PRIME Minister Perry Christie speaks in Fox Hill. Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune staff
By RICARDO WELLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
rwells@tribunemedia.net
DAYS after insisting that he and members of his party were cutting Free National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis some “slack” before waging a full campaign to highlight his failures, Prime Minister Perry Christie last evening berated the former Official Opposition leader during a community meeting in Fox Hill.
As a part of his 30-minute long diatribe which saw the nation’s leader impress upon voters the successes of his administration since being elected to office in 2012, sentiments of encouragement for his ratified candidates, and even an obscene hand gesture while referring to allegations being levelled at him; Mr Christie said despite all of the negativity meant to bring down his administration, the country would be risking its future if it moved to elect Dr Minnis as its next prime minister.
At one point during his speech, Mr Christie stuck up his middle finger as he lashed out at allegations that he owned a condominium property obtained through political impropriety. He added that he would not let political lies of this sort distract him from the task of governance.
On the issue of his rival, the Centreville MP didn’t mince words in his address, contending that Bahamians should not hand over reigns of the country to a party as unstable and dysfunctional as the FNM.
Mr Christie said: “(If) in the seriousness of your reflection and contemplation you are asking yourself, ‘what should I do?’ What you mean what should you do. What you shouldn’t do, that should be in front of you. You have no right, even though this is a wonderful flourishing democracy, you have no right not to recognise that every time this Minnis-led FNM was tested they failed the test.”
He added: “How are they going to assemble together? What reliance do you have to place on them when all of the evidence available to you is that they have not been able to demonstrate any kind of unity to carry this country forward?”
Mr Christie went on to belittle the leadership capabilities of Dr Minnis further, asserting that his inability to grasp the issues facing the country over the last five years has been a matter he could have taken the former opposition leader to task over, but opted instead to let it play out.
As a result, Mr Christie said those who supported Dr Minnis early on in his administration now find themselves at odds with him because he has clearly failed those he was charged with leading.
“Look at the quality of persons who make up the Progressive Liberal Party team…. they cannot be matched by any of the parties, most certainly not the party that purports or represents themselves as being the opposing party - the FNM.”
Of his track-record since the 2012 general election, Mr Christie noted that Dr Minnis received a vote of no confidence by the majority of his parliamentary team.
He added that this action proves that if entrusted with the post of prime minister, Dr Minnis would again fail those he is entrusted to lead and serve.
“Look at leadership and ask yourself…. Do you really think Minnis knows anything about the economy? Do you really think he knows anything about the islands of the country and how they should be integrated into the economic development of the country?
“See even the FNM in the range of my voice will have to shake their heads and say I am right,” Mr Christie said.
“Do you think if (Dr) Minnis landed in London or New York or Rome and they put a microphone in front of him and say what do you think about this issue in the Bahamas; do you think Minnis would be able to explain?
“Wherever I am in the world, CNN - you have to be able to represent your country. You have to be able to know your country. You have to be able to know what is happening in Inagua, what is happening in Bimini; and the answer is not ‘Christie is delusional’. The answer isn’t hiding behind the television set.
“Come out here and stand up and take people on the tour of the islands (and) articulate one by one; can’t happen. And maybe in another ten years he would be more astute in doing it, but (the people) don’t have no time to wait ten years.
Mr Christie said the PLP has a team of quality members prepared to serve and improve the Bahamas.
He added Dr Minnis has done all he could to destroy his party.
Last night’s community meeting was jointly held by the PLP’s community branches from St Anne’s, Fox Hill and Marathon.
The event heard speeches and platform updates by several members of the party, including Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell, Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald and the newly ratified candidate for St Anne’s Dr Charles Clark.
Comments
viewersmatters 7 years, 1 month ago
PM has no gaddam shame. What does the PLP knows about democracy? What have the PLP really done for the Bahamas and it's citizen? PLP as we all know is nothing about failure and continue to reign failure and torture for the peoe of the Bahamas. After 5 long years of the PLP slavery to the people of the Bahamas everyone can finally have Thier voices heard, the people wasn't any concern to any political party then so the people shouldn't be of a concern now so let the people vote their conscious and who we all think is best fitted to lead our bahamaland because as it stands no party is stable, loyal or dedicated enough to have the right honor to lead the Bahamas.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 1 month ago
Sadly the problem is much deeper than we would like to think simply because the correlation between the typical types of voters in our society today and the usual kind of politicians they prefer to elect is much too great. As the saying goes: "Birds of a feather flock together" or, in the more appropriate local vernacular, "scum loves only scum"! Therefore replacing an already well fed and fattened bunch of crooks with a very hungry and malnourished bunch of crooks would likely exacerbate our country's death by a thousand cuts. Like most Bahamians I want to be more optimistic, but unfortunately history shows the single most telling sign of a doomed country is the lack of available political alternatives which usually results in a dictatorship of some kind at the end of the day. By now we all know the serious incompetency issues and character flaws of the very greedy and power hungry Dimwitted Doc. Even LBT who already looks well fed is nevertheless hungry and anxious to have access to deals on the side with foreign investors and that shining pot of gold held by our country's government which is filled with our tax dollars a/k/a the Public Treasury! Keep in mind too that our PMs have typically also given away for pennies on the dollar large portions of our Crown Land to benefit themselves and their cronies. The dynamics at play in this next general election are such that much sun light will never be allowed to shine on the dastardly deeds of the corrupt politicians that "we" voters elect to office.
John 7 years, 1 month ago
Take your head out the toilet sometimes and stop talking what you see in there all the time. Everybody can't be bad so look up in the sky sometimes and look for a ray of hope. You may even see someone sticking their middle finger up, like a bird.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 1 month ago
Try not to be as delusional as Crooked Christie (who refuses to accept reality) or as stupid as the Dimwitted Doc (who is unable to understand and accept his limitations). Many Bahamians have already taken responsible steps to protect themselves and their families as much as possible from what lies ahead. I agree with you though that not every one in the Bahamas is bad, just as not everyone in Venezuela is bad.
DillyTree 7 years, 1 month ago
Mr. Christie, given the abysmal record you and your PLP have accomplished and managed to all but destroy the Bahamas, I think I'd like to take a chance on Dr. Minnis. I hate the PLP more than I hate Minnis.
So that's what you politicians have given us -- a legacy of having to choose the ones who will do the least amount of damage. Are you proud of that?
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 1 month ago
Be careful what you assume. The greedy and power hungry Dimwitted Doc is quite capable of inflicting a helluva lot more damage on us than Crooked Christie has in recent years. The devil you know may well be much better than one you really don't know. The Dimwitted Doc has a very twisted and bent mind accompanied by a hot temper. Just ask anyone who knows him well.
licks2 7 years, 1 month ago
I think he did just fine under fire. . .took a lickin and kept on ticking. . .THE STREETS HAVE ALREADY ROCIN WITH DA DOC. . .
DillyTree 7 years, 1 month ago
Well_mudda-take-sic, I hear you! But can you not see the shifting sands? Some prominent FNM supporters (ie, the ones who pay for the election campaign) have made it very clear they do not want Minnis. He's there long enough to win an election for the FNM, then will be sent on his merry way. His time is short -- just as his little temper!
Honestman 7 years, 1 month ago
We get that you don't rate the Doc but Christie and the PLP MUST be excised. They are a cancer that if not removed WILL destroy what's left of this country. Minnis deserves his chance and I believe he will get it even if only for a few years. Your repetitive anti-Minnis posts carry no substance. They merely reflect your opinion since they are not backed by facts. Similarly, your anti-D'Aguilar rants, and now you are dissing Symonette. You seem to have a huge chip on your shoulder about an awful lot of successful people. Thankfully, you only get one vote just like the rest of us.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 1 month ago
Apropos @John above: Try not to be as delusional as Crooked Christie (who refuses to accept reality) or as stupid as the Dimwitted Doc (who is unable to understand and accept his limitations). Many Bahamians have already taken responsible steps to protect themselves and their families as much as possible from what lies ahead. I agree with you though that not every one in the Bahamas is bad, just as not everyone in Venezuela is bad.
realfreethinker 7 years, 1 month ago
You finally reveal yourself. Just another PLP troll posing as some objective viewer.I must give it to you,you had me leaning in your direction Well-mudda-sic
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 1 month ago
Don't let your feelings of helplessness and despair about the lack of political alternatives in our country today turn to fear and paranoia, and eventually paralysis. There are important things many of us can still do to protect ourselves and our families as much as possible from what lies ahead. Around the world there are many people suffering a miserable existence in failed states because they ignored the writing on the wall. Keep in mind too that we already have an unusually high concentration of failed states in our region, namely Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba and a couple of less well known ones in Central America.
Tarzan 7 years, 1 month ago
PM says "Country is risking the future if it elects Minnis." Should have read: "Country is risking having a future if it elects Minnis."
Honestman 7 years, 1 month ago
Bahamians should not hand over reigns of the country to a party as unstable and dysfunctional as the FNM.
So the choice is we allow Perry and his bunch of career criminals another five years to rape and pillage what's left of our dwindling economy? Another five years to oversee further rating downgrades, a demolition of quality health care, increased VAT to pay for even more non-necessary jobs in the public sector and a country plagued by armed gangs. Know what? As unstable and dysfunctional as the FNM might be, I'll take my chances with them. ANYONE WHO VOTES FOR THE PLP THIS COMING ELECTION IS UNSTABLE!!!
agathachristie 7 years, 1 month ago
How can this argument hold water? PM Christie is only putting himself in hot water if he think that a well defined, got it all together stable and functional Government is better to run the country than his counterpart who he claim is so dysfunctional and unstable. First of all, this well defined, got it all together government has cause the Bahamas four downgrades in one election term. this well defined stable and functional government is the first government to introduce taxation on every Bahamian from the womb to the tomb. this well defined stable and functional government who, nobody in his cabinet dare to oppose him on any issues almost never get it right, the first time, who is never on time with any major projects that he introduce to the Bahamian people and cannot keep his promise to break the back of crime on a( 7x21 mile island). At the very least we have an opposition leader that one can speak out about without being afraid, if he is not getting it right. at lease he will be very careful when he bring something to the Bahamian people he better be sure its' the right thing or his own party will knock it down or vote against it. We don't need an orator with just words, what is needed is a damn good speech writer for the next Prime Minister when he has something good for the Bahamian people, to take us out of this recession that we are stuck in. If we say we are following America stability why did Obama move America from unemployment of 8% down to 3 1/2% while our unemployment went up. from 14% to 21%. So Mr. PM Christie PLEASE... TO MAKE THIS ARGUMENT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. I WOULD PREFER TO VOTE FOR THE UNSTABLE DYSFUNCTIONAL OPPOSITION. WHAT DO I HAVE TO LOSE ?
asiseeit 7 years, 1 month ago
This from a man who has made the lives of Bahamians a living nightmare TODAY! You flip the bird at us, well FUCK YOU AND YOUR CORRUPT GOVERNMENT!
John 7 years, 1 month ago
So now they are trying to blame the press for publicizing the incident where Prime Minister raised his middle finger in an obscene gesture at Omar Archer. Well the press is right to promote Christie's rudeness. Maybe its his madness returning. Remember back when Cecil Wallace-Whitfield was the leader of the FNM? At one of their rallies some of BEC workers kept turning off the lights on the park where the rally was being held. So Sir Cecil told rally crashers, "When I become prime minister, I will prosecute your backsides straight to jail." Of course the PLP took the quote out of context and at all of their subsequent rallies, they told the crowds that Wallace says when he became PM he was going to prosecute Bahamians backsides to jail. ZNS was the only radio/TV station at the time and the clip was played at every opportunity. Of course Sir Cecil and the FNM lost the election. So as they use to say when shooting marbles, "Slip goes!"
DualCit68 7 years, 1 month ago
Can we be honest?? This has been going on since our independence. Whomever is in power, whomever stands with them, they ALL rob the country and hide amazing amounts of money. This isn't about Bahamians. This is about two political parties that are fighting for the right to steal money from us. They are pompous, fat, bloated, greedy monsters that look like Mogabie from Zimbabwe.
Can anyone say VAT?
sheeprunner12 7 years, 1 month ago
Please send Perry to the political graveyard ..................... Please, I beg Bahamians!!!!!!!!
banker 7 years, 1 month ago
The Prime Minister is delusional. He is as bad as Donald Trump and say any lie without even stopping to acknowledge that it is a lie. He and his colleagues have such skewed moral compasses, that to them, the truth is some theoretical thing that has no bearing on the feces that comes out of their mouths.
HarryWyckoff 7 years, 1 month ago
http://thetribune.media.clients.ellin...">Sums it up. by HarryWyckoff
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 1 month ago
Someone in that crowd overheard Fwreddy Boy Mitchell excitedly shout: "SHOW ME THAT MAGICAL FINGER AGAIN!"
Emac 7 years, 1 month ago
Firstly, this man does not know the power of social media. He flipped so fast that he didn't think that anyone would have been able to capture this. Secondly, he knows that his audiences are a bunch of ignoramuses and they would appreciate his gestures, so he play their movie. Politicians like Perry are long over due to step down. Since he refuses to do so on his own, hopefully these kinds of actions, and the pressure from the dozen decent Bahamians might hopefully force this old hag to hang up his gloves. But whatever, nothing these people from this party do will surprise me. They have been getting by with so much for so long, that the masses should have run them over long time. Thanks to technology this evil bunch will eventually commit suicide.
SP 7 years, 1 month ago
Country Better Off Risking Future By Electing Minnis Than Certain Disaster With Christie!
by SP
"PLP ALL THE WAY TO NOWHERE"
Alex_Charles 7 years, 1 month ago
I agree that Minnis is. totally not the best choice but for fuck sake are we to re-elect this administration? NO!
True we have some pretty crappy choices at the moment with a divided opposition again... but dammit I'll gamble on something else rather the "A sure Win" at failure with a Christie lead government. Maybe if Sears won my opinion would be different but I can't support this mess.
If I had a choice between Donald Trump and this Administration... I'm afraid we'd be building a stupid and pointless underwater wall on our southern border!
John 7 years, 1 month ago
The middle finger gesture was the final nail in Christie's political coffin.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 1 month ago
@John: The coffin is bigger than you think my friend. Frankly it's big enough to hold everyone in our country. Suggest you do whatever you can to stay out of that big coffin by refusing to accept that hope and prayer together with your belief in the goodness of mankind are your only avenues for avoiding the harsh consequences of a future failed state. There are responsible things you can still do even if no one in your family possesses a second passport. Too many in Venezuela today wish they had not ignored the tell tale signs of the inevitable.
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