PLP treasurer resigns
BRENT DEAN
NG Deputy News Editor
thenassauguardian
brentldean@nasguard.com
Craig Butler, treasurer of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), resigned yesterday from his post and the opposition party and vowed to run as a candidate in the Kennedy constituency at the next general election.
“It should come as no surprise to political observers that I've grown disillusioned with this once great political organization, the PLP, to which my grandfather (Sir Milo Butler) dedicated and fought so diligently to secure our Bahamas,” said Butler at Rawson Square near the bust of his grandfather.
“I too joined the ranks feeling compelled to walk in his great footsteps and wanting to give of myself unselfishly as he so freely did. After a period of prayer, deep reflection and contemplation I have reached the end of my journey and today I sever all ties with the PLP.”
Butler, an attorney, was denied the PLP nomination to run as a candidate in the Elizabeth by-election in February 2010. He was again denied the PLP nomination to run as the party’s candidate in Kennedy at the next general election. Attorney Dion Smith received the nomination.
On the Star 106.5 FM radio talk show ‘Jeffrey’ with host Jeffrey Lloyd, Butler confirmed his candidacy for Kennedy in some form. This could be as an independent candidate or aligned with a political organization.
Butler has said that PLP leader Perry Christie has told him he will not get a nomination from the party.
Butler has also publicly acknowledged that he had a drug problem in the past, one he has overcome. In 2008, he was charged with causing harm to his wife Terrel, who is also an attorney. The matter was later dropped.
Butler, however, has argued that he deserves a ‘second chance’ similar to that given to others in the PLP who have made errors in the past.
“The measure of my character is filled with lifelong lessons and though my journey has been one with tremendous setbacks, it is precisely these lessons that have made me who I am today. I possess an indomitable spirit that has afforded me the opportunity to understand and appreciate the struggles of the down trodden and the marginalized,” said Butler.
He described the current PLP as, “not the organization for which Milo Butler so proudly and diligently fought for.”
Butler’s grandfather Sir Milo was the first Bahamian governor general. Craig Butler is also the brother of Free National Movement (FNM) Cabinet Minister and Montagu Member of Parliament Loretta Butler-Turner.
“As an offspring of Sir Milo Butler I found it impossible to sit idly by and allow others to dictate what my future should be,” he said.
“I wish to no longer be a spectator but an active participant in helping to formulate policies and solutions for our nation’s challenges, its growth and development, a Bahamas that would allow future generations to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.”
Butler became the PLP’s treasurer at the party’s convention in October 2009. In September 2009, the PLP treasurer before Butler, Sidney Cambridge, also resigned after he was charged by the government of the United States with money laundering.
Jun 02, 2011
thenassauguardian
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Fred Mitchell - Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs critical of U.S. Embassy officials in Nassau on WikiLeaks diplomatic cables
Mitchell critical of Americans over WikiLeaks cables
CHESTER ROBARDS
Guardian Staff Reporter
thenassauguardian
chester@nasguard.com
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell was critical yesterday of U.S. Embassy officials responsible for certain information contained in diplomatic cables obtained by The Nassau Guardian through the whistleblower organization WikiLeaks.
Mitchell said the Americans accepted “propaganda lines” about the Progressive Liberal Party.
“It strains credibility to me that U.S. professional diplomats, a person so high as a deputy chief of mission who was actually sitting in the seat of the ambassador, would accept and adopt uncritically propaganda lines from the Free National Movement (FNM),” Mitchell said in the House of Assembly during his contribution to the budget debate.
“That is simply not a professional report.”
During the years of the (Perry) Christie administration, deputy chief of mission was Dr. Brent Hardt.
One cable that followed a meeting between the Progressive Liberal Party and U.S. Embassy officials after the 2007 general election, painted the PLP as a party that “seemed more interested in photographs and a press release of the meeting to signal their continuing good relations with the U.S.”
Yesterday, however, Mitchell dismissed the cables as “untested” and “gossipy,”.
“But the country can learn from this,” Mitchell said.
“Our public officials including myself can learn the cautionary tale of being careful with your mouths, not to let these positions cause you to show off.
“...Secondly, that Bahamian public officials must stand up for The Bahamas at all times. Bahamians must come first.
“Thirdly that Bahamians should not allow their opinions of themselves to be governed by their ability to travel to the United States.”
Mitchell suggested that the U.S. Embassy consider disassociating itself with the information in the leaked cables so as to dismiss the notion that they were an official view of events.
And though Mitchell insisted that the cables have become (seemingly reliable) tools to attack the PLP, cables on the Free National Movement (FNM) has already been released as well.
“Here we have a press that does not support the PLP,” Mitchell said.
“They oppose the PLP. They have now used their resources to get these so-called cables. They do not get an independent panel to edit and release the information.
“Instead they arrogate to themselves the right to selectively choose what to release. Now in a situation where there is support for the FNM why would anybody not be surprised that the PLP is the subject of these attacks with the same tendentious propaganda and slogans of the FNM now repeated in the mouths allegedly of U.S. diplomats.”
Mitchell also scolded Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham for “spilling all his guts” to “junior U.S. officials,” which the cables also exposed.
Mitchell was referring to a meeting Ingraham had in 2003 with a U.S. Embassy official in which Ingraham extensively discussed local politics, according to a cable.
“(Some people) wonder if it is possible for a former president of the United Stares to spill his guts to junior Bahamian diplomatic officers about his own people,” Mitchell said.
He called for current Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette to use this “teachable” moment in U.S./Bahamian political affairs to explain to the Bahamian people the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the role of The Bahamas as a member of a global community.
Mitchell contended that the cables have not changed The Bahamas’ relationship with the U.S.
“The relationship is sound as ever,” he said.
“These alleged cables do not change the fundamentals with the United States,” said Mitchell. “This is a teachable moment. And I call on the ministry to use its resources to teach the Bahamian people about their country and its role in the world.”
Jun 01, 2011
thenassauguardian
CHESTER ROBARDS
Guardian Staff Reporter
thenassauguardian
chester@nasguard.com
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell was critical yesterday of U.S. Embassy officials responsible for certain information contained in diplomatic cables obtained by The Nassau Guardian through the whistleblower organization WikiLeaks.
Mitchell said the Americans accepted “propaganda lines” about the Progressive Liberal Party.
“It strains credibility to me that U.S. professional diplomats, a person so high as a deputy chief of mission who was actually sitting in the seat of the ambassador, would accept and adopt uncritically propaganda lines from the Free National Movement (FNM),” Mitchell said in the House of Assembly during his contribution to the budget debate.
“That is simply not a professional report.”
During the years of the (Perry) Christie administration, deputy chief of mission was Dr. Brent Hardt.
One cable that followed a meeting between the Progressive Liberal Party and U.S. Embassy officials after the 2007 general election, painted the PLP as a party that “seemed more interested in photographs and a press release of the meeting to signal their continuing good relations with the U.S.”
Yesterday, however, Mitchell dismissed the cables as “untested” and “gossipy,”.
“But the country can learn from this,” Mitchell said.
“Our public officials including myself can learn the cautionary tale of being careful with your mouths, not to let these positions cause you to show off.
“...Secondly, that Bahamian public officials must stand up for The Bahamas at all times. Bahamians must come first.
“Thirdly that Bahamians should not allow their opinions of themselves to be governed by their ability to travel to the United States.”
Mitchell suggested that the U.S. Embassy consider disassociating itself with the information in the leaked cables so as to dismiss the notion that they were an official view of events.
And though Mitchell insisted that the cables have become (seemingly reliable) tools to attack the PLP, cables on the Free National Movement (FNM) has already been released as well.
“Here we have a press that does not support the PLP,” Mitchell said.
“They oppose the PLP. They have now used their resources to get these so-called cables. They do not get an independent panel to edit and release the information.
“Instead they arrogate to themselves the right to selectively choose what to release. Now in a situation where there is support for the FNM why would anybody not be surprised that the PLP is the subject of these attacks with the same tendentious propaganda and slogans of the FNM now repeated in the mouths allegedly of U.S. diplomats.”
Mitchell also scolded Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham for “spilling all his guts” to “junior U.S. officials,” which the cables also exposed.
Mitchell was referring to a meeting Ingraham had in 2003 with a U.S. Embassy official in which Ingraham extensively discussed local politics, according to a cable.
“(Some people) wonder if it is possible for a former president of the United Stares to spill his guts to junior Bahamian diplomatic officers about his own people,” Mitchell said.
He called for current Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette to use this “teachable” moment in U.S./Bahamian political affairs to explain to the Bahamian people the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the role of The Bahamas as a member of a global community.
Mitchell contended that the cables have not changed The Bahamas’ relationship with the U.S.
“The relationship is sound as ever,” he said.
“These alleged cables do not change the fundamentals with the United States,” said Mitchell. “This is a teachable moment. And I call on the ministry to use its resources to teach the Bahamian people about their country and its role in the world.”
Jun 01, 2011
thenassauguardian
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Dr. Ian Strachan on the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) and the strong support it has attracted on social media...
Dr Ian Strachan: Support for DNA on Facebook may not equal votes
By LAMECH JOHNSON
tribune242
PROFESSOR and political analyst Dr Ian Strachan said the new Democratic National Alliance should not make too much of the strong support it has attracted on social media, as this may not translate into votes.
Dr Strachan, a newspaper columnist and associate professor of English at the College of the Bahamas, pointed out that even though 14 per cent of registered voters are under 24 - "and that is a good thing" - the traditional swing vote will remain the deciding factor come election day.
He said: "I know the youth vote is very important, but the swing vote is more important because it consists of a wide range of persons. The youth vote is more first time voters and my instinct is that at the end of the day, most young people will vote what their parents vote.
"In the end, when all the campaigning is going on, most young people will feel the pressure of their parents working along with these parties and they will vote based on how their parents vote."
Since the creation of the DNA's Facebook page in April, the party has already accumulated more than 2,000 "likes" from Bahamian Facebook users - more than the PLP and the FNM combined.
The PLP's page, created in July 2008, had attracted 1,504 "likes" as of yesterday afternoon, while the FNM page, created around the same time had only 475.
But Dr Strachan said the new party should be careful about how it reads these numbers.
He said: "I know Facebook is important. I know it reaches people but I still believe that Bahamians prefer that face to face interaction over the Internet. They like to argue and debate in person."
He agreed that DNA is the clear front-runner in the struggle to become the third force in Bahamian politics party, but said the fact that the party is creating excitement among young people could create a misleading picture.
"We know that the youth vote is very important and the support on Facebook speaks to a generational difference that exists. However, it doesn't mean you've won their vote.
"Major parties in the previous elections had concerts and other events to target young voters and they showed up, but did they vote for them?" he asked.
Dr Strachan added that the weak Facebook showing by the PLP and FNM could simply be the result of a lack of effort.
"I'm quite sure if they had tried they could have more - though it remains to be seen what the PLP and FNM's strategy will be in gaining more supporters on Facebook," he said.
However, according to DNA leader Branville McCartney, the party's Facebook fame is an indication that attitudes are changing.
He said: "It tells me that people are very hungry for change and they want to see a positive change in this country.
"Over the past five years, there has been an intellectual revolution that started with social media and with young people.
"Social media is the way of the future and our way of reaching the people - through our website, through twitter, through Facebook, YouTube. Social media is a form of communication. I used it in Bamboo Town and now we're using it for the DNA and it's working."
June 01, 2011
tribune242
By LAMECH JOHNSON
tribune242
PROFESSOR and political analyst Dr Ian Strachan said the new Democratic National Alliance should not make too much of the strong support it has attracted on social media, as this may not translate into votes.
Dr Strachan, a newspaper columnist and associate professor of English at the College of the Bahamas, pointed out that even though 14 per cent of registered voters are under 24 - "and that is a good thing" - the traditional swing vote will remain the deciding factor come election day.
He said: "I know the youth vote is very important, but the swing vote is more important because it consists of a wide range of persons. The youth vote is more first time voters and my instinct is that at the end of the day, most young people will vote what their parents vote.
"In the end, when all the campaigning is going on, most young people will feel the pressure of their parents working along with these parties and they will vote based on how their parents vote."
Since the creation of the DNA's Facebook page in April, the party has already accumulated more than 2,000 "likes" from Bahamian Facebook users - more than the PLP and the FNM combined.
The PLP's page, created in July 2008, had attracted 1,504 "likes" as of yesterday afternoon, while the FNM page, created around the same time had only 475.
But Dr Strachan said the new party should be careful about how it reads these numbers.
He said: "I know Facebook is important. I know it reaches people but I still believe that Bahamians prefer that face to face interaction over the Internet. They like to argue and debate in person."
He agreed that DNA is the clear front-runner in the struggle to become the third force in Bahamian politics party, but said the fact that the party is creating excitement among young people could create a misleading picture.
"We know that the youth vote is very important and the support on Facebook speaks to a generational difference that exists. However, it doesn't mean you've won their vote.
"Major parties in the previous elections had concerts and other events to target young voters and they showed up, but did they vote for them?" he asked.
Dr Strachan added that the weak Facebook showing by the PLP and FNM could simply be the result of a lack of effort.
"I'm quite sure if they had tried they could have more - though it remains to be seen what the PLP and FNM's strategy will be in gaining more supporters on Facebook," he said.
However, according to DNA leader Branville McCartney, the party's Facebook fame is an indication that attitudes are changing.
He said: "It tells me that people are very hungry for change and they want to see a positive change in this country.
"Over the past five years, there has been an intellectual revolution that started with social media and with young people.
"Social media is the way of the future and our way of reaching the people - through our website, through twitter, through Facebook, YouTube. Social media is a form of communication. I used it in Bamboo Town and now we're using it for the DNA and it's working."
June 01, 2011
tribune242
To Mr. Fred Mitchell: [PLP Leader] Mr. Perry Christie's indecisiveness is not FNM propaganda
Fred Mitchell talks of FNM propaganda
tribune242 editorial
FRED MITCHELL has urged Bahamians to ignore the "biased opinion" of American diplomats who in their reports to Washington have characterised former prime minister Perry Christie as a procrastinating leader who "often fails to act altogether while awaiting elusive consensus in his Cabinet."
Mr Mitchell expressed surprise that US diplomats would "simply rehash the same unvarnished propaganda of the Free National Movement to describe the leader of the PLP and the policies of the PLP."
It would be interesting to know which face of Fred Mitchell has made this statement.
It is obviously the political Fred Mitchell, preparing for the hustings and anticipating a hard battle to return his party with its indecisive leader to the seat of power. However, in quiet conversation with his own conscience, the other side of Mr Mitchell must know that his statement is not true.
The indecisive leadership of Mr Christie is very much an election issue. It certainly wasn't an FNM faction within the PLP in 2009 that wanted Mr Christie removed as leader because it did not think it had a chance with him at its head. This group felt so strongly on the issue that someone within the party leaked the Greenberg, Quinlan and Rosner report on the reasons for the party's 2007 election defeat. This report, commissioned by the PLP after the 2007 election to analyse why the party lost an election it was so confident of winning, was made public by the dissident group to inform the public and to try to convince its own membership that Mr Christie was too indecisive to be at the helm.
The consultants' report, for which the party must have paid a "pretty penny", was blunt. In a nutshell, it said, the PLP lost the government after only a five-year test run, because at its helm was a nice, but weak leader heading what the public perceived to be a corrupt and scandal-ridden party. Maybe, the political side of Mr Mitchell would have us believe that the Rosner report was written by an FNM analyst. However - the other Mr Mitchell and his conscience knows otherwise.
Obviously, the report was ignored because recently three senior party members in a private letter -- again leaked to the press -- advised Mr Christie that he could prove to the public that he was indeed a decisive leader by blocking the nomination of certain politicians who were perceived to have led to the party's 2002 defeat. These were the same ones studied by the Rosner report and found wanting.
However, it appears that Mr Christie has chosen to ignore this letter. Instead he is "taking the high road" and looking "forward to a vigorous debate." And so, the Christie-led PLP is heading into an election with the same baggage that their highly paid consultants advised cost them the 2007 election.
Mr Christie's weakness for indecision was spotted early in his administration. One of the first acts of a government is to appoint its boards so that its administration can function smoothly from the beginning. The PLP won the government in May, 2002. By July no boards had been appointed. Mr Christie was being criticised for his procrastination. His reply to the criticism was given in a speech at Mission Baptist Church. Said he:
"The press and some people want to kill me because they say I ain't name them (government boards) yet. Well let 'em wait. Let me say this to you, I have been Prime Minister long enough to see that unless I do it the right way, I am wasting your time doing it the quick way."
And this was the story of his five-year administration. That is why when the FNM was returned in 2007 it found so much unfinished business, and agreements yet to be finalised.
And so, Mr Mitchell, Mr Christie's indecisiveness is not FNM propaganda. In five years Mr Christie did an excellent job in building his own reputation -- as the Rosner report concluded: He is a nice man, but a weak leader.
The serious times now facing this country demand a strong and decisive leader. We shall perish with indecision.
May 31, 2011
tribune242 editorial
tribune242 editorial
FRED MITCHELL has urged Bahamians to ignore the "biased opinion" of American diplomats who in their reports to Washington have characterised former prime minister Perry Christie as a procrastinating leader who "often fails to act altogether while awaiting elusive consensus in his Cabinet."
Mr Mitchell expressed surprise that US diplomats would "simply rehash the same unvarnished propaganda of the Free National Movement to describe the leader of the PLP and the policies of the PLP."
It would be interesting to know which face of Fred Mitchell has made this statement.
It is obviously the political Fred Mitchell, preparing for the hustings and anticipating a hard battle to return his party with its indecisive leader to the seat of power. However, in quiet conversation with his own conscience, the other side of Mr Mitchell must know that his statement is not true.
The indecisive leadership of Mr Christie is very much an election issue. It certainly wasn't an FNM faction within the PLP in 2009 that wanted Mr Christie removed as leader because it did not think it had a chance with him at its head. This group felt so strongly on the issue that someone within the party leaked the Greenberg, Quinlan and Rosner report on the reasons for the party's 2007 election defeat. This report, commissioned by the PLP after the 2007 election to analyse why the party lost an election it was so confident of winning, was made public by the dissident group to inform the public and to try to convince its own membership that Mr Christie was too indecisive to be at the helm.
The consultants' report, for which the party must have paid a "pretty penny", was blunt. In a nutshell, it said, the PLP lost the government after only a five-year test run, because at its helm was a nice, but weak leader heading what the public perceived to be a corrupt and scandal-ridden party. Maybe, the political side of Mr Mitchell would have us believe that the Rosner report was written by an FNM analyst. However - the other Mr Mitchell and his conscience knows otherwise.
Obviously, the report was ignored because recently three senior party members in a private letter -- again leaked to the press -- advised Mr Christie that he could prove to the public that he was indeed a decisive leader by blocking the nomination of certain politicians who were perceived to have led to the party's 2002 defeat. These were the same ones studied by the Rosner report and found wanting.
However, it appears that Mr Christie has chosen to ignore this letter. Instead he is "taking the high road" and looking "forward to a vigorous debate." And so, the Christie-led PLP is heading into an election with the same baggage that their highly paid consultants advised cost them the 2007 election.
Mr Christie's weakness for indecision was spotted early in his administration. One of the first acts of a government is to appoint its boards so that its administration can function smoothly from the beginning. The PLP won the government in May, 2002. By July no boards had been appointed. Mr Christie was being criticised for his procrastination. His reply to the criticism was given in a speech at Mission Baptist Church. Said he:
"The press and some people want to kill me because they say I ain't name them (government boards) yet. Well let 'em wait. Let me say this to you, I have been Prime Minister long enough to see that unless I do it the right way, I am wasting your time doing it the quick way."
And this was the story of his five-year administration. That is why when the FNM was returned in 2007 it found so much unfinished business, and agreements yet to be finalised.
And so, Mr Mitchell, Mr Christie's indecisiveness is not FNM propaganda. In five years Mr Christie did an excellent job in building his own reputation -- as the Rosner report concluded: He is a nice man, but a weak leader.
The serious times now facing this country demand a strong and decisive leader. We shall perish with indecision.
May 31, 2011
tribune242 editorial
Whitney Bastian - former South Andros MP predicts the newly formed Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party will become the next government of The Bahamas
Bastian Predicts Sweeping DNA Election Victory
By Macushla N. Pinder
jonesbahamas
Former parliamentarian Whitney Bastian may not have a crystal ball, but he is convinced he knows exactly how the next general election will play out.
The former South Andros MP predicts the newly formed Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party will become the next government of The Bahamas.
"The way things are going right now, I see the DNA winning at least 25 seats. It might be more than that. People say it is a wave moving. It is a not a wave; it is a tsunami," he said during a recent interview with the Bahama Journal.
"Everywhere you go, Bahamians, young and old, are trying to get something to identify with the DNA. I’ll even go to the extent to say take the green shirt off you. So, based on what I’ve seen over the last few weeks, this campaign will be one of the easiest campaigns I would have ever been involved in because this is a people’s movement. This is a different time from when those other guys formed their party."
According to Mr. Bastian, Bahamians are fed up with the governing Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).
He claimed both political giants are only looking out for the chosen few in society.
"During our launch, we showed them that we can pull the crowds. And so, we are now number one. They (the FNM and PLP) are fighting for number two and three spots. We will win the next election and hence form the next government," he said.
"Over the next two to three months, my prediction will become clearer and clearer…People want change."
The DNA, which is the brainchild of former cabinet minister Branville McCartney, was officially launched earlier this month. Mr. McCartney claims that his party is the alternative to the two major political parties and not an alternative.
The party says it intends to run a full slate of candidates.
It has already unveiled its first 10 candidates, including Mr. McCartney, who hopes to retain his seat as the Member of Parliament for the Bamboo Town constituency.
Mr. Bastian said it is "just a matter of formality" before he is confirmed as the party’s candidate for South Andros, a constituency he represented from 2002 to 2007.
He lost the seat during the last election to PLP MP Picewell Forbes.
"It really doesn’t matter which tag I put on – DNA or a cat tag. They are prepared to support Whitney Bastian," he said.
"My love for Andros transcends any party name or affiliation because I was doing [a lot] before I got involved in frontline politics and I will continue to do for Andros and The Bahamas as a whole after frontline politics."
Mr. Bastian says he is confident that once given the DNA’s nomination, he would win his seat by an even larger margin than he did in 2002.
"I have been assured by the people that they will do this. While they try to tell me that they made a mistake, I said ‘no, you did exactly what you wanted to do at the time.’ And so, for the last four years, the people have been coming to me. I am confident they are not telling me any lies," he said.
"They have been coming to me, telling me, ‘Whitney, we are sorry for what we have done. We are now able to compare and contrast your representation with the present representation that we have….’ People have the confidence that I will be looking after their interest and I do have their interest at heart…"
There has been no word on when the next general election will take place.
But many Bahamians are viewing the decision to end the current voter register on July 14 as a surefire sign that it will not be long.
May 30th, 2011
jonesbahamas
By Macushla N. Pinder
jonesbahamas
Former parliamentarian Whitney Bastian may not have a crystal ball, but he is convinced he knows exactly how the next general election will play out.
The former South Andros MP predicts the newly formed Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party will become the next government of The Bahamas.
"The way things are going right now, I see the DNA winning at least 25 seats. It might be more than that. People say it is a wave moving. It is a not a wave; it is a tsunami," he said during a recent interview with the Bahama Journal.
"Everywhere you go, Bahamians, young and old, are trying to get something to identify with the DNA. I’ll even go to the extent to say take the green shirt off you. So, based on what I’ve seen over the last few weeks, this campaign will be one of the easiest campaigns I would have ever been involved in because this is a people’s movement. This is a different time from when those other guys formed their party."
According to Mr. Bastian, Bahamians are fed up with the governing Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).
He claimed both political giants are only looking out for the chosen few in society.
"During our launch, we showed them that we can pull the crowds. And so, we are now number one. They (the FNM and PLP) are fighting for number two and three spots. We will win the next election and hence form the next government," he said.
"Over the next two to three months, my prediction will become clearer and clearer…People want change."
The DNA, which is the brainchild of former cabinet minister Branville McCartney, was officially launched earlier this month. Mr. McCartney claims that his party is the alternative to the two major political parties and not an alternative.
The party says it intends to run a full slate of candidates.
It has already unveiled its first 10 candidates, including Mr. McCartney, who hopes to retain his seat as the Member of Parliament for the Bamboo Town constituency.
Mr. Bastian said it is "just a matter of formality" before he is confirmed as the party’s candidate for South Andros, a constituency he represented from 2002 to 2007.
He lost the seat during the last election to PLP MP Picewell Forbes.
"It really doesn’t matter which tag I put on – DNA or a cat tag. They are prepared to support Whitney Bastian," he said.
"My love for Andros transcends any party name or affiliation because I was doing [a lot] before I got involved in frontline politics and I will continue to do for Andros and The Bahamas as a whole after frontline politics."
Mr. Bastian says he is confident that once given the DNA’s nomination, he would win his seat by an even larger margin than he did in 2002.
"I have been assured by the people that they will do this. While they try to tell me that they made a mistake, I said ‘no, you did exactly what you wanted to do at the time.’ And so, for the last four years, the people have been coming to me. I am confident they are not telling me any lies," he said.
"They have been coming to me, telling me, ‘Whitney, we are sorry for what we have done. We are now able to compare and contrast your representation with the present representation that we have….’ People have the confidence that I will be looking after their interest and I do have their interest at heart…"
There has been no word on when the next general election will take place.
But many Bahamians are viewing the decision to end the current voter register on July 14 as a surefire sign that it will not be long.
May 30th, 2011
jonesbahamas
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Rodney Moncur's Worker's Party dissolved... to join the newly formed Branville McCartney's Democratic National Alliance (DNA)
The Worker's Party dissolves to join DNA
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net
THE Worker's Party dissolved its organisation yesterday after 35 years in politics, to join the newly formed Democratic National Alliance (DNA).
Leader Rodney Moncur said the party's membership is collectively migrating to the DNA "to respond to the call of the people of Elizabeth and, indeed, to the cry of voters elsewhere throughout the country for a single, united alternative to this FNM-PLP partnership.".
He said members of the party are ready to go to work.
"We have been in the field for over 30 years. We are mature men and women. There are no egos or hang ups. We are prepared to submit to a leader who will lead based on principle, based on the best interests of the nation. We are now ready to work and lock down," said Mr Moncur.
While campaigning in the Elizabeth bye-election, Mr Moncur said the party got the message from constituents that it would be good "if all the small parties could form a united group."
"We started hearing this joint dismissal of the FNM and PLP clearly in the Elizabeth bye-election in February 2010, when, for the first time in Bahamian history, a frightening percentage of the voters failed to show up at the polls leaving the hapless and embarrassed PLP and FNM to engage in a virtual dogfight, right down to the last vote," said Mr Moncur.
Mr Moncur said the nation was at a critical point in its political history, where for the first time, the Bahamian electorate are in a position to make a fair comparison between the FNM and PLP.
"Up until 1992, the FNM, in an independent Bahamas, had never been tried and tested in Government by the Bahamian people; and the PLP enjoyed overwhelming public support. So it was naturally impossible for any third party that would have been formed during those years to attract the support and build the capacity to challenge both the PLP and the FNM.
"By 2002, the Bahamian people had tried the PLP in Government for 25 years and in opposition for 10 years; and similarly the people had experienced the FNM in some form or other in opposition for 25 years and in Government for 10 years," said Mr Moncur.
"It was at that point that the serious evaluation of the two parties began to develop; it was at this point that voters for the first time could easily compare the two parties and their styles of governance," he said.
Mr Moncur said Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie are "equally balanced", because they represent "the two sides of the Pindling coin."
"Christie is hopelessly indecisive, Ingraham is dangerously rash and impetuous. While Christie claims to be people-oriented and compassionate, Ingraham painfully demonstrates abrasiveness and an utter lack of compassion. Whereas Christie is prone to become bogged down in endless counsels and analyses, Ingraham crawls up high on the rock of stubborn pig-headedness," said Mr Moncur.
"Whereas Christie's Ministers were a wild and uncontrolled bunch, having little respect for him, Ingraham's Ministers are said to be cowering in fear as he shouts them down and makes them submit to his one-man, iron-hand rule," he said.
Mr Moncur lamented the decision of the Bahamas Democratic Movement and members of the National Development Party (NDP) for allowing themselves to be "wooed and swallowed up by the old guard, the hapless and hopeless FNM-PLP, instead of joining forces with the DNA".
The country has never seen such an "upheaval" and "deep-seated rupture in the electorate" since 1971, when the Free PLP was formed, according to Mr Moncur. This climate has allowed Branville McCartney to emerge as "a credible and capable alternative," said Mr Moncur. He said Mr McCartney is the "medicine that will cure the country of both Ingraham and Christie".
Mr Moncur lamented the fact that both the Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) and the National Development Party (NDP) allowed themselves to be "wooed and swallowed up by the old guard, the hapless and hopeless FNM-PLP," instead of joining forces with the DNA.
May 31, 2011
tribune242
By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net
THE Worker's Party dissolved its organisation yesterday after 35 years in politics, to join the newly formed Democratic National Alliance (DNA).
Leader Rodney Moncur said the party's membership is collectively migrating to the DNA "to respond to the call of the people of Elizabeth and, indeed, to the cry of voters elsewhere throughout the country for a single, united alternative to this FNM-PLP partnership.".
He said members of the party are ready to go to work.
"We have been in the field for over 30 years. We are mature men and women. There are no egos or hang ups. We are prepared to submit to a leader who will lead based on principle, based on the best interests of the nation. We are now ready to work and lock down," said Mr Moncur.
While campaigning in the Elizabeth bye-election, Mr Moncur said the party got the message from constituents that it would be good "if all the small parties could form a united group."
"We started hearing this joint dismissal of the FNM and PLP clearly in the Elizabeth bye-election in February 2010, when, for the first time in Bahamian history, a frightening percentage of the voters failed to show up at the polls leaving the hapless and embarrassed PLP and FNM to engage in a virtual dogfight, right down to the last vote," said Mr Moncur.
Mr Moncur said the nation was at a critical point in its political history, where for the first time, the Bahamian electorate are in a position to make a fair comparison between the FNM and PLP.
"Up until 1992, the FNM, in an independent Bahamas, had never been tried and tested in Government by the Bahamian people; and the PLP enjoyed overwhelming public support. So it was naturally impossible for any third party that would have been formed during those years to attract the support and build the capacity to challenge both the PLP and the FNM.
"By 2002, the Bahamian people had tried the PLP in Government for 25 years and in opposition for 10 years; and similarly the people had experienced the FNM in some form or other in opposition for 25 years and in Government for 10 years," said Mr Moncur.
"It was at that point that the serious evaluation of the two parties began to develop; it was at this point that voters for the first time could easily compare the two parties and their styles of governance," he said.
Mr Moncur said Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie are "equally balanced", because they represent "the two sides of the Pindling coin."
"Christie is hopelessly indecisive, Ingraham is dangerously rash and impetuous. While Christie claims to be people-oriented and compassionate, Ingraham painfully demonstrates abrasiveness and an utter lack of compassion. Whereas Christie is prone to become bogged down in endless counsels and analyses, Ingraham crawls up high on the rock of stubborn pig-headedness," said Mr Moncur.
"Whereas Christie's Ministers were a wild and uncontrolled bunch, having little respect for him, Ingraham's Ministers are said to be cowering in fear as he shouts them down and makes them submit to his one-man, iron-hand rule," he said.
Mr Moncur lamented the decision of the Bahamas Democratic Movement and members of the National Development Party (NDP) for allowing themselves to be "wooed and swallowed up by the old guard, the hapless and hopeless FNM-PLP, instead of joining forces with the DNA".
The country has never seen such an "upheaval" and "deep-seated rupture in the electorate" since 1971, when the Free PLP was formed, according to Mr Moncur. This climate has allowed Branville McCartney to emerge as "a credible and capable alternative," said Mr Moncur. He said Mr McCartney is the "medicine that will cure the country of both Ingraham and Christie".
Mr Moncur lamented the fact that both the Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) and the National Development Party (NDP) allowed themselves to be "wooed and swallowed up by the old guard, the hapless and hopeless FNM-PLP," instead of joining forces with the DNA.
May 31, 2011
tribune242
[WikiLeaks] John Rood - United States Ambassador to The Bahamas: ...there seemed at times to be “two Fred Mitchells” — the polite and polished public Fred Mitchell and the more private, but more revealing Fred Mitchell
The Mitchell Files: What the Americans really thought
By CANDIA DAMES
NG News Editor
thenassauguardian
candia@nasguard.com
THE NATIONAL REVIEW
In 2005, United States Ambassador to The Bahamas John Rood remarked that there seemed at times to be “two Fred Mitchells” — the polite and polished public Mitchell and the more private, but more revealing Mitchell, according to one of the cables in The Nassau Guardian’s treasure trove of diplomatic documents secured through WikiLeaks.
Because of his position as foreign minister for most of the years covered by the cables, Mitchell is mentioned in the documents more than any other person.
The view of Mitchell is a mixed bag.
One U.S. diplomat wrote of Mitchell, “He is one of the government’s sharpest and most active ministers.”
The cables expose fascinating, behind the scenes insights into how country-to-country diplomacy works, and in unpolished details, how the Americans truly viewed Fred Mitchell.
Their assessment was amazingly candid.
One embassy official wrote in one of the cables: “In public, FM Mitchell studiously avoids commenting on scandals and making overly-provocative speeches.
“A pretentious and intellectual man, he prefers to remain above the fray in these situations.”
Mitchell has a desire to be seen and heard in the international arena, wrote a diplomat in another cable.
In yet another cable, a U.S. embassy official claimed businessman Franklyn Wilson had “pleaded with us” to engage constructively with The Bahamas and support Foreign Minister Mitchell’s desire to play a more prominent role on the world stage.”
A U.S. diplomat observed in a 2004 cable: “Despite a life-long career as a politician in a country where politics is personalized to the extreme, neither kissing babies nor making small talk comes naturally to Mitchell.
“He prefers to deal with agendas expeditiously and then engage in philosophical discussions or reviews of international relations drawing on his seminars at Harvard’s Kennedy School.”
It is clear from the cables — and perhaps a surprise to no one — that Fred Mitchell almost single-handedly drove the country’s foreign policy during the Christie years.
His knowledge of world issues and events, his intelligence, ambition and trademark discipline have made him well respected in both regional and international circles.
He is at home on the world stage.
Today, as opposition spokesman on foreign affairs and the public service, Mitchell shows more interest and persistence as a shadow minister than any other colleague in the Progressive Liberal Party’s parliamentary caucus.
The Americans recognized these qualities in Fred Mitchell, although they seemed deeply concerned about the foreign policy stance on a number of issues, which he drove. In some ways, the Americans viewed Mitchell as unhelpful.
“His intelligence, work ethic, and undisguised ambition have made Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell one of the three or four most powerful members of the Perry Christie government and a person of growing influence in the Caribbean,” observed a U.S. official in 2005.
“…Fred Mitchell is a Bahamian and a black nationalist.
“The public Fred Mitchell is polished, sophisticated, and smooth and with a skilled attorney’s ability to make commitments that commit to nothing.
“Mitchell’s ‘personalistic’, close to the vest operating style frequently leaves his own ministry in the dark about his motives, policies and actions.”
The cable said the foreign minister accepted that The Bahamas is located next to the world’s superpower while constantly seeking, in small ways, to play a mini-balance of power game to try to expand The Bahamas’ foreign policy options.
The embassy official wrote that Mitchell had been particularly unhelpful on certain issues, including Haiti and a wide variety of U.N. General Assembly votes.
“Mitchell sees CARICOM as a means to an end,” the official wrote.
“The Bahamas would have little to no influence in the internal sphere if it did not band with ‘its Caribbean brothers and sisters’.
“…Minister Mitchell believes that the only time the U.S. pays attention to CARICOM countries is when Washington needs something from the region.”
A diplomat also wrote: “Mitchell has developed a persona of an aloof and humorless, but highly intellectual and respected politician.
“Oftentimes, Mitchell appears to be in agreement with officials at meetings, and then expresses opposite opinions to the media or in Cabinet. He has aspirations of being an international player and future prime minister.”
But the diplomat predicted that Mitchell’s political assent would be hampered.
The official continued: “Mitchell is respected for his intellect, but not particularly well-liked — (not) even by the current prime minister (Christie).
“PM Christie has made snide remarks with reference to the dress and manner of the foreign minister in front of embassy personnel.
“Nevertheless, Christie trusts Mitchell, defers to him on all foreign policy matters, and often chooses him to represent The Bahamas at CARICOM heads of government meetings.”
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
The Americans’ observation of Mitchell went past his role as foreign minister.
For instance, two days before the May 2, 2007 general election, Mitchell walked his constituency with a U.S. Embassy official at his side, a cable reveals.
Mitchell talked about local politics and the rigors of campaigning in what was shaping up to be a hot race.
According to the cable, Mitchell invited the embassy official to observe his campaign. To avoid any claim of favoritism, the diplomat also observed an unnamed FNM candidate campaign in a neighboring constituency, the cable said.
When he visited Fox Hill with Mitchell, the diplomat sat in living room after living room observing Mitchell’s interaction with voters, many of whom placed their many needs before the MP, the cable said.
“As we entered each voter’s formal salon, they proceeded to regale Mitchell with their problems,” wrote the embassy official.
“A few wanted to talk issues, but most were eager to petition Mitchell for help as a serf may have done when granted access to his feudal lord.”
The diplomat said in the cable that the voters clearly had the upper hand and knew it.
While it is unclear what Mitchell’s motive was when he extended the invitation, the constituency visit provided an opportunity for that official to conduct an extensive analysis of Mitchell the politician, and the American diplomat goes into remarkable details in his writings that followed the Fox Hill visit.
The diplomat documented what he perceived to be Mitchell’s frustrations on the campaign trail. He provides direct quotes attributed to the then foreign minister.
“This is Bahamian politics,” Mitchell is quoted as saying. “You want to talk about issues and they (voters) want to take whatever they can get.
“You want to help, you want to ease pain, and you must show that you care to get elected. But there is a line they want you to cross.”
The cable said a campaign worker acknowledged that the line is sometimes crossed: “People get bills paid, appliances are bought, cash changes hands. It happens, but we don’t do it.”
According to the diplomat, Mitchell openly complained that his role as minister of foreign affairs and public service put him in a particularly bad position during the campaign.
“Everyone wants a government job,” Mitchell is quoted as saying. “I wish I didn’t have the public service portfolio and I could tell them nothing could be done.”
The cable said: “Mitchell also acknowledged, however, that his public service portfolio was busiest during the campaign — taking him away from the road for hours a day as he signs for new perks and jobs.”
That cable — which was classified by then Charge d’Affaires Brent Hardt — says: “Mitchell is ill at ease with the personal interaction of grass-roots politics, but he balances this with cunning strategic planning, making his reelection uncertain and, as confirmed by his own maps, too close to call.”
The diplomat also observed: “Mitchell, not warm and sympathetic by nature, was obviously uncomfortable with deeply personal interactions with the voters. Outside their homes, however, he shined, engaging in detailed strategic discussions, planning neighborhood events and deftly directing campaign activities with staff.”
The embassy official wrote that the focus on the individual in campaigning carries over to broader Bahamian politics.
Mitchell, according to the cable, remarked to the diplomat: “Now you know why we can’t get to international agreements in Cabinet.
“We are too busy working on benches.”
He reportedly made the comment after a voter complained about the state of repair of public benches on her street.
On an earlier occasion, the Americans wrote about Mitchell’s frustrations with the level of efficiency of the Christie cabinet.
According to that particular cable, at a luncheon on March 29, 2004, Mitchell was asked by a U.S. diplomat about the status of ratification of the comprehensive maritime agreement. Mitchell reportedly indicated that the matter had to go to cabinet.
“Mitchell again wistfully mused about how the Bahamian cabinet decision-making process might be improved,” the cable said.
“He related that he had learned as a result of his CARICOM attendance that in other Commonwealth countries, debate and intervention on issues in the cabinet is restricted to their ministers whose portfolios are directly impacted by the issue, or ministers that assert fundamental issues of principle.
“In contrast, Mitchell intimated, the Christie cabinet of the Bahamas operates much less efficiently since any minister can intervene and express a view on any issue before the government.”
At a meeting with Ambassador Rood in March 2007, Mitchell expressed his frustration at the indecision in his own government stemming from the pending elections.”
“Mitchell cited the delay in signing the airport management contract and the delay in moving ahead with discussions on the Flight Information Region as two examples,” the cable said.
“He noted that if the elections had been called in November and held in December, the government would either be out of power already or be finished with the elections and able to govern effectively.”
A diplomat wrote in the 2007 cable that followed the Fox Hill visit: “Indeed, the Bahamian cabinet is notoriously overburdened, unable to ratify important international agreements or national policy items as it considers road paving, speed bumps (a voter favorite), stop lights and other issues important to the local population and vital for re-election.”
Mitchell claimed to have the race in Fox Hill locked up, but the cable said the embassy official’s glance at Mitchell’s shaded maps counting support home by home told the story of a very close race.
“Mitchell’s unease with personal politics cannot be helpful to him in The Bahamian system, but is likely balanced by his strategic planning and assistance of a dedicated campaign staff,” the cable said.
“In such a close race — common in The Bahamas because of the small constituencies and important role of swing voters — every vote counts.”
A separate cable said FNM Leader Hubert Ingraham had privately pledged to devote whatever resources it takes to defeat Mitchell.
“The fact that Mitchell now appears to be a target of his own senior staff — even staff that supports his party’s re-election — adds more credibility to the view that Mitchell may not keep his foreign affairs portfolio even if he and the PLP are able to win re-election,” an official wrote.
Commenting generally on the Bahamian election system, the diplomat wrote, “A well-meaning politician could easily be confused between legal attempts to assist those in need and illegal vote buying.
“A dishonest politician, of which there are more than a few in The Bahamas, has ample opportunity for corruption.”
The diplomat highlighted what he suggested was the need for national anti-corruption and good governance legislation.
The embassy official also noted that with small constituencies of only about 4,000 people, candidates know voters by name, and are expected to visit with each voter personally.
“The result is a democratic system that affords everyday Bahamians incredible access to government, and gives representatives intimate knowledge of the concerns and needs of the people they represent. In one sense, it is the classic model of Athenian democracy.
“However, the system creates sometimes irresistible temptations for corruption as needy residents base their votes not on national policy or constituency leadership, but who can put the most in their pockets.
“It also focuses politicians away from larger policy issues towards local minutia, which helps explain the sometimes frustrating lack of action within the Bahamas Cabinet on issues of concern to the U.S. and often to foreign investors.”
DIPLOMATIC BLUNDER
As part of their extensive analysis of Mitchell the foreign minister, the Americans in a 2005 cable reveal an alleged diplomatic blunder on Mitchell’s part.
According to the cable, visiting Israeli Ambassador David Dadonn — who was stationed in Mexico City — expressed dismay to the American ambassador and another embassy official during a private meeting that he had been unable to see Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie during his visit to the Bahamas.
“A clearly frustrated Dadonn complained to the ambassador that his meeting with the prime minister had been repeatedly re-scheduled and then cancelled,” the cable said.
“Dadonn’s problems are similar to those encountered by former Salvadoran President Francisco Flores in scheduling his February 14-15 visit to Nassau to promote his candidacy for the OAS Secretary Generalship.
“Flores first encountered difficulty obtaining a meeting time with the prime minister. Then, while he was airborne on his way to Nassau from El Salvador, the meeting was arbitrarily moved up to start prior to his scheduled landing time. In Flores’ case, however, the meeting eventually occurred and lasted about 45 minutes.”
The focus of Ambassador Dadonn’s unease, however, was his report of his February 14 meeting with Mitchell, the cable said.
“According to Dadonn, his Monday meeting with Mitchell was tense and abrupt,” the diplomat wrote.
“A ‘curt’ FM Mitchell, related Dadonn, entered the Foreign Ministry reception room for the meeting and proceeded to equate Israeli ‘oppression’ of the Palestinian people in the Gaza with ‘white South Africans oppression of the country’s black majority’ prior to majority rule.
“Dadonn told the [U.S.] ambassador that he felt, at this point, no option except to abruptly end the meeting and walk out after only about five minutes.”
The cable continued: “Apparently realizing what he had done, Ambassador Dadonn said FM Mitchell passed a message through the ministry’s number two official, Permanent Secretary Dr. Patricia Rogers, to the Israeli Consul in the Bahamas, Ralph Seligman, that any offense that he might have conveyed was ‘unintended’ and ‘regretful’.
“Dadonn said [Rogers] scheduled a meeting for the following day — one that lasted 50 minutes — during which the permanent secretary said that the minister’s views had been ‘personal’ and ‘did not reflect (Bahamian) government policy’.”
According to the cable, Ambassador Rood made the remark of the “two Fred Mitchells” when he was asked by Dadonn for his analysis of Mitchell’s behavior.
“The [U.S.] ambassador agreed with Dadonn that the Bahamas had not been helpful to the U.S. in several [United Nations General Assembly] votes this past year, citing the Sudan and anti-Israel UNGA resolutions.
“The [U.S.] ambassador also noted that the Bahamas continued to not be as helpful on Haiti as they could be considering the massive U.S. assistance provided to the Bahamas in illegal drug and migrant interdiction.”
The cable said: “The Israeli ambassador was clearly taken aback by FM Mitchell’s comments equating Israel with racist South African policies.
“He stated that such rhetoric isn’t even heard in the Arab world anymore…Mitchell’s candid outburst to the visiting Israeli ambassador probably reflects the ‘real’ Fred Mitchell much more than his deliberately calculated, polished ‘foreign minister’ image.”
BEIJING AND HAVANA
It their scrutiny and observations of Bahamian foreign policy, the Americans viewed closely the Bahamas government’s decision to establish an embassy in Beijing and to upgrade diplomatic relations with Cuba by establishing a resident Bahamian diplomatic presence in Havana.
When Mitchell sat down with a U.S. embassy official in 2003, he was asked about a recent extensive trip he had taken to China.
The official observed that Mitchell remained “closemouthed and uncommunicative”.
As rumors swirled in diplomatic circles that Prime Minister Christie was planning to travel to China as well, the British High commissioner to The Bahamas called a U.S. embassy official to report “that he found it strange that the trip had still not been announced”.
In the cable — which concludes with the last name of then Charge d’Affaires Robert Witajewks — an embassy official said the openings to Beijing and Havana were coming at a time of considerable budget constraints in The Bahamas.
“The government that is delaying salary increases and promotions for civil servants, and cutting back on public projects, apparently has decided that upgrading relations with Cuba and China is worth the expense,” the cable said.
“Certain members of the Christie government support FM Mitchells initiative out of either ideological sympathy, or pure balance of power reasons. Mitchell is doing this for both reasons.”
The embassy official wrote that it is difficult to imagine any concrete benefits to The Bahamas from establishing a closer relationship to Cuba.
“Ideologically, FM Mitchell and others in the Bahamian cabinet will also get psychological gratification from proving that they can conduct an independent foreign policy at odds with (their) superpower neighbor.”
The Americans noted that Mitchell is extremely knowledgeable about the Untied States, at ease in the United States, a frequent visitor to the United States, and accepts the reality of the United States.
“But he probably doesn’t ‘love’ the United States,” the cable said.
“...Like many colleagues in the PLP, he is most comfortable with, and has the most contact with liberals.
“He seeks to differentiate the Bahamas from what he sees as a neo-conservative militaristic tilt in U.S. foreign policy.
“China, Cuba, CARICOM, even the British Commonwealth are all, in Mitchell’s eyes, vehicles that could serve to somehow increase Bahamian freedom of action otherwise constrained by the geographical reality of being located less than 50 miles from the United States.”
The diplomat wrote that Mitchell thinks of himself as a policy intellectual and strategist on par with players of larger countries in the global arena.
“In his role as foreign minister, Fred Mitchell has been criticized for his excessive travel by the Bahamian public,” an embassy official wrote.
Today, Mitchell is again seeking re-election in a constituency he won marginally in 2007. A week ago, he formally launched his campaign.
As opposition spokesman on foreign affairs, he has sought to keep a close relationship with the Americans.
Whether he would see a return as foreign minister should the PLP be re-elected, remains unclear, especially in light of the views U.S. diplomats have expressed about his “unhelpfulness” in certain foreign policy areas.
5/30/2011
thenassauguardian
By CANDIA DAMES
NG News Editor
thenassauguardian
candia@nasguard.com
THE NATIONAL REVIEW
In 2005, United States Ambassador to The Bahamas John Rood remarked that there seemed at times to be “two Fred Mitchells” — the polite and polished public Mitchell and the more private, but more revealing Mitchell, according to one of the cables in The Nassau Guardian’s treasure trove of diplomatic documents secured through WikiLeaks.
Because of his position as foreign minister for most of the years covered by the cables, Mitchell is mentioned in the documents more than any other person.
The view of Mitchell is a mixed bag.
One U.S. diplomat wrote of Mitchell, “He is one of the government’s sharpest and most active ministers.”
The cables expose fascinating, behind the scenes insights into how country-to-country diplomacy works, and in unpolished details, how the Americans truly viewed Fred Mitchell.
Their assessment was amazingly candid.
One embassy official wrote in one of the cables: “In public, FM Mitchell studiously avoids commenting on scandals and making overly-provocative speeches.
“A pretentious and intellectual man, he prefers to remain above the fray in these situations.”
Mitchell has a desire to be seen and heard in the international arena, wrote a diplomat in another cable.
In yet another cable, a U.S. embassy official claimed businessman Franklyn Wilson had “pleaded with us” to engage constructively with The Bahamas and support Foreign Minister Mitchell’s desire to play a more prominent role on the world stage.”
A U.S. diplomat observed in a 2004 cable: “Despite a life-long career as a politician in a country where politics is personalized to the extreme, neither kissing babies nor making small talk comes naturally to Mitchell.
“He prefers to deal with agendas expeditiously and then engage in philosophical discussions or reviews of international relations drawing on his seminars at Harvard’s Kennedy School.”
It is clear from the cables — and perhaps a surprise to no one — that Fred Mitchell almost single-handedly drove the country’s foreign policy during the Christie years.
His knowledge of world issues and events, his intelligence, ambition and trademark discipline have made him well respected in both regional and international circles.
He is at home on the world stage.
Today, as opposition spokesman on foreign affairs and the public service, Mitchell shows more interest and persistence as a shadow minister than any other colleague in the Progressive Liberal Party’s parliamentary caucus.
The Americans recognized these qualities in Fred Mitchell, although they seemed deeply concerned about the foreign policy stance on a number of issues, which he drove. In some ways, the Americans viewed Mitchell as unhelpful.
“His intelligence, work ethic, and undisguised ambition have made Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell one of the three or four most powerful members of the Perry Christie government and a person of growing influence in the Caribbean,” observed a U.S. official in 2005.
“…Fred Mitchell is a Bahamian and a black nationalist.
“The public Fred Mitchell is polished, sophisticated, and smooth and with a skilled attorney’s ability to make commitments that commit to nothing.
“Mitchell’s ‘personalistic’, close to the vest operating style frequently leaves his own ministry in the dark about his motives, policies and actions.”
The cable said the foreign minister accepted that The Bahamas is located next to the world’s superpower while constantly seeking, in small ways, to play a mini-balance of power game to try to expand The Bahamas’ foreign policy options.
The embassy official wrote that Mitchell had been particularly unhelpful on certain issues, including Haiti and a wide variety of U.N. General Assembly votes.
“Mitchell sees CARICOM as a means to an end,” the official wrote.
“The Bahamas would have little to no influence in the internal sphere if it did not band with ‘its Caribbean brothers and sisters’.
“…Minister Mitchell believes that the only time the U.S. pays attention to CARICOM countries is when Washington needs something from the region.”
A diplomat also wrote: “Mitchell has developed a persona of an aloof and humorless, but highly intellectual and respected politician.
“Oftentimes, Mitchell appears to be in agreement with officials at meetings, and then expresses opposite opinions to the media or in Cabinet. He has aspirations of being an international player and future prime minister.”
But the diplomat predicted that Mitchell’s political assent would be hampered.
The official continued: “Mitchell is respected for his intellect, but not particularly well-liked — (not) even by the current prime minister (Christie).
“PM Christie has made snide remarks with reference to the dress and manner of the foreign minister in front of embassy personnel.
“Nevertheless, Christie trusts Mitchell, defers to him on all foreign policy matters, and often chooses him to represent The Bahamas at CARICOM heads of government meetings.”
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
The Americans’ observation of Mitchell went past his role as foreign minister.
For instance, two days before the May 2, 2007 general election, Mitchell walked his constituency with a U.S. Embassy official at his side, a cable reveals.
Mitchell talked about local politics and the rigors of campaigning in what was shaping up to be a hot race.
According to the cable, Mitchell invited the embassy official to observe his campaign. To avoid any claim of favoritism, the diplomat also observed an unnamed FNM candidate campaign in a neighboring constituency, the cable said.
When he visited Fox Hill with Mitchell, the diplomat sat in living room after living room observing Mitchell’s interaction with voters, many of whom placed their many needs before the MP, the cable said.
“As we entered each voter’s formal salon, they proceeded to regale Mitchell with their problems,” wrote the embassy official.
“A few wanted to talk issues, but most were eager to petition Mitchell for help as a serf may have done when granted access to his feudal lord.”
The diplomat said in the cable that the voters clearly had the upper hand and knew it.
While it is unclear what Mitchell’s motive was when he extended the invitation, the constituency visit provided an opportunity for that official to conduct an extensive analysis of Mitchell the politician, and the American diplomat goes into remarkable details in his writings that followed the Fox Hill visit.
The diplomat documented what he perceived to be Mitchell’s frustrations on the campaign trail. He provides direct quotes attributed to the then foreign minister.
“This is Bahamian politics,” Mitchell is quoted as saying. “You want to talk about issues and they (voters) want to take whatever they can get.
“You want to help, you want to ease pain, and you must show that you care to get elected. But there is a line they want you to cross.”
The cable said a campaign worker acknowledged that the line is sometimes crossed: “People get bills paid, appliances are bought, cash changes hands. It happens, but we don’t do it.”
According to the diplomat, Mitchell openly complained that his role as minister of foreign affairs and public service put him in a particularly bad position during the campaign.
“Everyone wants a government job,” Mitchell is quoted as saying. “I wish I didn’t have the public service portfolio and I could tell them nothing could be done.”
The cable said: “Mitchell also acknowledged, however, that his public service portfolio was busiest during the campaign — taking him away from the road for hours a day as he signs for new perks and jobs.”
That cable — which was classified by then Charge d’Affaires Brent Hardt — says: “Mitchell is ill at ease with the personal interaction of grass-roots politics, but he balances this with cunning strategic planning, making his reelection uncertain and, as confirmed by his own maps, too close to call.”
The diplomat also observed: “Mitchell, not warm and sympathetic by nature, was obviously uncomfortable with deeply personal interactions with the voters. Outside their homes, however, he shined, engaging in detailed strategic discussions, planning neighborhood events and deftly directing campaign activities with staff.”
The embassy official wrote that the focus on the individual in campaigning carries over to broader Bahamian politics.
Mitchell, according to the cable, remarked to the diplomat: “Now you know why we can’t get to international agreements in Cabinet.
“We are too busy working on benches.”
He reportedly made the comment after a voter complained about the state of repair of public benches on her street.
On an earlier occasion, the Americans wrote about Mitchell’s frustrations with the level of efficiency of the Christie cabinet.
According to that particular cable, at a luncheon on March 29, 2004, Mitchell was asked by a U.S. diplomat about the status of ratification of the comprehensive maritime agreement. Mitchell reportedly indicated that the matter had to go to cabinet.
“Mitchell again wistfully mused about how the Bahamian cabinet decision-making process might be improved,” the cable said.
“He related that he had learned as a result of his CARICOM attendance that in other Commonwealth countries, debate and intervention on issues in the cabinet is restricted to their ministers whose portfolios are directly impacted by the issue, or ministers that assert fundamental issues of principle.
“In contrast, Mitchell intimated, the Christie cabinet of the Bahamas operates much less efficiently since any minister can intervene and express a view on any issue before the government.”
At a meeting with Ambassador Rood in March 2007, Mitchell expressed his frustration at the indecision in his own government stemming from the pending elections.”
“Mitchell cited the delay in signing the airport management contract and the delay in moving ahead with discussions on the Flight Information Region as two examples,” the cable said.
“He noted that if the elections had been called in November and held in December, the government would either be out of power already or be finished with the elections and able to govern effectively.”
A diplomat wrote in the 2007 cable that followed the Fox Hill visit: “Indeed, the Bahamian cabinet is notoriously overburdened, unable to ratify important international agreements or national policy items as it considers road paving, speed bumps (a voter favorite), stop lights and other issues important to the local population and vital for re-election.”
Mitchell claimed to have the race in Fox Hill locked up, but the cable said the embassy official’s glance at Mitchell’s shaded maps counting support home by home told the story of a very close race.
“Mitchell’s unease with personal politics cannot be helpful to him in The Bahamian system, but is likely balanced by his strategic planning and assistance of a dedicated campaign staff,” the cable said.
“In such a close race — common in The Bahamas because of the small constituencies and important role of swing voters — every vote counts.”
A separate cable said FNM Leader Hubert Ingraham had privately pledged to devote whatever resources it takes to defeat Mitchell.
“The fact that Mitchell now appears to be a target of his own senior staff — even staff that supports his party’s re-election — adds more credibility to the view that Mitchell may not keep his foreign affairs portfolio even if he and the PLP are able to win re-election,” an official wrote.
Commenting generally on the Bahamian election system, the diplomat wrote, “A well-meaning politician could easily be confused between legal attempts to assist those in need and illegal vote buying.
“A dishonest politician, of which there are more than a few in The Bahamas, has ample opportunity for corruption.”
The diplomat highlighted what he suggested was the need for national anti-corruption and good governance legislation.
The embassy official also noted that with small constituencies of only about 4,000 people, candidates know voters by name, and are expected to visit with each voter personally.
“The result is a democratic system that affords everyday Bahamians incredible access to government, and gives representatives intimate knowledge of the concerns and needs of the people they represent. In one sense, it is the classic model of Athenian democracy.
“However, the system creates sometimes irresistible temptations for corruption as needy residents base their votes not on national policy or constituency leadership, but who can put the most in their pockets.
“It also focuses politicians away from larger policy issues towards local minutia, which helps explain the sometimes frustrating lack of action within the Bahamas Cabinet on issues of concern to the U.S. and often to foreign investors.”
DIPLOMATIC BLUNDER
As part of their extensive analysis of Mitchell the foreign minister, the Americans in a 2005 cable reveal an alleged diplomatic blunder on Mitchell’s part.
According to the cable, visiting Israeli Ambassador David Dadonn — who was stationed in Mexico City — expressed dismay to the American ambassador and another embassy official during a private meeting that he had been unable to see Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie during his visit to the Bahamas.
“A clearly frustrated Dadonn complained to the ambassador that his meeting with the prime minister had been repeatedly re-scheduled and then cancelled,” the cable said.
“Dadonn’s problems are similar to those encountered by former Salvadoran President Francisco Flores in scheduling his February 14-15 visit to Nassau to promote his candidacy for the OAS Secretary Generalship.
“Flores first encountered difficulty obtaining a meeting time with the prime minister. Then, while he was airborne on his way to Nassau from El Salvador, the meeting was arbitrarily moved up to start prior to his scheduled landing time. In Flores’ case, however, the meeting eventually occurred and lasted about 45 minutes.”
The focus of Ambassador Dadonn’s unease, however, was his report of his February 14 meeting with Mitchell, the cable said.
“According to Dadonn, his Monday meeting with Mitchell was tense and abrupt,” the diplomat wrote.
“A ‘curt’ FM Mitchell, related Dadonn, entered the Foreign Ministry reception room for the meeting and proceeded to equate Israeli ‘oppression’ of the Palestinian people in the Gaza with ‘white South Africans oppression of the country’s black majority’ prior to majority rule.
“Dadonn told the [U.S.] ambassador that he felt, at this point, no option except to abruptly end the meeting and walk out after only about five minutes.”
The cable continued: “Apparently realizing what he had done, Ambassador Dadonn said FM Mitchell passed a message through the ministry’s number two official, Permanent Secretary Dr. Patricia Rogers, to the Israeli Consul in the Bahamas, Ralph Seligman, that any offense that he might have conveyed was ‘unintended’ and ‘regretful’.
“Dadonn said [Rogers] scheduled a meeting for the following day — one that lasted 50 minutes — during which the permanent secretary said that the minister’s views had been ‘personal’ and ‘did not reflect (Bahamian) government policy’.”
According to the cable, Ambassador Rood made the remark of the “two Fred Mitchells” when he was asked by Dadonn for his analysis of Mitchell’s behavior.
“The [U.S.] ambassador agreed with Dadonn that the Bahamas had not been helpful to the U.S. in several [United Nations General Assembly] votes this past year, citing the Sudan and anti-Israel UNGA resolutions.
“The [U.S.] ambassador also noted that the Bahamas continued to not be as helpful on Haiti as they could be considering the massive U.S. assistance provided to the Bahamas in illegal drug and migrant interdiction.”
The cable said: “The Israeli ambassador was clearly taken aback by FM Mitchell’s comments equating Israel with racist South African policies.
“He stated that such rhetoric isn’t even heard in the Arab world anymore…Mitchell’s candid outburst to the visiting Israeli ambassador probably reflects the ‘real’ Fred Mitchell much more than his deliberately calculated, polished ‘foreign minister’ image.”
BEIJING AND HAVANA
It their scrutiny and observations of Bahamian foreign policy, the Americans viewed closely the Bahamas government’s decision to establish an embassy in Beijing and to upgrade diplomatic relations with Cuba by establishing a resident Bahamian diplomatic presence in Havana.
When Mitchell sat down with a U.S. embassy official in 2003, he was asked about a recent extensive trip he had taken to China.
The official observed that Mitchell remained “closemouthed and uncommunicative”.
As rumors swirled in diplomatic circles that Prime Minister Christie was planning to travel to China as well, the British High commissioner to The Bahamas called a U.S. embassy official to report “that he found it strange that the trip had still not been announced”.
In the cable — which concludes with the last name of then Charge d’Affaires Robert Witajewks — an embassy official said the openings to Beijing and Havana were coming at a time of considerable budget constraints in The Bahamas.
“The government that is delaying salary increases and promotions for civil servants, and cutting back on public projects, apparently has decided that upgrading relations with Cuba and China is worth the expense,” the cable said.
“Certain members of the Christie government support FM Mitchells initiative out of either ideological sympathy, or pure balance of power reasons. Mitchell is doing this for both reasons.”
The embassy official wrote that it is difficult to imagine any concrete benefits to The Bahamas from establishing a closer relationship to Cuba.
“Ideologically, FM Mitchell and others in the Bahamian cabinet will also get psychological gratification from proving that they can conduct an independent foreign policy at odds with (their) superpower neighbor.”
The Americans noted that Mitchell is extremely knowledgeable about the Untied States, at ease in the United States, a frequent visitor to the United States, and accepts the reality of the United States.
“But he probably doesn’t ‘love’ the United States,” the cable said.
“...Like many colleagues in the PLP, he is most comfortable with, and has the most contact with liberals.
“He seeks to differentiate the Bahamas from what he sees as a neo-conservative militaristic tilt in U.S. foreign policy.
“China, Cuba, CARICOM, even the British Commonwealth are all, in Mitchell’s eyes, vehicles that could serve to somehow increase Bahamian freedom of action otherwise constrained by the geographical reality of being located less than 50 miles from the United States.”
The diplomat wrote that Mitchell thinks of himself as a policy intellectual and strategist on par with players of larger countries in the global arena.
“In his role as foreign minister, Fred Mitchell has been criticized for his excessive travel by the Bahamian public,” an embassy official wrote.
Today, Mitchell is again seeking re-election in a constituency he won marginally in 2007. A week ago, he formally launched his campaign.
As opposition spokesman on foreign affairs, he has sought to keep a close relationship with the Americans.
Whether he would see a return as foreign minister should the PLP be re-elected, remains unclear, especially in light of the views U.S. diplomats have expressed about his “unhelpfulness” in certain foreign policy areas.
5/30/2011
thenassauguardian
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