Bahama Pundit

The Desperate Need for Change in the Bahamas

by Larry Smith

 

Leslie Miller and BS

 

The level of irrational and deceptive discourse from our political leaders can sometimes be stupefying.

 

Take Leslie Miller. Please. But first let me remind you he is a longtime Progressive Liberal Party MP (since the 1980s) who was appointed BEC chairman for the second time in Perry Christie’s last term, even though he and his family did not pay their own utility bills - to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 

Miller was also presumably chairman while a well-organised theft ring was siphoning millions from BEC. I am not suggesting he was involved, but official sources tell me this scam (which is now under close police investigation) has been ongoing for "many years”. 

 

Miller chaired BEC from 2012 until late 2015, and he ran his mouth the whole time. His latest buffoonery was to blame the current managers of the state-owned utility - now known as Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) - for the incessant power cuts we face.

 

He has also claimed that his former board had a surefire plan (financed by our social security funds no less) to resolve all of the country’s power woes, “but we got stopped dead in our tracks because those foreigners thought they knew better."

 

This is just so much horseradish, it should make you want to vomit. First of all the “foreigners” were put in place by Miller’s own party. And as well-researched letters to the editor by Tony Zervos have shown, we have been in an “electrical crisis” for the past 50-odd years.

 

Will Bahamians Get the Accountability they Voted for?

by Larry Smith

In 2003 I worked at the Nassau Guardian. I clearly recall the extended political honeymoon given to Perry Christie’s new government. Why, even young Michael Halkitis at the Finance Ministry called to offer friendly access.

 

The “Fresh Wind” that blew the PLP into office in May 2002 was a relief of sorts to those who had tired of Hubert Ingraham’s bull-nosed governance style over the previous decade.

 

Based on Christie’s soothing words - plus the fact that he had yet to be tested as a national leader - voters felt it was time to give the supposedly rehabilitated PLP another chance. So they did - in a landslide.

 

But by 2004 the Christie administration was slipping into its now familiar ways - indecisiveness, looking the other way, glib talk, shameless propaganda, scandals. and an utter lack of accountability.

 

So despite the PLP having ridden a wave of goodwill into office, and despite the global economic boom, a resurgent Hubert Ingraham was able to edge them out in 2007.

 

No landslide this time, though. The PLP held 18 seats to the FNM’s 23, and despite the traditional finger-pointing by the new government, Christie and Co put up a formidable opposition from day one. 

 

Their attacks on the government and inducements to voters became ever more exaggerated as the clock ticked down to the 2012 election.

 

Perhaps the ultimate example of the PLP’s destructive politicking was the placement of large billboards all over New Providence advertising the country’s murder rate, and blaming it all on the FNM.

 

This cynical strategy worked. And although receiving only a plurality of the total vote (due to a third party challenge), Christie was returned to office with 29 seats to the FNM’s nine. And Hubert Ingraham exited stage left.

 

The leadership transition that had been pending in both major parties had finally occurred in one, with the FNM mantle falling to a politically inexperienced physician named Hubert Minnis.

 

The Way Forward for Bahamian Politics

by Larry Smith

After thanking Perry Christie, the Progressive Liberal Party and his erstwhile constituents in Fort Charlotte for their support, Alfred Sears attempted to define “the way forward” for his party and the country.

 

In his first post-election commentary last week, Sears claimed it is the FNM, rather than the PLP, which today seeks to implement a “progressive and liberal political and social agenda”.

 

He said many of the reforms promised in the FNM's recent Throne Speech had been proposed before by the PLP, as well as by Sears himself in his recent bid to replace Christie as PLP leader.

 

Sears called on the party to “rebuild and rebrand” itself, arguing that it had to provide a real vision for the future rather than just act as a forceful opposition.

 

He said the party had to commit itself to honest governance, sustainable development, equal opportunity, and protection of our civil rights and freedoms.

 

“Over the past 44 years, the perception of the PLP has shifted to a party more aligned with foreign interests over Bahamians, a lack of national vision, weak leadership, corruption and scandals,” Sears said.

 

But the problem is that the party remains under the control of a geriatric mafia - men who were large and in charge from the time I started my first job in the early 1970s. They continue to pull the strings, despite being badly out of touch with modern realities.

 

Aftermath of the 2017 Bahamas General Election Tsunami

by Larry Smith

Shortly before the May 10 general election, former Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis and retired cabinet minister George Smith both predicted a PLP win.

“I see no reason why we shouldn’t take 30 seats,” Davis said smugly. And according to Smith, the vote would be close, "(but) in the end the PLP will emerge victorious.”

These forecasts required us to accept that the PLP had not lost any support over it’s disreputable five-year term - a stretch by any measure.

I wrote some weeks ago that a clear case could be made that conditions in the country today are very similar to those in 1992. In addition to the PLP's increasingly authoritarian style, back then the country was running out of economic options due to corruption and mismanagement. 

I also pointed out that the DNA - which drew over 13,000 votes in the 2012 election - was the biggest unknown quantity that could actually affect this election. If it did not exist, I said, there is no doubt that Christie's PLP would be swept out in a landslide. 

Until shortly before the election, the prevailing view was that the DNA would again split the anti-government vote, and bring about a PLP victory that would be disastrous for the country. Many opposition activists and supporters were genuinely distressed over the failure of the FNM and DNA to forge some kind of alliance against the PLP. 

Added to this uncertainty factor was the split between FNM leader Hubert Minnis and his former deputy Loretta Butler-Turner. Butler-Turner had been talking to the DNA about an electoral agreement, but what she described as "an anti-establishment alliance" failed to materialise.

But as the election date approached, infighting within the FNM died down and most opposition supporters coalesced around Minnis as the only effective choice. The FNM was also able to put forward many fresh and credible candidates, and the seven rebel MPs became politically irrelevant.

Only Butler-Turner decided to run as an independent in Long Island, which turned out to be a poor decision. She was handily defeated by Adrian Gibson in the ensuing FNM wave and appears to be out of the picture for the medium term at least.

At this writing, the PLP retained only four seats in parliament (Glenys Hanna-Martin in Englerston; Philip Davis in Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador; Chester Cooper in Exuma; and Picewell Forbes in South Andros.

Following Minnis’ swearing in as prime minister on May 11, the  big question is who will lead the opposition.

Forbes - a former radio announcer - is a cipher of little substance. Cooper is a successful business executive and political newcomer. Hanna-Martin is the scion of a famous PLP dynasty. And Davis was deputy prime minister in the outgoing government.

Both Hanna-Martin and Davis have been MPs and cabinet ministers since the first Christie administration took office in 2002. At 65 Davis is the senior figure and already had his sights on succeeding Christie as party leader. 

But as he is considered an old-line PLP fixer with poor speaking skills and no charisma, the selection of Davis as opposition leader would be counter-productive in the present circumstances. 

Cooper would be the smart choice for the post of leader in parliament. He is fresh, untainted by political scandal, unrelated to any political dynasty, and not a part of the geriatric PLP mafia. But party grandees are unlikely to allow Brave and Glenys to be sidelined.

 

As for the party leadership, Christie (who has apparently lost his Farm Road seat) first has to resign or a convention must be called to select a new leader. At the last convention in November, his only challenger was Alfred Sears who failed dismally. Sears also lost his election bid in Fort Charlotte.

 

So the conventional wisdom would be that Davis takes over as both party leader and leader in the House, and the PLP does not get the radical overhaul it needs to regain the electorate’s trust.

But it will still be a large and powerful organization, and its influence will grow again over time. Whether the PLP learns from past mistakes, gets rid of the geriatric mafia and creates a new culture remains to be seen.

 

The other big question is what will happen to the DNA. Party leader Bran McCartney has given no indication so far of falling on his sword, and the party seems content to carry on, despite the fact it had no impact on the results this time around.

 

The FNM - which not too long ago was seen as a basket case - is now in full control after the biggest win in our electoral history.

 

But waiting in the wings are the We March activists who were able to focus a lot of the anti-PLP anger in the months leading up to the election. Here's what Ranard Henfield, one of the chief organizers,  had to say:

 

"Now that we've eliminated the PLP, who laughed at our list of issues when they were the government on Black Friday, We March will issue an updated list to Dr. Hubert Minnis. Our role is once again to be a pressure group - and the OPPOSITION if the four PLPs can't be effective."

Exuma Fyre Festival—"Possibly The Worst Event Of All Time"

by Larry Smith

Some may recall a parody celebration called Festivus from the 1990s American sitcom, Seinfeld. It included a feast, feats of strength, and the labeling of ordinary events as miracles. Festivus was entirely made up by the father of one of the show's scriptwriters.

 

Although not a perfect analogy, Festivus reminds me of the Fyre Festival. This cleverly concocted event was set for Exuma at the end of April. But it crashed spectacularly - stranding hundreds and spawning a public relations nightmare for the Bahamas.

 

The wave of bad publicity included stories by major British, American and Canadian newspapers, magazines and broadcasters. Headlines included such gems as: Rich Kids of Instagram Meet Hunger Games, Festival Crumbles in Bahamas, and Reports of Chaos in Bahamas.

 

Hundreds of visitors (no-one seems to know the exact number) descended on the island of Great Exuma for what was billed as “a transformative experience over two successive weekends on a remote private island once owned by (Colombian drug lord) Pablo Escobar featuring the best in food, art, music and adventure.”

 

But as one account put it, "the cultural event of the decade" became "a disaster of criminal negligence” involving absurd privilege, unscrupulous business and exploitation.

 

Bahamas Electoral Prospects for May 10 2017

by Larry Smith

Now that the political battle lines for the upcoming general election are as clear as they will ever get - and the election has been set for May 10 - we can take a look at the prospects.

Initial observations are that the old guard of the PLP retain their mafia-like grip on the party. And they are desperately doubling down on promises and threats as the campaigning gets underway.

 

Familiar characters from my youth still loom large and in charge - grossly so, in fact. They include the likes of Bernard Nottage, Perry Christie, Balton Bethel, Bradley Roberts and Allyson Maynard-Gibson.

 

Meanwhile, disaffected and disappointed FNMs have made a reluctant effort to coalesce around Dr Hubert Minnis as the only effective option left to them. And the party now features fresh personalities from top to bottom.

 

But the FNM’s strategy still seems to rely on confidence that the government will fall into their hands no matter what they do or don't do. They may be right - the ground game is not visible to me - but on the surface this is the most laissez-faire opposition campaign in memory.

 

The seven FNM parliamentarians who removed Minnis as opposition leader last year are now politically irrelevant, and most won’t be running again. Only Loretta Butler-Turner has confirmed her independent candidacy in Long Island.

 

According to the DNA, the political reality in the Bahamas has changed dramatically, and both the PLP and the FNM will have to eat crow this time around. Bran McCartney believes he will decide who will govern the country for the next five years.

 

The DNA's 60-page platform includes pledges for a series of inquiries into hot-button controversies like the Bank of the Bahamas meltdown, a $500 million economic stimulus, liberalisation of the energy sector, creation of a national lottery, and implementation of local government on New Providence.

 

"Unlike the FNM and PLP who have released similar manifestos, and failed to deliver, this is not just campaign talk – this is what we will accomplish,” the DNA said. “We don’t have aspirations as a political dynasty and if we can’t deliver in our first five years then we don’t belong in government."

 

Fake News and the Mainstream Media—Bahamas and America

by Larry Smith

In the wake of Donald Trump’s rise to the American presidency, fake news has become a trending topic and media bias is the hot issue of the day.

 

As Trump himself declared recently, “A lot of the media is actually the opposition party — they’re so biased.” He could easily have added his favourite word: “Sad.”

 

The range of alternative news sites on the internet has complicated matters for most. Russian dissident Garry Kasparov pointed out that, “it can take a high level of education to separate fact from fiction in the dense information jungle we face online.” 

 

And conservative American talk show host Charlie Sykes acknowledged that fake news during the US election had “polluted political discourse and clogged social media timelines…helping spread conspiracy theories and indulging the paranoia of the fever swamps.”

 

Sykes’ unfortunate conclusion is that any news deemed to be biased, embarrassing, annoying or negative can now simply be dismissed as fake.

 

As a journalist who trained in the early 1970s at the height of the profession’s prestige and influence, this is all deeply troubling. Widespread distrust of the professional media has serious consequences for democracy and public accountability.

 

We know all too well here, that when our political leaders feel threatened by mass communication they do not control, the first thing they do is attack the messenger.

 

But if citizens are ever to hold those in power accountable, we have to rely on the press for information that we can use to judge their policies and behaviours. 

 

Opposition Forces Must Tap Into Popular Outrage

by Larry Smith

As we head into the second month of 2017, the political battle lines for the upcoming general election are becoming clearer.

 

The old guard of the PLP (and by old we mean geriatric) confirmed their mafia-like grip on the party at the first convention allowed to to be held in seven years. They are doubling down on promises and threats as the campaign begins.

 

The Minnis wing of the FNM bumbles along with business as usual, and no apparent strategy or plan, confident in their faith that the government will simply fall into their hands no matter what they do or don't do.

And those seven FNM parliamentarians who believed Minnis lacks political skills are now on an exposed ledge, figuring out how to move forward.

 

Meanwhile, the power-hungry DNA jackals are nipping at the heels of both legacy parties, even as ‘We March’ activists seek to concentrate popular outrage at the status quo.

 

Added to this complex pot are untried groupings like the United Peoples Movement, formed by ex-PLP MP Greg Moss and labour leader John Pinder.

Why Trump Won and What it Could Mean for the Bahamas

by Larry Smith

One thing’s for certain - there has been no shortage of analysis from every quarter on why Donald Trump won the US presidential election. 

For Breitbart News - the provocateur website run by Trump’s right-wing strategist Steve Bannon - it was a foregone conclusion. 

Their candidate (whom they refer to as ’Daddy’) promised to disrupt establishment politics and upend the sclerotic global system that America and its allies have built up over the past 70 years.

“We’re going to build an entirely new political movement,” Bannon said in a recent interview. "The conservatives are going to go crazy. I’m the guy pushing a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan…It will be as exciting as the 1930s, greater than the Reagan revolution  - conservatives, plus populists, in an economic nationalist movement.”

Trump’s anti-globalist headline policies during the campaign focused on a border wall, radical immigration and trade restrictions, reneging on international treaties, and reversing whatever progress has been made on climate and environmental issues.

But before we get into that, let’s look at the numbers. At the time of writing, Hillary Clinton led Trump by well over a million votes - 48 to 47 per cent - but Trump won in the electoral college. 

Policing Social Media in the Bahamas

by Larry Smith

Local newspapers recently published a letter from a retired senior cop calling for the prosecution of those who spread misinformation on social media "which appears to result in public alarm and panic”. 

 

The top two examples given were the rumour of an island-wide fuel shortage and the report that police were not showing up for duty after the hurricane. The writer suggested prosecution under Section 492 of the Penal Code: 

 

"Whoever, with intent to cause public alarm or disturbance, publishes or attempts to cause the publication of any news or telegram which he knows or believes to be false, is guilty of a misdemeanour.”

 

In our view, this should not be tolerated because the drawbacks far outweigh any benefits. The best way to deal with misinformation is to avoid a vacuum and provide full and credible information  as fast as possible. Our political and business leaders very often do not do this until they are cornered. And sometimes not even then.

 

The original scare about fuel shortages came when someone noticed that the docks at Clifton were no longer there and extrapolated a lengthy power island-wide outage. Others noticed that multiple gas stations were closed. Lots of people passed this information on urgently as if it were fact, but there was nothing sinister about it.

 

There were similar rumours after Hurricane Joaquin about deaths on Long Island. But how do you determine if a rumour which could potentially cause alarm was spread maliciously? And should we waste court time and resources to pursue such matters?  

 

Remember that Maria Daxon, an ex-police officer, now a lawyer, was recently arrested under the criminal libel laws for criticising the Police Commissioner on social media, and held initially without bail.

 

Since we have so many conflicts of interest in this town - personal, political, financial and otherwise - combined with general political immaturity polished up by high-powered spin doctors, it would be unlikely that policing social media will be an impartial exercise for the benefit of public order.