr Ingraham to “pass the baton” of party leadership
to the next generation?
When Mr. McCartney resigned from the Cabinet
in 2010, he commended Prime Minister Ingraham in his resignation statement and
showered praise upon the FNM.
At that time, Mr. McCartney said:
“Subsequently, I have been the benefactor of
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham’s political precision and decisiveness. One need
to look no further than his decision to introduce me to citizens of the
constituency of Bamboo Town as evidence of his unique ability to think,
reflect, consider and make the right decision.”
“We are facing tough times, but I confidently
believe that the nation has been mobilized by Mr Ingraham and the FNM and
rallied for a great national effort. I have learned why this Prime Minister and
leader of the FNM is the most successful leader of our party. And it is because
of this that I say, I have no sympathy with and will give no credence or
comfort to those who would want to use this resignation to undermine his
leadership of the FNM and/or the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” he then said.
Say what?! I’m thunderstruck. Is the current
incarnation of Bran McCartney the same person who said the abovementioned? What
changed Mr. McCartney, what changed?
In his 2010 resignation statement, Mr.
McCartney also said:
“That the Free National Movement has achieved
since its election to a third non-consecutive term as the Government of the
Commonwealth of the Bahamas gives me hope for what we can and must achieve in
the future and I am humbled to have participated so instrumentally to this end.
I am indeed proud to be FNM.”
Wow. I’m speechless. So, why is this proud FNM
now running away from the FNM’s record, one that he admitted that he was an
instrumental participant in?
In the concluding paragraph of his statement
relinquishing his seat around the Cabinet table, Branville McCartney stated:
“Bamboo Town will be ready and the FNM party
will continue to lead this great national effort to a fourth election victory
with my full, unwavering and steadfast loyalty and support.”
Well blow me down! A fourth
election victory and with his “full, unwavering and steadfast loyalty and
support!”
Was the formation of the DNA an example of Mr
McCartney’s steadfast loyalty and support? Was it an indication of his lust for
power? Mr. McCartney, in the face of your own words, why should Bahamians trust
you?
In February/March 2010, Mr. McCartney pledged
his “full, unwavering and steadfast loyalty and support” for the FNM and by mid-March,
2011, Bran McCartney had flip-flopped, broke ranks with the FNM and was on a
platform telling people about his dreams and encouraging them to imagine this
and that.
In the announcement of his divorce from the
FNM, Mr. McCartney said:
“It has been difficult, to say the least,
facing challenges, which contradicted my philosophy, convictions and values. I
have prayed constantly for an answer to solve this dilemma and my prayers have
been answered. I have made a conscience decision to severe my relationship with
the Free National Movement.”
As my grandparents on Long Island say, “these
are the last days” and, unquestionably, hypocrisy reigns supreme!
Now leader of the DNA, Bran McCartney is not
Barack Obama (circa 2008)—regardless of the fanatical support of a few
obsessive supporters who see him as the second coming of Obama.
Indeed, the race in Bamboo Town will be the
hottest electoral contest in 2012. There will be political bloodletting in
Bamboo Town, with Cassius Stuart (FNM), Renward Wells (PLP) and Craig Butler
(Independent) all running and plotting to ambush McCartney at the polls. The
contest for the Bamboo Town seat is a highly contentious matter, leaving
McCartney to combat the massive electoral machinery of both major parties.
Indeed, it appears that the DNA leader will suffer a political death, even
though he has demonstrated an ideal work ethic within his constituency and is
heralded as a hard worker, as a young man who understands the true purpose of
parliamentary representation of his constituents.
Perhaps, Mr. McCartney should’ve switched to
the South Beach seat or, even more, postponed his plans for the DNA’s launch to
focus on winning his own seat as an Independent.
It is likely that Mr. McCartney’s electoral
prospects will be doused at the polls and, following the elections, he would be
relegated to the political dustbin— having been set on the treadmill to
political oblivion.
