BDM Leader: Country Needs New Leadership
By Sasha L. Lightbourne
As far as the Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) leader sees things, the country is in "desperate need" of new leadership in order for significant progress to be made.
In an interview with the Bahama Journal, Cassius Stuart said he is preparing to head "full steam" into the 2012 general elections as BDM leader.
"We are getting our candidates in order and raising funds to make sure that we are able to compete and properly contest this general election," he said.
"We realise that the Bahamian people are crying and craving something new. I think the leadership of our country needs to be shaken up. Not taking anything away from [Hubert] Ingraham and [Perry] Christie, but you reach to a point where you need to move on because you need an infusion of energy, vision, excitement and that will not come from Ingraham and Christie anymore."
Mr. Stuart believes the problem with black leadership is that no one knows how to step down.
"We don’t know how to transfer authority and power," he said.
"We have to die in office or someone has to pry it from our dead hands and we have to now look at leadership sensibly. Both [Ingraham and Christie] are in their 60s and have done tremendous jobs, been in Parliament for more than 35 years but now we need to move to let the next generation emerge so that a new infusion of ideas can embrace The Bahamas and sadly I don’t see that for the next five years."
The BDM leader explained that people such as himself, need to continue to find ways to say to the Bahamian people that the country needs new leadership.
"Whether the Bahamian people will embrace that, we will find out in 2012 but we are in desperate need of something new," Mr. Stuart said.
"When you look at Grand Bahama, there’s no vision there. The people are suffering because there is no economic activity going on. People are hurting and I am very sad that no government has come up with a solution for them because they deserve attention like we get in New Providence.
He said both governments, the Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), have been producing "hopelessness and despair" in the nation’s second city.
"We need to encourage entrepreneurship and bring hope back to Grand Bahamians," he said.
As for his aspirations to become prime minister, Mr. Stuart said he never entered politics for that reason.
"My aspirations was to help the country," he said.
"I believe that I have something to lend to my country and that was one of the reasons why we formed the BDM, it was never for me to be prime minister - that was never my goal. My goal is how do we fix the crime problem and social issues?"
He further explained that he has invested "a countless amount of money" into his education so that he is able to lend some of what he has learnt to the country.
"I’ve invested so that I can add value to the country," the BDM leader said.
"My goal is not becoming prime minister, it’s how do we add value to the lives of Bahamians? My philosophy is this, if this ship sinks, it sinks for everybody but if it stays afloat then everybody is happy and if I can help it to stay afloat then that’s where I want to be."
March 7th, 2011
jonesbahamas
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.
