Lesser evil

In almost surreal fashion, the stage has been set for an early showdown between a widely unpopular Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis and an equally uninspiring and unimpressive opposition leader, Philip Brave Davis.

Come September 16, Bahamians will determine which of these two unpalatable options will lead the country and attempt to reset the national mood and chart a course for a post-pandemic Bahamas.

For some, a rejection of Minnis and the Free National Movement (FNM) would amount to jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

But others are prepared to take their chances with Davis and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).

Many will be motivated by a strong desire to chase the current prime minister out of office due to arrogant and incompetent leadership, shameless betrayal of key campaign pledges and hypocritical behavior that has proven deeply insulting to the Bahamian electorate.

After a chaotic time in opposition when he was unable to hold the confidence of his parliamentary colleagues, Minnis was elected to office in 2017, not because Bahamians widely saw in him a strong and capable leader, but because the disgust toward the former prime minister, Perry Christie, was so intense it led to a wave that washed most PLPs, including Christie, into the political wilderness, some the political graveyard.

If Davis emerges victorious on the night of September 16, it would be the disdain many in the voting public feel toward Minnis that would likely be the key reason for the win.

If one were to read the general mood of the country, Davis and the PLP appear poised for a win.

But Davis as a leader is seriously unpopular too. Many people have grave misgivings about him and whether he is ready for prime time, especially given the serious crises we face as a nation.

This is likely why polling by both major political parties is showing so many undecided voters. Those in the FNM need to be more worried. That is worse news for the incumbent party than it is for the PLP.

BRAVE FACTOR

Not unmindful that winning over enough undecideds would be a challenge, the FNM is seeking to use an old trick, especially since many voters still buy into the successful narrative the FNM was able to sell in 2017 – that the PLP is corrupt.

Many believe that a Davis win would bring unsavory and greedy PLPs out of the shadows to feed once again like hogs at the trough.

They do not trust that Davis would be able to control the many PLPs who are now quiet but who are hungry for political patronage.

It was a perception that Minnis and the FNM were successful in planting in the minds of many Bahamian voters. Though Minnis and the FNM are unfavorable propositions now, that damning perception lingers heading into another election.

Apart from that, Davis does not appear to be prime ministerial. He does not stir a crowd. He does not inspire many people. He is painfully boring as a political leader, though there are numerous stories of his compassion, demonstrated over many years.

But some who have seen Davis at work as deputy prime minister say he would likely be more engaging than Minnis, and willing to use Bahamian talent, regardless of political persuasion, to help solve our biggest problems.

Right now, though, there are no bright ideas for electoral or economic reform that stand out in what the PLP is presenting.

Saying that a Davis administration would reduce value-added tax from 12 percent to 10 percent for 12 months sounds more like a gimmick than a meaningful solution to people’s financial woes.

With Davis as the most realistic alternative for prime minister, those who wish to see a PLP administration elected attempt to prop him up, pointing out that he is measured and practical, and, again, compassionate.

It reminds us of FNMs prior to 2017 who often said that Minnis might not be exciting, he might not be a talker, but he can get things done.

While the lack of dynamism and vision was true for Minnis, as it is for Davis, Minnis was able to lead his party to a landslide victory.

But his actions as prime minister, and in some cases his inaction, and his lack of ability to move us in a forward direction and to inspire and hold the confidence of the people came as no surprise to us.

Minnis repeatedly showed in opposition who he was. We believed him then as we do now.

Many took their chances because their desire to see the back of Christie was much stronger than their worries about the kind of leader Minnis would be.

The FNM now is banking on the unpopularity of “Brave”, as he is called by everyone, and people’s fears about the PLP attracting “corrupt” figures.

The FNM continues to fear monger.

They still talk about disgraced former Lyford Cay resident Peter Nygard and his filthy and scandalous ties with the PLP; they still try to invoke fears about alleged abuse of the public purse on the part of PLPs; and they try to convince us that turning to Brave and the PLP would be turning back the clock on progress.

For his part, Davis has tried to pin the corruption label on the FNM, seeking to raise a scandal around the health travel visa, the food assistance program and COVID spending, but it does not appear that much of that is sticking. 

From a political standpoint, Davis, too, has credibility issues.

When he was in government and it was revealed by The Tribune that his colleague, Jerome Fitzgerald, had tried to solicit millions of dollars in contracts from Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian for his family’s businesses – a clear egregious action on the part of a Cabinet minister — Davis publicly declared his support for Fitzgerald, telling inquiring reporters, “He’s our candidate for Marathon and we expect him to win his seat.”

Davis’ record as deputy prime minister had been far from stellar. He does not have standout achievements voters could easily point to.

He and the then-prime minister led a most unaccountable government that failed to demonstrate a commitment to transparency.

When he was in government, and the minister responsible for Bahamas Power and Light, he refused to make public the million-dollar business plan our tax dollars paid for.

The commission of inquiry he promised into the sale of the majority stake in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company and the controversial New Providence Road Improvement Project never happened.

There is nothing about Davis’ leadership as deputy prime minister that gives us any cause for enthusiasm when we imagine him as prime minister of The Bahamas.

That the PLP has not presented a team with more heavyweights and accomplished candidates poised to tackle our most serious challenges is likely a reflection of Davis’ inability to inspire and project confidence that he has a clue how to lead us at this critical juncture of our national development, and is worth following.

There are a few experienced members of his team who would be important players in a Davis administration – Sears, Cooper, Mitchell, Darville, Hanna-Martin – but we struggle to imagine who would form a Cabinet that would give the population some reason to feel hopeful that our ship of state is in good hands.

If Davis was prepared to turn a blind eye to Fitzgerald’s condemnable behavior, then no on should be surprised if he allows deplorable behavior to creep into his administration.

 DUPED

This is why some voters are willing to hold their nose and torture us all with another term of Minnis, whose administration appears to have worn out its welcome.

Many others are simply anxious for a change and a fresh start for the country.

They do not feel that Minnis deserves another chance to govern. If this means voting out well-performing FNMs, then so be it. Given our system, many a good MP has been sent packing because of their undesirable leaders.

Being on the FNM’s ticket at this time appears a very long shot to victory for many candidates.

Things are bad for so many people. Many voters will likely vote based on their personal economic circumstances and the fact that they are no better off than they were in May 2017.

Many are unwilling to give Minnis and the FNM a pass because they were dealt “a bad hand”, as the FNM likes to say, pointing to two major hurricanes and a once-in-a-century pandemic, which they insist derailed many of the plans they had.

Truth be told, many voters feel duped by the FNM. Many feel that the party ran a fraudulent campaign in 2017.

We were led to believe so much will be different.

Instead, we have gotten the same arrogance that our leaders condemned when they were in opposition; we have today a crew that includes some who behave like demigods, who, not unlike their predecessors in office, often scoff at demands for accountability and transparency, and who have become shockingly out of touch with the Bahamian people.

The prime minister himself has in many instances been rude and nasty to the media. The public sees that, and many do not like that haughty behavior.

Where are the quarterly press conferences Minnis promised would happen if the electorate voted in the FNM? 

Where is the humility he promised to demonstrate? 

And what of the many electoral reform promises he repeatedly pledged?

In opposition, Minnis derided Christie for being the only man who knew when an election would be called.

Minnis made the Bahamian people feel like his conviction on this and other matters was so serious that he would do something to effect change, to put power in the hands of the people, not just every five years, but every day.

But after he came to office, he seemed to be enamored with being prime minister of The Bahamas – the most honorable of honorables.

The fixed election date he repeatedly promised has not seen the light of day.

The recall system for MPs was another joke of a promise.

Campaign finance legislation he committed to never happened.

Term limit for prime minister sounded good to say but that, too, was a pie in the sky promise that remains in the sky.

While corruption was the focus of the 2017 campaign, promised anti-corruption legislation was never dealt with by Parliament. 

Three former PLP parliamentarians were taken to court in dramatic and embarrassing displays. They were called corrupt. 

Two have since been acquitted, and more than four years later the case involving the third has not been tried.

Repeated inquiries made by reporters over how much money has been paid to foreign lawyers to fight these cases have gone unanswered. That is because, we suppose, how public money is spent is none of our business.

NO BETTER

The Minnis FNM in many respects has proven no better than the Christie PLP.

But the FNM has over months of political advertising on cable television been touting Minnis’ leadership attributes. We have been told that it is because of Minnis’ strong leadership that our COVID numbers were decreasing. Now nobody is blaming that leadership for rising COVID numbers.

We have been told that it is because of strong and focused leadership that our economy is “roaring” back to life.

But we are now today at the worst point in the pandemic. There is no other period of the COVID-19 crisis that has been worse for The Bahamas than where we are today. 

The calling of the general election coincided with August breaking the October record as the worst month for COVID in The Bahamas.

We do not know why Minnis, who had eight months left before constitutionally being required to call an election, has decided to drive us into an election at a time when the hospitals are buckling from the strain of COVID.

His reckless decision in this regard speaks volumes to his leadership, although no one we know has been able to get into his head and provide a reason why this decision was made at this time.

Truth be told, both Minnis and Davis are incredibly tough sells.

Neither man is the man for this moment.

But we deal in reality, not fairy tale. That means that these two individuals are the most realistic options available to us.

Many voters have already made up their minds. Others will have many considerations to make as they weigh the options before us.

The post Lesser evil appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

source https://thenassauguardian.com/lesser-evil-2/