To those who did not register to vote in the upcoming general election: ...It is clear that you never really wanted to... The politicians, public officials, the media and everybody else, urged you to register... Yet, you did not... The ability to vote is a privilege many fought and died for

It is now voting time

thenassauguardian editorial

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced yesterday at his party’s beach event that he will inform the country today of the election date.

Ingraham said he will first meet with his Cabinet this morning and a statement will be made by 1 p.m. regarding the next election.  The prime minister also said he will make a national address at 8 p.m. about his party’s term in office and the upcoming election.

“The real bell will ring tomorrow,” Ingraham told thousands of Free National Movement (FNM) supporters yesterday at Montagu Beach.

Ingraham said he hopes voters will be satisfied with the performance of his party this term.  The FNM led the country through the financial crisis of 2008, which led to the worst recession since the Great Depression.  The effects of that recession are still being felt in The Bahamas.  The country’s unemployment rate remains above 15 percent.

“We did the best we could in very difficult circumstances and we believe that the population will accept that we did as much as was possible,” Ingraham said.

In this election the FNM’s main challenger is the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).  Its leader last night at his party’s beach event told PLPs not to “slacken up” but to continue to push hard for a victory after Ingraham calls the next general election.

“For us to win, we must demonstrate that we are prepared to work and to work hard,” said Christie at the Western Esplanade near Arawak Cay.

Parliamentary Commissioner Errol Bethel said recently the number of registered voters has exceeded 170,000 – the largest voter register in Bahamian history.

In the weeks to come in the official campaign, Ingraham and Christie will push with all they have left to be declared winner on Election Day.  The veteran leaders are likely in their last election campaign and neither wants to retire a loser.

Branville McCartney and his Democratic National Alliance (DNA) will do all they can to play spoiler.  The DNA is seeking to create a third way in a country that has essentially only welcomed two parties at a time in its independent history.

What Bahamians must remember in the weeks to come is that this is the people’s time.  After five years of evaluating the government and the opposition, it is time to choose.  No party has the right to be in power.  They must earn our trust.  No leader has the right to lead.  He must prove he is good enough to be in charge and make tough decisions in tough times.  The country needs strong decisive leadership to help resolve many of the problems that make The Bahamas dysfunctional at this time.

For those who did not get to register and who will not get to vote, it is clear that you never really wanted to.  The politicians, public officials, the media and everybody else, urged you to register.  Yet, you did not.  The ability to vote is a privilege many fight and die for.

Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma has spent much of her life in jail fighting for democracy in her country.  Yet we have people here who will not even register to vote.  This is sad.

We must take seriously our democratic responsibilities and participate.  For those who are registered, read a little more these next few weeks; have debates with friends and family; listen to the politicians.  You must be the judge in this contest.  Be informed so you can make an informed decision.

Apr 10, 2012

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International

It is likely that Mr. Branville McCartney’s electoral prospects will be doused at the polls... and, following the 2012 general election, he would be relegated to the political dustbin... having been set on the treadmill to political oblivion

The Enigma of Branville McCartney

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

 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.  

                                 

Caribbean Blog International

The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) seeks all Bahamian votes in the 2012 general election

by The Official Democratic National Alliance


Today’s headline by the Tribune, “Now DNA Seeks Haitian Votes” is very misleading to the Bahamian public, as it suggests an erroneous statement that the Party is underhandedly courting “the Haitian vote.” It would be wise to note that Haitians can only vote in Haiti. Bahamians vote in the Bahamas.

The Democratic National Alliance (DNA), with no other political party present, met with some Bahamian leaders of Haitian descent recently and we discussed the DNA’s policy on immigration, which was not altered from what was presented last year at a public DNA town meeting on immigration, on the Party’s website (www.mydnaparty.org) or as was presented recently at the DNA’s People’s Summit 2012.

It was a fruitful meeting and the DNA believes that it successfully explained to all in attendance that a DNA-government intends to adhere to the law, present a referendum to modernize the country’s regularization laws and remove political hindrances and corruption from the Department of Immigration. At no time did the meeting transform into a plea for votes. Our only focus was to reiterate to the group that the DNA would enforce the laws of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. In addition to:

· Use the most sophisticated technology to ensure that our borders are effectively patrolled.

· Bring the vexing illegal immigration problem in The Bahamas under control through intergovernmental cooperation and in accordance with international Human Rights Laws.

· Review the status of immigrants that have been in The Bahamas for long periods of time and are productive members of society with a view to regularization in accordance with current laws.

· Move with haste to consider the applications of persons entitled to apply for residency/citizenship.

· Move to regularize the status of children born abroad to Bahamian women by way for referendum.

We stand by our decision to denounce President Michel Martelly’s comments during his visit to the Bahamas as divisive and explosive, mainly because all voters are Bahamians and therefore their interests should reflect this country and not that of another. Further, the Free National Movement (FNM) should not have allowed President Martelly to make a state visit to the Bahamas during this charged political season. We feel that his visit was an election ploy engineered by Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and the FNM, which backfired.

The DNA recognizes the vast contribution that Bahamians of Haitian origin continue to make to the Bahamian economy. We will work hand in hand with all Bahamians, no matter their origin, but we believe that a government has the unassailable responsibility to enforce the laws of the country.

February 29, 2012

mydnaparty.org

Caribbean Blog International

The most likely result of the 2012 general election, is that either the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) or the Free National Movement (FNM) will win and form the next government of The Bahamas... ...and the other major party will be the official opposition

The reaction of the election loser

thenassauguardian editorial

There are two ‘unconventional’ scenarios that could result in the next general election if the third party – the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) – wins a few seats.  There could be a minority government if no party wins a majority, but one is able to convince the governor general that it could govern.  The other option is a coalition government could result.  We say unconventional because those types of governments do not occur frequently in The Bahamas.

The most likely scenario, though, is that either the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) or the Free National Movement (FNM) will win and form the government, and the other major party will be the official opposition.

It will be interesting to witness the reaction of the leader of the losing major party.  Perry Christie appears determined to be prime minister again to prove he is good enough to serve multiple terms, just as Sir Lynden Pindling and Hubert Ingraham have.

If the PLP loses the election, with the FNM winning 20 seats and it securing a close number like 18 seats, it is unclear if the 68-year-old Christie would go anywhere.  Such a majority is unstable.  As we have seen this parliamentary term with the resignation of Malcolm Adderley from the House of Assembly and Kenyatta Gibson crossing over from the PLP to the FNM, margins of one are unlikely to lead to longevity for a government.

Consequently, Christie is likely to fight on and attempt to negotiate his way to the fall of the Ingraham government, or to his own majority by luring away marginal FNMs.

If the PLP loses decisively and the FNM secures a strong majority, Christie would have been twice defeated and by an increased margin.  No PLP could force him to leave, but the party elite would pressure him to go.  Whether he would go or not is up to Christie.  He has appointed a ring of protectors (stalwarts) to ensure he cannot be beaten in a leadership race.

Ingraham is a more complicated character.  If he loses 20 seats to 18 seats, he too might make an attempt to lure several PLPs to secure a major.  If such an effort is unsuccessful, he would likely leave.  If the FNM is beaten soundly by the PLP, we think he would go graciously and quickly.

The difference in this regard is that Ingraham appears to be more content with his legacy.  He defeated Sir Lynden; he won back-to-back terms; he won reelection after his party lost an election.  Politically, there is not much else for him to do.

The reaction of the losing leader will be significant for the losing party.  If a party loses and is able to transition quickly to new energetic younger leadership, the eyes of the country would be on the new leader of the opposition.  He or she would have a fair chance at being the next prime minister if the time in opposition is used to demonstrate that the party has a new, bold vision for the country.

However, if the losing leader fights a divisive battle to stay after being rejected in his mid to late 60s, the party and leader might miss the message the electorate conveyed and suffer a worse fate the next time around.

We won’t have to speculate on the future for too much longer.  Voting time is near.

Feb 28, 2012

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International

This year in Bahamian politics - 2011: ... and in 2012... crime, the economy, the New Providence roadworks and leadership are likely to be the major issues debated during the general election campaign... The Bahamian electorate will decide if they want Perry Christie, Hubert Ingraham or Branville McCartney — that is, if a clear winner is chosen

An intriguing year in politics

Year in review 2011

By Brent Dean
Guardian Associate Editor
brentldean@nasguard.com

This year in politics has been a preparation for the year to come.  Next year men who have dedicated their lives to politics are preparing to fight for power, likely for the last time.

Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie, leaders of the Free National Movement (FNM) and Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) respectively, are the main contenders.  Branville McCartney and his Democratic National Alliance (DNA) are making their first appearance.

In 2011, each political leader was faced with internal upset.  Sitting parliamentarians, potential candidates and political wannabes all expressed anger in the public sphere when it became evident that the end had come to their ambitions or careers.

A minister is fired

Kenneth Russell, MP for High Rock and former housing minister, sat next to Hubert Ingraham in the House of Assembly.  Up until November, he rigorously defended Ingraham, his leader, and the policies of his administration.

Then in December, that bond between the men was broken with Russell publicly calling Ingraham a ‘tyrant’ and a ‘dictator’ after being fired from Ingraham’s Cabinet.

“I worked with him a long time and this is the first time I have seen this negative side of him,” said Russell on December 9, the day he was fired.

“The prime minister was my friend.  In fact, we are related.  The same aunties and uncles he has in Cooper’s Town (Abaco), so do I.

“I don’t know why he turned this way, but I have no problem with it; it’s his choice to make.  Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord is always with me.  And even though Ingraham would attempt to slay me, I still love him.”

Ingraham indicated Russell was fired for inappropriately discussing Cabinet business — a project for Grand Bahama that was rejected by Cabinet.  However, some political observers think Russell’s termination resulted from Ingraham’s desire not to run him in the next election and his public complaints about that decision.

Whatever the reason, Russell ends 2011 an outsider.  He will not be a candidate for Ingraham’s FNM.

Opposition party upset

Christie and McCartney had their share of public break-ups too over nominations.

In June, then PLP treasurer Craig Butler resigned his post and left the party because he could not secure a PLP nomination.

Butler sought the party nomination in the February 2010 Elizabeth by-election.  He was rejected.  He then tried for the PLP nomination for the old Kennedy constituency.  He was rejected again.

Butler has admitted past drug use.  The PLP, a party that has had to wrestle with embarrassing scandals in the past, would not budge on its opposition to Butler’s candidacy under its banner.  Butler has vowed to run as an independent.

While Butler left the party because he could not get a nomination, a former PLP colleague of his was forced to announce he would not run in the general election.

Vincent Peet, the North Andros and Berry Islands MP, on December 20 bowed out after an issue regarding $180,000 in client funds was made public in a series of Nassau Guardian stories.

“After much prayerful deliberation and after much consultation with constituents, colleagues, family and friends, including the esteemed leader of my party, Perry Christie, I have decided not to stand for re-election in the forthcoming general election,” Peet said in a statement.

“My decision in this regard is final and irreversible and I have informed my leader and the relevant councils of my party accordingly.  At this particular juncture of my life, I need to concentrate my attention and energy on my legal practice.”

Dr. Perry Gomez is to take Peet’s place as the PLP’s North Andros candidate.

DNA disputes

McCartney’s party revoked the nominations of two candidates, it said, for non-performance.

Former High Rock candidate Philip Thomas and former South Beach candidate Sammie Poitier, also known as Sammi Starr, were out at the end of November.

However, McCartney and Thomas gave different reasons as to why Thomas is no longer the candidate for High Rock.

Thomas claimed he was kicked out for disagreeing with McCartney, while McCartney claimed Thomas was not living up to the commitment he made to the party.

On December 5, McCartney denied reports that his party was falling apart after the break-up with Thomas and Poitier.

“It’s not falling apart at all; it’s growing every day and getting stronger and stronger,” he said.

“We’ve been in existence for six months, we’ve made history in six months and we have become a major party within a six-month period.”

Is the DNA real?

McCartney faced these political issues at year’s end.  His DNA party was launched May 12.  At his launch event at the Wyndham Nassau Resort on Cable Beach he called on Bahamians to “redefine the possible”.

“I truly believe that you are not here simply because you have nothing better to do, but because you believe that change is necessary, and you know, like I know, that our country is not the country we envisioned it to be,” he said.

McCartney hopes to take advantage of perceived dissatisfaction with the PLP and FNM.

In 2002, with Ingraham as leader and Tommy Turnquest as leader-elect, the FNM lost by a landslide margin to the PLP.  In 2007, with a growing economy, Christie’s PLP lost to the Ingraham-led FNM.  In 2012, Ingraham and Christie plan to return to the electorate as the leaders of their respective parties.

They present themselves at a time when the country has set four murder records in five years and the unemployment rate is above 13 percent.

McCartney thinks the Bahamian people now want a change.

Even if this is true, Bahamians are conservative voters.  Dr. Bernard Nottage was the leader of the Coalition for Democratic Reform (CDR) in 2002.  He was the sitting Member of Parliament for Kennedy at the time, having left the PLP.  In that election Dr. Nottage’s party only won two percent of the vote and he lost his seat.

History is not on McCartney’s side.

The stakes are high for the leaders

Ingraham and Christie have been at it, politically, for quite a while.  Both have been MPs since 1977.  Both were young ministers in Sir Lynden Pindling’s Cabinet.  Both served as leader of the opposition and as prime minister.

Christie will be 69 next year.  Ingraham will be 65.  These friends and adversaries have become so powerful in their respective parties that neither could be moved internally.  But, the years have taken their toll and most observers think that this is the last race for the historic duo — the winner becoming prime minister again and the loser going in to retirement.

For McCartney, the stakes are also high.  If his DNA does poorly and he loses his seat in the House, a promising career could be over.

Crime, the economy, the New Providence roadworks and leadership are likely to be the major issues debated during the campaign.  The voters will decide if they want Christie, Ingraham or McCartney — that is, if a clear winner is chosen.

The 2007 general election was decided by fewer than 4,000 votes and the 2010 Elizabeth by-election by only three votes after a court case.  The country has remained divided from the last general election and a third party makes the race more unpredictable.

If Ingraham wins again his political success will debatably rival his mentor Sir Lynden Pindling.  If Christie wins he would be able to complete an agenda he thinks was pulled from him too soon.  If McCartney wins, even just a few seats, Bahamian politics would change forever.

With 38 seats in play –—the boundaries commission cut the constituency number to the constitutional minimum — this battle will play out seat by seat in community after community.  As it should be, the people will decide the fates of these leaders and their parties.

Dec 28, 2011

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Election time in the Bahamas: ...the 2012 election promises to be worse than any we have ever been through, and reporters will have to hone their investigative skills to avoid the traps as they dig for the truth

A political plot without foundation


tribune242 editorial


ELECTION TIME in the Bahamas is often referred to as "silly season", a time when a citizen takes what he hears with a large grain of salt. As any reporter will tell you, it is not only "silly season", but it is also a very difficult period for a journalist to cover. So much time is wasted sifting fact from fiction that little time is left to report on ideas and programmes that could move the nation "forward, upward and onward".

However, the 2012 election promises to be worse than any we have ever been through, and reporters will have to hone their investigative skills to avoid the traps as they dig for the truth.

The PLP is now urging young Bahamians to bring their voices to the national stage by taking part in the country's first ever participatory journalism project. They are invited to report from their homes and streets using cell phones and cameras. This is fine, but at the receiving end -- and before it is put out for public dissemination - there has to be an experienced person checking for accuracy.

Anyone watching news reports of the troubles in the Middle East, reported by Twitter and cell phones, and broadcast by the international networks, were always cautioned that the man in the street was the source and that the reports could not be checked by the networks for accuracy. In other words, listener you are receiving information, but beware -- it might not all be true. No journalistic standards had been employed. And for the uninitiated, who might think otherwise, there is more to journalism than just fact gathering. Those facts have to be verified -- checked and double checked.

One would be surprised at the number of tips The Tribune receives that by the time the "facts" have been checked and the exaggeration and opinions stripped from the information, a story is published -- but not exactly the one reported by the telephone caller.

And so if Twitter, Facebook and other social media are to enter this election with raw information, there is going to be a lot of public confusion, and trained journalists will have a mammoth job chasing up these reports to find out how many are accurate, and how many have to be debunked as cheap propaganda.

For example, when we walked into The Tribune yesterday afternoon, there were two journalists in animated conversation. We joined them.

They were sceptical about a report that had been making the rounds all day and which they knew in the end would bring negative results. Knowing the parties involved, they could find no benefits in it being true for either party -- the FNM or DNA. If true, it would create a mountainous credibility problem for the DNA, a problem that Mr McCartney could not tolerate.

The story that we walked into apparently emanated from a rejected DNA candidate, who was now shaking the dust off his feet as he left a party in which he no longer had faith.

According to him -- with the story gathering many new layers in its repeated telling -- Bran McCartney of the DNA and Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham were in huddled talks, resulting in Mr McCartney surrendering his party at the feet of the Prime Minister. Of course, there was a price. Mr McCartney would not be prime minister as yet, but he would be a stepping stone nearer his goal. In an FNM government, Bran McCartney would be deputy prime minister. And current deputy prime minister Brent Symonette? He would get the proverbial boot, of course.

Like our senior reporter, when considering the source of the tall tale, knowing the temperament of the Prime Minister, and what we believe we know of Mr McCartney, we did not give credit to any part of the story. But our reporters could not shrug their shoulders and laugh. It was their job to investigate.

Prime Minister Ingraham denied the story. And so did Mr McCartney, but the PLP clung to it almost as if they were delighted to have at last found a political life line.

Of course, they want voters to believe it is true to discredit the integrity of the DNA, and give the impression that the FNM is crumbling and is leaning on the DNA for support.

According to the PLP, Mr McCartney and the FNM are hatching a plot "designed to fool Bahamian voters into believing the DNA is something new and providing cover for Ingraham's fading support".

It is true that political plots are being hatched -- many of them -- but this far-fetched tale is not one to be taken seriously.

December 21, 2011

tribune242 editorial

Caribbean Blog International

...not all of the Members of Parliament (MPs) who were elected on the Free National Movement’s (FNM's) ticket in 2007 will be renominated, as the party seeks to bring in fresh faces for the 2012 general election

PM: FNM eyeing fresh faces

By Krystel Rolle
Guardian Staff Reporter
krystel@nasgaurd.com

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said yesterday that not all of the members of Parliament who were elected on the Free National Movement’s ticket in 2007 will be renominated, as the party seeks to bring in fresh faces.

“The Free National Movement expects to be able to bring into the House and its parliamentary fold, a number of new persons,” Ingraham told reporters outside of the House of Assembly.

“The party is very grateful to all the people who served but no job is permanent whether it’s mine or anybody else’s.  We all have a season or a time and the party will do what it considers to be best.

“The party will have a recommendation from myself to the executive committee and if the committee goes along with it, then it will go to the council of the party and the council of the party will make a decision.”

The House of Assembly passed a resolution last week to bring effect to the recommendation of the Constituencies Commission to reduce the number of seats in Parliament from 41 to 38.

Ingraham yesterday tabled the Boundaries Order, which was signed by the governor general on October 5.

“So the next election we will be electing 38 members only,” Ingraham said. “On Monday we will table the polling Division Order. The Free National Movement will proceed to select and nominate candidates for those 38 seats in the coming weeks.”

Currently, the FNM has 23 MPs in the House of Assembly.  However, several of them are not seeking re-election, including North Eleuthera MP Alvin Smith and South Abaco MP Edison Key, The Guardian understands.

As it relates to rumors that two FNM MPs intend to resign from the party and force him to call an early election, the prime minister said those reports are incorrect.

“I’ve read in the newspaper, most especially The Tribune, a number of stories about the ability of an MP or more than one to be able to force the prime minister to call an election early.  That is totally untrue.  That’s not possible.  All one needs to do is read the constitution and see the authority given to the prime minister with respect to the calling of election.

“The only people who are able to cause the prime minister to call an election before he is ready are the people of The Bahamas. They can force the prime minister’s hands. Individual members can not require the prime minister to [do so].  I want to make that clear.”

Ingraham was responding to The Tribune articles which claimed that Eight Mile Rock MP Verna Grant and Clifton MP Kendal Wright were planning to resign.

“I have received no information about the resignation of anyone from my party.  If we do we’ll make an announcement. The member for Eight Mile Rock telephoned me at home to advise me that the story in The Tribune is inaccurate.

“I have not spoken to the other member.  But people don’t have to give me notice. I can read the newspaper. If they tell me that they have gone, then fine. Thanks very much for your service. You don’t have to write to me.  I don’t need a favor.”

The Guardian attempted to speak to Wright yesterday, however he declined to answer questions about his possible resignation.

Meantime, Grant confirmed to The Guardian that she intends to stay with the party.

Ingraham said he hopes that voter’s cards will be ready to be issued by the first week in January.

Dec 08, 2011

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Five key seats for a 2012 general election victory...

Five key seats to 2012 victory

By PAUL G TURNQUEST
Chief Reporter
pturnquest@tribunemedia.net



THE 2012 general election will be determined by the results of five key constituencies, party insiders have predicted.

According to information gleaned from the recently revealed Boundaries Commission report, it is believed that a victory by either the PLP or the FNM can only come with a victory in what will be the new Elizabeth, Sea Breeze, Bamboo Town, Carmichael, and the as yet unnamed "constituency 21" in the South of New Providence.

Of the 38 seats being recommended by the Commission for the 2012 election, the PLP believe that they are poised to win 10 or 11 out of the 23 in New Providence, two out of the five in Grand Bahama, and possibly six out of the 10 seats in the Family Islands.

However, when it comes to these five "coin toss seats" in New Providence, party insiders said the results can go "either way".

As it currently stands, constituency 21, which will be created out of polling divisions from the old Golden Isles, South Beach, and Blue Hills constituencies will comprise of some 4020 voters. A look at the 2007 general election results of these respective polling divisions, which now make up Constituency 21, reveals a slight lead in the favour of the FNM with 1695 votes to the PLP's 1670.

The "new" Elizabeth, which essentially will encompass the old boundary lines of the 1997 Yamacraw constituency, shows from the 2007 election results that the FNM will yet again have a slight edge over the PLP having secured 1689 votes to the PLP's 1630.

Sea Breeze, although currently represented by the FNM's chairman Carl Bethel is being reported to be a seat that will be "up for grabs" come 2012. However, even PLP party officials have admitted that it is likely that this seat would not go to either the PLP or the FNM, but rather to the DNA's Chris Mortimer.

Bamboo Town, yet another seat that will be "up for grabs" is currently represented by the DNA's leader Branville McCartney, who is expected to face a "tremendous challenge" from both the PLP and the FNM.

As for Carmichael - currently represented by the FNM in its Minister of Education Desmond Bannister -- it is unknown who will return to carry the party's banner in the 2012 election as it is believed that Mr Bannister will be the party's next candidate for North Andros and the Berry Islands.

Yesterday, it was revealed that the Boundaries Commission had recommended that three seats should be cut from the current 41-member Parliament, bringing the new total for the 2012 general election to 38.

The seats proposed to be eliminated at that time were Eight Mile Rock, Kennedy, and Clifton. However it is understood that while the Kennedy constituency might remain, the constituency of Montagu and Englerston have been eliminated in New Providence to make way for larger inner-city seats, and a new seat (constituency 21) in the south of New Providence.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday on the reports of the possibility of Kennedy's elimination, the area's current MP Kenyatta Gibson said that he generally had no comment as the reports are only "recommendations" at this time.

"However, notwithstanding that, I will run wherever my leader and my party decide for me to run in the next general election," Mr Gibson said.

Other changes to the current make-up of the constituencies show that drastic cuts have been made to many of the "inner city" areas, such as Farm Road and Centreville, Mount Moriah, and St Cecilia.

November 10, 2011

tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham should be commended for concluding political boundary cuts early for the 2012 general election... The boundaries commission reported late in the process under the administration of Perry Christie in 2007 ...causing some confusion

The boundaries commission proposal

thenassauguardian editorial

Sources have confirmed that the governing Free National Movement (FNM) is proposing to reduce the number of seats in the House of Assembly to 38 – the constitutional minimum – for the next general election.  If the FNM sticks to this position, it would be a good thing.

We have long argued that there are too many seats in the current House (41) based on our population size (350,000).  If the constitutional barrier did not exist, it would be easier to cut that number further.  In Sir Lynden Pindling’s final election as prime minister in 1992 there were 49 seats in the House – an unjustifiable number.

The boundaries commission is expected to report to Parliament within a few weeks with its recommendations.  We are very near to a general election, one likely to be called for early 2012.  As of Monday, 136,615 people were registered to vote, according to the Parliamentary Registration Department.  It is estimated that approximately 160,000 people are eligible to vote.  With this announcement, and subsequent moves towards the election in the months to come, the rest of the electorate interested in voting will register, likely bring the total on the final voters’ list above the 150,684 voters who registered to vote in 2007.

If the governing side is able to finalize these cuts within the projected time frame, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham should be commended for concluding this part of the electoral process early.  The boundaries commission reported late in the process under the administration of Perry Christie in 2007, causing some confusion.

Ingraham is likely aware of the recent record of ‘boundary cutters’ and he is not wasting time with this exercise which is essentially governed by the prime minister.  In the last four general elections, the prime minister who cut the boundaries lost three out of four times (1992, 2002 and 2007).  Too much significance is placed in this process in a modern Bahamas.

There are certain ethnic or historic communities that support parties for all manner of complex reasons.  For example the residents of the old Shirlea in Palmdale support the FNM and not the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).  The residents of Englerston support the PLP and not the FNM.

However working class residents of the newer parts of New Providence, such as those residing in the southwestern part of the island, are less loyal.  Constituencies such as South Beach and Carmichael go back and forth.  These are swing areas and more and more of them are emerging.

It could be reasonably argued that there are currently 10 swing seats in the current configuration.  These voters are worrying about crime, the economy, the roadwork and leadership.  They are open to the best argument put forward by the best suitor.  A wise leader or party should seek to present the best message to this group rather than wasting time in dark rooms cutting boundaries.

The next step for the parties once the boundaries are finally set is the finalization of their candidate slates and the presentation of their manifestos.  Too often in Bahamian elections, manifestos come late and they are either too vague or too rambling.

Each party should put forth transformative ideas on crime, immigration and the economy in a coherent and digestible form.  Then, the candidates and parties should state their cases on the campaign trail.

For the voters, this is your time to select a legislature and an executive.  Take it seriously.  It is a mighty task.  At the minimum, we must all be engaged with the process and register to vote.  Scrutinize them carefully.  The men and women you chose to write the laws and govern will have extraordinary powers.

An election is nearly upon us.

Nov 09, 2011

thenassauguardian editorial

...for those Bahamians who think there is no reasonable offering to vote for at the next general election - 2012, ...you should rest assured that there are many other ways to participate in the advancement and governance of The Bahamas

Does it matter if you vote?

thenassauguardian editorial

Interesting debates always emerge when the question is posed as to whether or not citizens living in democracies should feel obligated to vote.

Most democracies were fought for. People who campaigned for freedom, self-governance and civil rights were jailed; some were murdered; some were beaten and many others were victimized. Some of these fights were actual wars.

In this context, we all should take the vote seriously. It is not a right, but a gift fought for by those who came before us.

As we all sit and evaluate the political parties and independent candidates who will offer for public office in the run-up to the next general election, we should make every effort to determine if there is someone on the ballot good enough to vote for.

Those who do not think there is anyone good enough to vote for should consider entering the race or the political process.

But if the ballot is filled with poor candidates, what should a voter do?Should voters feel compelled to vote?

No, they should not. Voting is an important part of the democratic process. However, voting should not be confused with democracy. Democracy is about self-governance. As citizens, we have a responsibility to do this everyday not just every five years.

By working at a charity, providing assistance to the homeless, democracy is at work; by volunteering as a mentor at a school, democracy is at work; by raising an educated, hardworking law-abiding citizen, democracy is at work.

So for those who think there is no reasonable offering to vote for at the next general election, you should rest assured that there are many other ways to participate in the advancement and governance of The Bahamas.

A group of residents in a community can easily come together, approach their public school, and start an after-school literacy program for the children falling behind, for example.

Simple initiatives such as these, if done by many individuals or by many groups, can do much to change the lives of the disadvantaged and the soon-to-be lost.

Elections are important; voting is important. But if you think the mainstream political parties are pathetic and the independents are incompetent, do not distress. You can exercise your democratic power everyday by doing something to help build the community.

Nov 04, 2011

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International

Renward Wells; the PLP candidate, and Cassius Stuart; the FNM candidate, both said Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader Branville McCartney has no chance of retaining his Bamboo Town seat in the 2012 general election

RIVALS SAY THEY DO NOT FEAR RISK OF LOSING TO DNA


By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net


THE PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party and Free National Movement candidates for Bamboo Town said they are not concerned about the possibility of losing to incumbent, Branville McCartney.

When asked what they thought their chances were in Bamboo Town, Renward Wells, the PLP candidate, and Cassius Stuart, the FNM candidate, both said DNA leader Mr McCartney has no chance of retaining his seat.

Mr Wells said: "I don't think its going to be a close race at all. In fact, I am going to win by more than 50 per cent of the vote. Mr McCartney will be pleasantly surprised.

"I know Bamboo Town has been FNM since 1987 but that was because of Tennyson Wells. Mr Wells convinced them that FNM was the better party and now I will convince them that PLP is the way to go.

"Cassius Stuart is my biggest competition, we are both cut from the same cloth. Mr McCartney will be easy to beat."

Mr Stuart agreed that Mr McCartney is no competition and said he won't even get one per cent of the vote.

"Everyone who stood with Mr McCartney now stands with me. He has some support but it is nothing significant," he said.

"The people are tired of persons being elected on the FNM ticket then abandoning them for their own personal interests.

"They always knew Mr McCartney had an ulterior motive because he painted his constituency office green and not red.

"I am going to knock Bran out. The only running he'll be doing is out of Bamboo Town."

The comments from both men came after Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said Bamboo Town is a "test case" to see which one of the men will emerge as the winner.

He said: "I have taken two gentlemen who wanted to be leaders and put them up as candidates.

"There is another member there, in the person of the Member of Parliament for Bamboo Town, who wants to be a leader."

He added: "We have asked them to fight in their league down there to see which one of them is eligible to be leader. You have to win first."

For his part, Mr McCartney said the fact that the three men, two of whom were at one point leaders of third parties, are running in the same constituency is no coincidence.

He said: "The whole thing is a ploy for Mr Ingraham and Mr Christie to get Renward Wells and Cassius Stuart out of the way to stop them from joining forces.

"They planned this whole thing from the beginning to put us against each other."

The prime minister has indicated that he will not cut the boundaries of Bamboo Town - even if the Boundaries Commission recommends it.

October 12, 2011

tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

The 2012 general election issues are: Jobs, Crime, and Leadership

Leadership will be an issue in 2012 election

tribune242 editorial



IN A crescendo of emotion during the debate last month on the sale of BTC to Cable & Wireless, a member of the Opposition on the floor of the House loudly declared that the 2012 election would be fought on leadership.

Anxious to change the focus, Opposition leader Perry Christie at a PLP rally in Freeport on March 18 was quick to tell his party supporters that the general election will have nothing to do with personalities, but will be fought on issues. He declared that the Ingraham administration had been bad for the country, which had been "on a steep downhill ride for the past four years."

At his own rally in Nassau on the following evening, Prime Minister Ingraham directed the people's attention back to the drawing board. Agreeing that the election would be about jobs and crime, he wanted it to be known that it would also be about leadership.

"Don't forget, Mr Christie," he said, "it will also be about leadership. People of the Bahamas know what they can get when they are tired of what they got."

In the 2002 election, Mr Christie was an untried leader who promised that his was a "new" PLP --not of the Pindling stripe, which Bahamians had soundly rejected in 1992 -- but a new party that would bring them "help and hope." He also promised that, unlike the first PLP, his would be a scandal-free administration.

After five years under an indecisive leader and much scandal within the party, the PLP government failed to deliver on most of its promises. Other than much talk, there was little help and many voters had given up hope. As a result, the 2007 election was won on leadership. Five years of indecision was too much to tolerate. FNM leader Ingraham won the contest. Naturally, leadership is not an issue that Mr Christie would want to face again.

It is good to have all the answers for the country's ills, but if the country's leader is slow in executing them, then solutions are useless.

Mr Christie has claimed that Mr Ingraham is to blame for not quickly completing and executing plans that his government had taken to final signature, but which he had failed to sign. What Mr Christie does not seem to grasp is that if he had executed those agreements on time, many of the projects would have been completed, or nearing completion and Bahamians would have still been employed when the economic crash took the Bahamas and the rest of the world down.

However, it has to be admitted that Mr Christie's indecision has saved the Bahamas much. It gave the Ingraham government an opportunity to revise and renegotiate many of the contracts -- especially the Baha Mar deal, and the rejection of the Bluewater purchase of BTC, which would have been a disaster for this country.

In a radio talk show in February 2007 -- just before the May election -- then Prime Minister Christie admitted that he "could have done more" and was disappointed that he hadn't.

He said he had wanted to have a new straw market two years earlier. However, he only got around to signing the contract for a $22 million structure on February 16, 2007 - three months before the election. The old market had burned down in September 2001. When the FNM came to power in 2007 the overpriced new market was a controversial issue. Eventually the PLP's plans were scrapped, new plans were drawn, and on December 15, 2009 a new contract for its construction was signed. The Bay Street Market is now nearing completion.

Mr Christie said he wanted to have "the Royal Oasis opened a year ago, six months ago, and we're just now moving towards a final resolution of that" -- three months before a general election!

"Things have to take time and sometimes in the lives of politicians, the time is judged by five years," he told his radio audience. That is why a strong, decisive leader with vision is so important. The electorate has to understand that five years cannot accommodate an indecisive leader with an indifferent work ethic.

"I'm disappointed," Mr Christie had told his radio audience, three months before the Bahamian people voted him from office, "in the slowness of the realisation of the PLP's vision for the country. The major disappointment I have is that I could have done more."

It was an amazing admission of defeat - but with an excuse.

Mr Christie has presented the best argument of why Bahamians should not consider handing the government to him and his party in 2012. A rejection of the PLP at the polls in 2012 will spare both Mr Christie and the Bahamian people another five years of disappointment.

Even in defeat at the polls in 2007, indecision caused another 24 hours of confusion before the PLP could accept that they had in fact lost the government. According to his own testimony, Mr Christie had failed to grasp that a decisive, hard working leader was needed at the helm if much was to be accomplished in five years.

April 18, 2011

tribune242 editorial

Bahamas Blog International

To Bahamians we say: Beware! This is silly season when the politicians seem to lose their mental balance...

tribune242 editorial



BAHAMAS Communications and Public Officers Union leader Bernard Evans might not have got his "little Egypt," or a last minute miracle to block the sale of BTC to Cable & Wireless, but he has a champion in Opposition Leader Perry Christie.

Mr Christie has put Cable and Wireless on notice that should his government be returned to power, he will deliver BTC back to the Bahamian people. He has promised that the "bad deal" entered into with the Ingraham government for the sale of the Bahamas' telecommunications system will be dismantled.

"Bad deal" -- these words are echoes from the past about another deal that the PLP also threatened to dismantle should its party become the government. But, when the PLP was returned to power in 2007 and had its opportunity for the dismantling operation, the bad deal had proven such a sweet deal for the Bahamas that grinning up and currying favour by the new leaders was the order of the day -- the promised dismantling and renegotiation of the deal was forgotten. The threats made 11 years before were quickly abandoned -- it was as though they were never spoken.

On the floor of the House in 1996 then St Michael's MP Paul Adderley had threatened Sol Kerzner that if the agreement that his Sun International had with the Bahamas government were not renegotiated, when the PLP became the government it would do it for him. "The terms of this deal, so far as the Bahamas is concerned, is a bad deal," shouted Mr Adderley.

History has proven that Kerzner's Paradise Island -- the country's largest private employer -- is what has saved the Bahamas' economic bacon for the past 15 years. The Kerzners arrived when the Bahamas was flat on its back -- failing tourist industry, empty Treasury, tarnished international reputation. Bahamians will remember that in those days we were an "island for sale" laid waste by a careless government and a greedy drug cartel. A disgusted electorate voted the PLP government of 25 years out of office and put the Ingraham government in.

The PLP government had secretly tried to sell the failed hotels on the international market. The Ingraham government came to power in 1992 and the following year entered into an agreement with the Kerzners for the development of Paradise Island. Atlantis became the catalyst that revitalised the country's tourist industry, and emboldened investors to take a second look at a country that was trying under a new government to clean up its act.

It was only then that the Bahamas started to move forward.

But the empty threats coming from the PLP benches in 1996 - are being repeated today against the sale of BTC to Cable and Wireless. So far it is the only bone that the PLP has found on which to chew for the 2012 election.

Fred Mitchell, a PLP senator in 1996, seemed on a mission at that time to cast doubt on the Atlantis operation - attacking everything from the Kerzners' South African roots, their hiring policies suggesting that Bahamians were being shut out of the project, to the belief that the Bahamianisation policy was being undermined. And, of course, Mr Mitchell even raised the alarm that the newly constructed bridge to Paradise was sinking. All wishful thoughts that had no base.

Dr Bernard Nottage complained at the time that the Ingraham government was giving Atlantis "improved infrastructure, roads, transportation and telecommunications facilities."

"But what are the Bahamian people getting?" he asked. The Bahamian people knew what they were getting, even though they were paying for it -- good jobs, improved infrastructure, good roads on which they travelled daily and much more. By now Dr Nottage should have the answers to his foolish questions of that era. Any improvement in infrastructure always benefits the whole country and everyone in it -- regardless of for whom it was intended.

The PLP poured scorn on the fact that Atlantis and its shareholders would earn good money. They forgot that when business flourishes so do the people. It is, therefore, good news for a country when it can report that its commercial establishments are strong. It is when they are weak that a country suffers high unemployment. To scoff at profits shows a lack of business sense, which is a serious failure in a country's leaders.

In our opinion Mr Christie's "buyer beware! cease and desist! do not proceed!" warning to Cable and Wireless is just so much political balderdash. What the future held for the Kerzner operation it also holds for the Cable & Wireless transaction. The main beneficiaries will be the Bahamas and its people.

It would be more than Mr Christie dare do with the Bahamas facing a $3.8 billion national debt to add to that debt by trying to dismantle the BTC/C&WC deal. If these are his plans it is up to the Bahamian people to make certain that his party is not returned to power.

Mr Christie, a procrastinator, who finds it difficult to make decisions at the best of times, would have nightmares over such an impossible exercise.

To Bahamians we say: Beware! This is silly season when the politicians seem to lose their mental balance -- so don't believe everything you hear in the marketplace.

April 04, 2011

tribune242 editorial

bahamas Blog International

To Branville McCartney: Son, you must first learn how to follow before you can lead, or - You must learn how to obey before you can give orders

Learn how to follow before attempting to lead
tribune242 editorial




AT A TIME when this country needs all of its citizens to focus on pulling together to ride out a turbulent economic storm many have not ceased to be distracted by election fever.

Since the 2007 election hardly a day has passed without a reminder that the focus is -- not on the economy - but on the 2012 election. From what we hear -- other than a political clique, mainly PLPs who are yet to concede their 2007 defeat, and a group of young, inexperienced Turks in both parties who want to push their leaders out and take over -- the majority of Bahamians are sick of the political sabre rattling. They are worried about losing their jobs, their homes, paying school fees and utility bills -- at times like these the politicians are an unnecessary distraction.

The latest concern this week is that the FNM might not hold its promised national convention this year -- not because of tight party funds -- but because lawyer Branville McCartney might challenge Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham for the leadership.

According to a letter writer to The Tribune, signed by one who says he is an "FNM supporter to change", Mr Ingraham is a man who says what he means and means what he says. The letter writer knows that being a man of his word is Mr Ingraham's sensitive button and in his letter he is pushing it hard with much flattery.

Says the "supporter for change": "We all came to know Mr Ingraham to be a man to his word, in fact FNM came to respect him since he was a man who spoke truth and lived up to his word. We know him to be a man who 'said what he means and mean what he says'. So since he promised, live on TV, that we will meet in convention on November 4, we expect him to continue to be the man who spoke truth. The question of funding for the convention is a mute point because Mr Ingraham could have anything he wants done, when he wants it. The Eastern Road will comply."

It is true, Mr Ingraham is a man of his word. However, he is not a fool, and even a man of his word has enough sense to lower his sails and change tack when a situation changes and he realises it would be folly to stick to a promise made in better times. The letter writer is obviously depending on the Eastern Road to finance a few days of shaking colourful pom-poms, spouting a lot of hot air from a platform, stuffing themselves with free food and enjoying fun nights in hotel rooms. Eastern Road residents are mainly business people whose first consideration will be on the economic constraints necessary for the times in which we now find ourselves. If they are the ones expected to fund this useless bash, we hope they will lock down their coffers, go home and direct their spare cash to where it can be of more use -- helping the jobless among us. These are serious days, and a convention at such a time would be out of order. It is now time that some of these young Turks got some sense and settled down to getting some experience in nation building before continuing their useless chatter about what they are going to lead.

Mr Branville McCartney, a lawyer, is the man being pushed to the fore in the FNM ranks. There is a group who are playing to his ego and trying to make him believe that he is the future saviour of this country. He might well be. We know nothing about him except the usual curriculum vitae issued to the press, and the fact that for a short time he served, but later resigned from the Ingraham cabinet. However, we now invite him to think back on the days of Julius Caesar riding in triumph through Rome's ancient city. While the crowds shouted "Hail Caesar!" the little dwarf at his side constantly tugged at his tunic, and reminded him: "Remember Caesar, thou art only a man!"

Today Mr McCartney's flatterers are tempting him into believing that he has better insight into the needs of this country, after limited experience in politics, than a man who has had broad experience for more than thirty years, both nationally and internationally. Many interpretations can be put on why Mr McCartney resigned from the Ingraham Cabinet, but it indicates to us that when the going gets rough, or things do not go his way, his inclination is to abandon ship. His day for leadership might come, but in our opinion he is still lightweight in the political arena, and his time is not now.

It might do Mr McCartney well to shut out the noise in the market place and consider the advice given by Hamilcar Barca, a Carthaginian general and statesman, to his famous son Hannibal, who later crossed the Alps on elephants in a useless attempt to defeat Rome: "Son you must first learn how to follow before you can lead."

Another version is: "You must learn how to obey before you can give orders."

August 12, 2010

tribune242 editorial

Bahamas Blog International