Political Victimization in the Bahamian Society

By Dennis Dames

The issue of political victimization in the Bahamian society is a grim one - which every political party that ruled The Bahamas is guilty of.  Healing and resolution will only come when the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Free National Movement (FNM), and the United Bahamian Party (UBP) principals admit to being associated with it.

Continuous denials will only sow seeds of distrust among the masses, because he who feels it knows it.  Nasty political divisions run deep in our country; and political victimization is the main reason for it – in my view.

The Bahamas will not mature gracefully and prosperously when we are hurting one another.  We are about to celebrate forty (40) years of Independence, and all we have to show for it is hazardous political gangs fighting to control our government and economy.

The people and country’s best interest have been lost somewhere along the way; and all we have just now is a battle to see who could fool the electorate to elect them, so that they could victimize the hell out of their political enemies without mercy.

Yes, we prefer to see our fellow Bahamian brothers and sisters as foes rather than partners for a better Bahamas for all and sundry.  This is indeed a sad and depressing state of affairs.

Respect is due to doctor Hubert Minnis - the leader of the Free National Movement (FNM), for admitting that his party did victimized Bahamians while in power, and thumbs down to those in the same party who say otherwise.

The good doctor should realize now that he has wicked adversaries within the ranks of the Free National Movement (FNM), and I believe that he has the public support in weeding out those who are in denial about his Party’s past victimization reality.

These are some grave times in our nation - and in order for us Bahamians to move forward, upward, onward and together – we must unite accordingly.  Political victimization is alive and well in The Bahamas today; and the governing party is not the only guilty party in this regard.

Check out the various political groups on Facebook – for example, and one would easily discover the high level of political intolerance amongst Bahamians - and towards Bahamians.  Even the most educated of us condescend to the lowest of levels when we do not agree with another brother or sister’s political perspective.  It’s like so many of us have turned in to political cannibals for the sake of dedicated political affiliation.

It’s destroying us, and we will proudly celebrate forty (40) years of being politically divisive in 2013.  What madness is this my people?

Caribbean Blog International

No 100-Day Victory for the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) as Many Problems Loom

No 100-Day Victory As Many Problems Loom


Tribune242 Editorial




DESPITE the PLP’s promises of a better Bahamas at the end of its first 100 days in office, crime continues to dominate the headlines. Running a close second are accusations that FNM supporters in key government positions are being victimised. And, of course, Prime Minister Christie, determined for government to become the major shareholder in BTC, is moving full steam ahead for a meeting with Cable & Wireless sometime before month’s end. He has named his negotiating team. He has also announced that former Prime Minister Ingraham’s plans to sell the public a percentage of government’s shares in the telecommunications company has been cancelled.

And so, the possibility of Bahamians owning shares in “their” BTC is no more. However, their ownership will be a figment of the imagination as they ostensibly will own BTC through the PLP government, who will have the final word, with Bahamians having no say. Mr Geoff Houston, BTC’s CEO, must be mystified about the PLP government’s intentions because under Cable & Wireless’ administration government’s profits for its 49 per cent ownership has almost doubled to what it was when it owned and managed the whole company.

We all know that no sensible investor would have bought BTC with government as a controlling partner. Bahamians have evidence that no government corporation in this country has ever succeeded because of political interference. At last one corporation has escaped government’s clutches, and if it is to have any future it is up to Bahamians to make certain that government gets no further control.

Mr Christie told the press that although BTC executives were going to try to talk him into agreeing with them, his difficulty was that it was not what he thought. “It’s what the people who voted for me think and I can’t go back to them and tell them that maybe the next four to five years.”

When on the campaign trail did Mr Christie make BTC an election issue? All we heard about was urban renewal, reduction of crime, mortgage assistance, health benefits and the like. We do not think that those who voted for the PLP had BTC on their mind. Maybe Mr Christie is answerable to a small group within his political party and among the unions, but, it would be hard for him to prove that he was given the green light by the general electorate.

But today the issue is ZNS and the way the news staff are being handled there. It is reported that they are to be removed from the nightly news slots so that the station can “beef up” coverage. Apparently, it is claimed that ZNS is loosing traction to private radio stations. This country can thank former prime minister Hubert Ingraham and the FNM for this freedom to express themselves as the party celebrates its 20th anniversary of removing the government of the late Sir Lynden Pindling in 1992. It was because of the disgraceful performance of the government owned corporation under the PLP, which silenced the voice of the Opposition, that one of Mr Ingraham’s first acts on becoming prime minister was to open the airwaves and give the Bahamian people their democratic right to free speech.

Now that the PLP are back in power they intend to reform their radio station. Those inside the corporation have called it a case of “blatant political victimisation.”

It is claimed that those who are being reassigned to other positions are perceived to be FNM, two of them being punished because they covered the FNM rallies during the May election. If this accusation is true, it is shocking. A reporter has no say in what story he is assigned to cover. Imagine a Tribune reporter refusing to cover a PLP function, because he is FNM. He would be headed towards the door so fast for insubordination that he wouldn’t know what hit him. In fact we do not know the political sympathies of any of our reporters, nor do we care. Our only concern is that they are competent reporters and bring that competence to every assignment they are sent to cover.

One of our reporters has been told by a ZNS insider that some ZNS managers have been overheard threatening reporters. “You gonna get what’s coming to you. We will deal with you,” they have been quoted as saying.

If this is true the corporation should be shut down. Bahamians should protest that their tax dollars are supporting a station that would employ such unprofessional managers.

As the Broadcasting Corporation is supported by the public purse, Bahamians are entitled to know whether this displaced staff is being replaced by competent professionals, or just a group of political toadies.

Where is the voice of Obie Wilchcombe, PLP MP for West End and Bimini, who in the past could be depended on to defend the Fourth Estate, having at one time been on the staff of the Broadcasting Corporation.

However, thanks to Mr Ingraham and the FNM, persons like MP Fred Mitchell and others will not have to fly to Miami to broadcast to their constituents in Nassau because they were banned from the PLP controlled ZNS. They were the days when Mr Mitchell had nothing good to say about Sir Lynden or his government. Today, Bahamians will always have a voice and can express their views on a variety of talk shows in an open and free broadcast market. ZNS is no longer an essential service. And as such we should not have to pay for its upkeep.

A message sent to Tribune242 invites Bahamians to “take a look at what’s happening at BEC…staff there are on pins and needles! People to this day are afraid they’ll lose their job because they attend FNM rallies! That’s just insane.” And Bahamians were told to “ask anyone who works at BTC what is happening there since the PLP took office. It is difficult to understand how this type of behaviour can be so blatant. It is not just the PLP it is the Bahamian political way and will keep the Bahamas back for as long as patronage is accepted.”

And so, instead of celebrating achievements in their first 100 days, the PLP are being accused of “blatant victimisation.” And as for the promised reduction in crime — thanks to Urban Renewal — although the police are fighting hard, it seems that in some areas it’s a losing battle. So it’s no sense for officialdom to try to hide the crime figures, people who live in the communities know the truth.

August 20, 2012

Tribune242 Editorial

Caribbean Blog International

...the paradox of the migrant and the missing Bahamian worker in The Bahamas

The Missing Bahamian

By Jones Bahamas:


Life as it is experienced at the street-corner level in today’s highly urban-Bahamas conjures up a medley of competing images.
 
At one extreme, there is that widely held assumption that daily life in most of our heartland communities is all about crime, hustling and other such acts of deviance.

At another remove, there is that other lived reality where daily life as experienced in all its rawness and has to do with village life; people bustling about engaged in this or that money-making enterprise.

There is that popularly held notion that life at the community level in some of our heartland-communities amounts to an ongoing struggle by one faction [the decent, law-abiding and penurious citizen] against another, [the law-breakers]: thus the current police-led thrust of Urban Renewal 2.0.

What is interesting about these perspectives has to do not only with how each has been constructed by this or that interest group; but by what each somehow or the other manages to neglect or elide.

Each misses the fact that daily life in our heart-land communities and for that matter throughout our nation is marbled through and through with foreign workers – whether at the elite level as they are to be found as advisors to government, consultants and managers in the hotels and banks.

Evidently, foreign workers – legal and illegal alike- are to be found wherever there is a need for skilled workers; thus all those electricians, plumbers, masons, cooks, nurses, teachers, security guards who are gainfully employed.

Interestingly, some of these people are savvy enough, hard-working enough and disciplined enough and honest enough to not only hold down a job, but also fit and proper enough to send remittances home to their families.

Missing from these serried ranks is an untold number of Bahamian men and women; people who would prefer hustling, drifting here, there, hither and yon armed with complaint piled upon complaint as to what they had expected this or that administration to do for them in exchange for their vote.

We sometimes wonder about why when the hard times fall – practically everyone with a voice blames someone or the other for the myriad of woes experienced either by themselves or others.

This blame-game is all for naught. When it comes to blame, there is enough of the stuff and more for all who would wish to play the game.

Now think – if you will – about this: If you want a really good tailor – there is a Haitian or Chinese who can and will accommodate you. The same principle applies if you are looking for a really good chef: here you can readily find one who is from Belgium, France or another such European country.

If you want a really good maid to live in and do your bidding, hire a woman from the Philippines – and the list goes on for any number of other jobs and occupations.

Sadly, missing from the list are so very many Bahamians who might – if only they were ready, able and willing – to man more of these jobs, some of which are fairly well-paying.

Call this – if you will – the paradox of the migrant and the missing Bahamian worker.

The migrant population in the Bahamas comprises mainly of Haitians who settle for work, while others are from Cuba and Jamaica. There is also inter-island migration, chiefly to New Providence and Grand Bahama islands.

We have a situation where the qualified, hard-working migrant gets both the job and the work; whereas his Bahamian counterpart oftentimes wants the job and the pay that it brings; but could care less about value delivered for money.

One of the more cruel jokes currently making its way around this island and perhaps also around this archipelago has to do with a Bahamian man and his wife [both unemployed] living off neighbors, family, friends and Social Service who – when interviewed by a news reporter- averred that they wanted jobs, not work.

Both were convinced that a government job was just the ticket they needed.

They wanted jobs, but were clearly not looking for work.

By stark contrast, there are thousands upon thousands of other people – some of them living and working as so-called ‘illegals’ – each and every day apply themselves to the task of earning their daily bread.

Today we look in not only on these people’s lives but also on those of some of our people who believe that the world owes them something.

The day of the free lunch – if they did not know it – is long gone.

15 August, 2012

Jones Bahamas

Caribbean Blog International

Urban Renewal 2.0 is working ...and is succeeding within the inner city areas of New Providence

The success of Urban Renewal 2.0

Dear Editor,

 

It is my humble submission that Urban Renewal 2.0, despite the occasional hiccup, is working and is succeeding within the inner city areas of New Providence. Some of the detractors and others who may subscribe to a politically different view than PLPs are quick to condemn and criticize the value and benefits of the same.

I have long held that a massive police presence within the urban renewal program is crucial to its success or otherwise. The bulk of our home grown criminals and other societal miscreants live and operate within our local communities. Generally speaking, we know who they are and many of them look just like us.

With the police actively patrolling on the ground, petty crimes have been noticeably reduced. The occasional alleged homicides are still occurring, especially as they may relate to domestic disputes. It would be difficult if not impossible for the police or other components of urban renewal to stop a domestically related offense because no one knows in advance what a perpetrator may or may not do within the confines of a residence.

Housebreaking, purse snatching and crimes which could be committed in public, however, are a different kettle of fish. A heavy police presence, the demolition of abandoned and derelict buildings have brought relief to many within their respective inner city communities.

In addition, the active partnering between the police and other components has led to the ‘discovery’ of individuals who are living in sub-human conditions and crime havens. It has also increased the capability of the police to gather crucial intelligence from members of the respective communities.

Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis (PLP-Cat Island) is to be commended, along with all of the related components and individuals, for the magnificent work currently being done within Urban Renewal 2.0. The recent appointments of Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt and Algernon S.P.B. Allen, both former members of Parliament and Cabinet ministers will prove to be the icing on the proverbial cake.

They are both passionate about our people on the ground and have both been active in ministries which have impacted tens of thousands of ordinary Bahamians. Indeed, they are both products of the inner city and are able to empathize with those who continue to live, work and play therein. Prime Minister Perry Gladstone Christie (PLP-Centreville) made an excellent choice with their timely appointments.

With the success of Urban Renewal 2.0, however, there must be strict compliance within the law. Buildings should not and cannot be demolished without the consent of the certified owners and/or the appropriate court order. Petty criminals must be assured of proper investigations by the police and, where charged, they must be brought before a competent court in short order. Allegations of police brutality should and must be kept to the minimum.

The Ministry of Social Development has its work cut out. It is a vital partner within Urban Renewal 2.0. The Minister and her hard working staff must ensure that those who apply for assistance are, in fact, qualified to so do and not merely seeking to fleece the public purse. Jobless individuals must be integrated into a job training skills program and weaned off expectations of living “the life of Riley” without having to work for it.

Where we find overt alcoholics and drug addicts, they must be persuaded to allow themselves to be institutionalized and seek out-patient treatment. A casual observation would reveal that a large percentage of the residents of New Providence are hooked on something of an addictive nature. Too much productivity is being lost and low productivity is killing the gross domestic product (GDP).

Conflict resolution courses within our schools and civic organizations, especially the collective church, must be mandated. Statistics have shown that many conflicts, both within the home and the wider society, could be avoided and/or reduced if individuals were taught just how to resolve relatively simple conflicts before they escalate into serious matters.

I wish to thank all stake holders on the apparent success, so far of Urban Renewal 2.0 and encourage them to continue their stellar work on behalf of a grateful Bahamian people.

Yes, Utopia will not come about any time soon but as The Bahamas continues to evolve as a nation, if we all do our part and play whatever role we are able to perform best, I have absolutely no doubt that we are on the right track.

 

— Ortland H. Bodie Jr.

August 17, 2012

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Constitutional reform Pt. 1: ... ...After 39 years of constitutional practice in The Bahamas, it is now time that we examine our constitution ...to determine if it conforms to the demands and expectations of contemporary Bahamian society... ...Does the Bahamian constitution reflect the contemporary shared expectations and experiences of the Bahamian community today?

Constitutional reform Pt. 1

By Alfred Sears

On Wednesday, August 1, 2012, Prime Minister Perry Christie, in a communication to the House of Assembly, announced the appointment of a Constitutional Commission to review and recommend changes to the Constitution of The Bahamas, in advance of the 40th anniversary of Bahamian independence.  The commission is chaired by Mr. Sean McWeeney, Q.C. and the members include Mr. Loren Klein, a member and technical co-ordinator of the commission’s secretariat; Mr. Carl Bethel; Madam Justice Rubie Nottage (retired); Mr. Mark Wilson; Mr. Lester Mortimer; Mrs. Tara Cooper-Burnside; Professor Michael Stevenson; Dr. Olivia Saunders; Mr. Michael Albury; Ms. Chandra Sands; Ms. Brandace Duncanson and Mrs. Carla Brown-Roker.

The newly-appointed commission will be able to complete the constitutional review process that had been started by the Constitutional Commission, that had been appointed by Prime Minister Christie on the December 23, 2002, under the joint chairpersons Paul Adderley and Harvey Tynes, QC, but which process the government abandoned after the 2007 general election.

This series of 20 articles on constitutional reform in The Bahamas, parts of which were first published by The Nassau Guardian in 2000 and are now updated, is intended to engage the Bahamian community in public conversation about the constitution in a frank and constructive manner, in light of the changing shared experience and expectations of contemporary Bahamian society.

While I will examine the limitations of the constitution, I will also provide recommendations, informed by the experience of other constitutional democracies, to assist us in creating a more perfect democracy in The Bahamas.  It is my hope that these articles will encourage public discussion about our governmental structure, citizenship, fundamental rights, the independence of the judiciary, campaign finance reform, public contracts, the Privy Council, the death penalty, republican status and the need for more effective checks and balances in our system of government.

The Constitution of The Bahamas, framed during the early period of modernization in The Bahamas, concentrates too much power in the Office of the Prime Minister, discriminates against women; does not guarantee the right to vote, the freedom of the press, protection of the environment; and does not promote economic and social rights.

The American legal scholar, Professor Myres McDougal, asserted that a constitution should be “a living instrument, a dynamic and continuing process of communication, practices and decisions.  It is made and continually remade in response to the changing demands and expectations of the people under ever-changing conditions.  It should reflect not only the shared expectations of the original framers of the constitution, but also those of succeeding generations.  It should also reflect the contemporary shared expectations and experiences of community members today.”

The Bahamas Independence Order 1973, an act of the British Parliament, provides for The Bahamas to become an independent sovereign nation.  The constitution is actually the appendix to The Bahamas Independence Order 1973.  The representatives of the Bahamian people at the Constitutional Conference in London in December, 1972 comprised the following individuals: Sir Arthur Foulkes, Sir Orville A. Turnquest, Sir Lynden O. Pindling, Sir Clement Maynard, Arthur Hanna, Paul Adderley, Philip Bethel, George A. Smith, Loftus A. Roker, Cadwell Armbrister, Norman Solomon, Sir Milo Butler, Sir Kendal G.L. Isaacs, Mr. Carlton Francis and Mr. Henry Bowen.  These 15 men are collectively known as the framers of the Bahamian Constitution.  There were no Bahamian women represented at the Constitutional Conference of 1972.  Therefore, the review of the constitution will afford Bahamian women, for the first time in our history, an opportunity to be directly involved in the remaking of our constitution, as members of the Constitutional Commission, members of Parliament and electors in any referendum.

The form and structure of the Constitution of The Bahamas was patterned after the constitution of Jamaica of July 25, 1962, which was itself patterned after the Nigerian constitution of October 1, 1960, incorporating a bill of rights based on the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.  All of these constitutions were drafted under the supervision of the Colonial Office in London.  The heading of chapters, the numbering of the parts, and over 60 percent of the sentences, clauses, phrases and words used in the Bahamian Constitution are to be found in exact form in the constitution of Jamaica and the earlier constitutions of Nigeria and Sierra Leone.  Due to this Westminster constitutional model received by The Bahamas and other Caribbean countries, Professor Trevor Munroe, in his book “The Politics of Constitutional Decolonization: Jamaica 1944 to 1962”, argues that the real founding fathers of these constitutions were not the Nigerians, Jamaicans and Bahamians, but the British who promoted the model to their former colonies.  Similarly, the noted constitutional lawyer, Berthan Macaulay, QC, argued that the Westminster constitutional model is an attempt by the British to “implant the legal form, conventions and understandings and governmental history of an alien people into ex-colonial societies, and expect them to grow overnight without regard to the conventions, understandings and history of the local people... In their inflexible form these constitutions leave much room for those who seek absolute power, or whose goal is the achievement of almost unlimited power, in short, dictatorship.”

The present constitutional review will provide the entire Bahamian civil society an opportunity to shape and model a constitution in our own image.

As we review the Constitution of The Bahamas, we should learn some lessons from the constitutional practice of the United States of America.  The Constitution of the United States, adopted in 1789, is the oldest written constitution in our hemisphere.  It is a living document, given new meaning and vitality under ever-changing conditions through Supreme Court decisions and formal amendments.  It extends its protection to all persons in the territory of United States, citizens rich and poor as well as aliens.  In establishing a national government, the United States’ constitution sets up three branches and provides mechanisms for them to check and balance each other.  It balances central federal authority with dispersed state-reserved power.  It protects the citizenry from the government and gives the power of judicial review to the judicial branch of government.

The limitations of the original United States constitution are very apparent from a brief historical review.  In 1789 when the constitution was founded, African Americans were still in slavery and, as property, were not considered as full citizens.  However, there has been a continued process of correction, through constitutional amendments, judicial decisions, legislation and executive measures to create a more perfect democracy in the United States, as the society moved from an agrarian to an highly industrialized nation.  The first 10 amendments of the United States constitution were passed in 1791.  The 13th Amendment, adopted in 1865 immediately after the Civil War, abolished slavery.  The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, gives citizenship to all persons born in the United States and guarantees due process and equal protection of the laws.  Bahamians who had children in the United States, such as the parents of Sir Sidney Poitier, were and are the beneficiaries of this provision.  The 15th Amendment, adopted in 1870, guarantees the right to vote irrespective of race, color or previous condition of servitude.  Up until 1971, the United States constitution had been amended 27 times.

Similarly, our sister Caribbean countries have also been trying to bring their constitutions in line with the shared expectations and aspirations of their contemporary societies.

Constitutional reviews have been undertaken and amendments proposed or effected, for example, in Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.  Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago have totally replaced their independence constitutions.

After 39 years of constitutional practice in The Bahamas, it is now time that we examine our constitution to determine if it conforms to the demands and expectations of contemporary Bahamian society.  Does the Bahamian constitution reflect the contemporary shared expectations and experiences of the Bahamian community today?

 

• Alfred Sears is an attorney and a former minister of education, and chairman of the Council of The College of The Bahamas.

Aug 16, 2012

thenassauguardian

...unless and until we fix whatever is wrong with our tourism industry (and fix it urgently) ...the economic and social dislocations currently being experienced in The Bahamas will continue unabated

What needs to happen in tourism

CFAL Economic View

The Ministry of Tourism’s ‘Islands of The Bahamas Arrivals Report’ released earlier this year contains some very useful and informative data on the tourism industry in The Bahamas, and a lot more information on the economic performances of those countries from which our visitors originate.

The report, compiled by the ministry’s research department, provides a summary of total visitor arrivals to The Bahamas for the year 2011, in what appears to be a record-breaking total of 5.234 million.  That figure is broken down further to show that only 1.29 million of those visitors (or about 25 percent) arrived by air.

There is something troubling about that figure when it is taken into account that about 25 years ago The Bahamas was boasting total air arrivals in the region of 1.5 million.  What is more troubling is the fact that we are in the midst of the worst recession ever experienced in a modern Bahamas and the agency which oversees our most important industry appears to be offering no concrete solutions.

Almost 75 percent of the report outlines the economic challenges facing the United States as a result of the crash of the housing market there, and the subsequent financial meltdown.  The rise in unemployment, particularly in the northeastern states, is highlighted perhaps to remind us that the reason for the poor performance of our local economy is tied to employment levels in the U.S.  It is also noted that Texas, contrary to popular belief, generates more tourists for The Bahamas than many of the northeastern states.

Similar information is provided on Canada and the western European nations whose citizens also visit The Bahamas, although not in such great numbers as the Americans.  Again, the intent is presumably to inform us that it is the global slowdown in economic activity that is adversely affecting our visitor arrivals (by air) and consequently contributing to the slow economic growth figures.

Those examples, or more appropriately arguments, would have been more persuasive had we not been made aware from other sources that air arrival tourists were up and growing impressively in our competitor destinations, such as Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Cancun, Mexico.  Some mention of the costly and perhaps unsustainable subsidies to the industry in the form of ‘companion airfare’ is given as a successful policy response to the crisis.

For more than half a century tourism has played a pivotal role in the economic development process of this country.  It has accounted for most of the foreign direct investment, more than 50 percent of direct and indirect employment, and has provided the necessary level of foreign exchange inflows to not only fund our insatiable import appetite but also to support the important one-to-one peg between the U.S. dollar and the Bahamian dollar.

Changes needed

In other words, unless and until we fix whatever is wrong with our tourism industry (and fix it urgently), the economic and social dislocations currently being experienced in the country will continue unabated.  Large numbers of skilled and semi-skilled Bahamians will join the unemployed labor force. Unable to meet their debt commitments, they run the risk of losing their homes and other assets acquired during better times.  Unable to provide the needed level of support for their immediate families, the inevitable household tension could rip families apart.

What is needed is a recognition of the importance of the tourist industry to The Bahamas in general and to the partial solution to the current economic crisis in particular.  In the short-term, attempts to stimulate other less important parts of the economy or programs to diversify production from our main service provider simply will not create the number or types of jobs sufficient to absorb the unemployed.

The tourism plant, in terms of existing and planned hotel rooms, needs some form of re-tooling to ensure it is functioning at its optimal potential.  We know for instance that the costs of labor and utilities are out of line with our competitors, placing the country at a pricing disadvantage.  Those areas need to be addressed, perhaps by permitting the hotel operators to produce (hopefully more efficiently) their utility needs rather than relying on the inefficient state-owned corporations.

Above all, we need more air-arrivals since that category of visitor spends more than 10 times what is spent by their cruise counterparts, making a larger contribution to employment and output in the country.  The Bahamas at this time in our history needs a fresh, focused and comprehensive plan to increase the number of air arrivals in order to produce the required number of jobs and to begin the process to effectively reverse the unemployment trend.

 

• CFAL is a sister company of The Nassau Guardian under the AF Holdings Ltd. umbrella.  CFAL provides investment management, research, brokerage and pension services.  For comments, please contact CFAL at: column@cfal.com

Aug 15, 2012

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

2012 will go on record as being one of the worst years in the history of the Free National Movement (FNM)

The Bahama Journal


Dear Editor:
 


2012 will go on record as being one of the worst years in the history of the Free National Movement (FNM). This was not supposed to be the case, however. You see, this month and year marks the 20th anniversary of the FNM’s stunning victory in 1992 (August 19) against the legendary Sir Lynden O. Pindling and his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Government.

For 25 years Sir Lynden was the undisputed ruler of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. His erstwhile political son, Hubert A. Ingraham, led the perennial official opposition party to what many described as a momentous event in the annals of the history of the modern Bahamas. This would have also been a little over three months into the fourth non-consecutive term as prime minister for Ingraham had the FNM pulled off the May 7 General Election. But the Bahamian electorate voted against Ingraham and his party.

After all was said and done, only nine out of 38 candidates for the FNM were able to win a seat in the House of Assembly. The remaining 29 seats were won by PLP candidates. Many of the future leaders of the party were defeated by relatively unknown candidates. One of the FNM’s brightest candidates to fall in the May 7 electoral contest was Charles Maynard, former Member of Parliament for the Golden Isles constituency and minister of youth, sports and culture in the Ingraham administration. Like thousands of Bahamians, I was astonished and saddened after learning that Maynard had died on the early morning of August 14 in North Abaco. What makes his passing all the more shocking is the fact that he was only 42.

He was a great asset to the FNM as a chairman. I always enjoyed listening to him give radio and television interviews. He was very articulate and professional in defending the policies of his party despite being harassed and harangued by his political foes while on the radio. He always arose above the fray. He never got into mudslinging or character assassination in order to score brownie points. He always had a smile. What makes his membership to the FNM so unique is the fact that many of his family members have deep roots in the PLP.


 Yet despite having grown up in that party and having served as one of the leaders of the now defunct Coalition for Democratic Reform party, he decided to join the FNM party. His death is a major setback to a party that is in the midst of a by-election campaign. Perhaps FNMs in North Abaco will rally behind Dr. Hubert Minnis and throw their support behind his candidate Greg Gomez in tribute to a man who was determined to rebuild a great political organization that appears to still be reeling from the devastating loss it suffered on May 7.

Who knows? Maybe his death will serve as a unifying factor for a party that many political pundits are saying is badly disjointed. Maynard’s sudden passing teaches us all that death is the great common denominator. All of Adam’s offspring will be taken by the icy, cold hands of death. The Old Testament Book of Job 14:5 reads, “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.”

Maynard’s death has put everything into perspective. In the last analysis, the only thing that will matter on the day we die is whether we had been fully obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ. How many elections we have been able to win or how famous we have become or how much wealth we have amassed won’t matter on the other side of death. Life is so fragile; so uncertain. You never know where the Grim Reaper is. My condolences to the Maynard family. My prayers are with you during these troubling times. I truly hope that the fallen former FNM chairman is in the presence of God and His holy angels in heaven. May his soul rest in peace.

15 August, 2012

Jones Bahamas

Caribbean Blog International