The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune. The Hon. Kenneth Russell has been pouting ever since he was relieved of his duties as the Minister of Housing by the Prime Minister. Despite the fact that Mr Russell is a three time consecutive winner of his seat, Mr Hubert Ingraham decided that his time was up and is looking for a new face to run this time around. Mr Russell is adamant that he did nothing wrong to be fired from his ministerial duties. He says that all he wanted to do was to get approval for a project that would have injected more than one billion dollars into the Grand Bahama economy. This project, according to Mr Russell, was rejected four times by the Cabinet. He has spoken publicly on several occasions and now he is saying that he will see what he has to do to survive. He also says, "I'm going to be in the same situation as other Grand Bahamians trying to struggle to make a living and pay bills." The saga involving Mr Kenneth Russell is ongoing and it appears to be showing no signs of slowing down. It is safe to say that he now knows his value to his party and his constituents. Despite the fact that he says that he was a good member of Parliament and that he exceeded his expectations in the Ministry of Housing, not one Cabinet Member or constituent publicly came to his aide. Is the mantra "Party First", as quoted by Tommy Turnquest still alive in the FNM? It appears that the window of opportunity that Kenneth Russell and Kendal Wright had to "keep alive" their political future has passed. Were they too clouded in party politics as opposed to nation building? If I may borrow a line from Dr Myles Munroe, who said, "We don't need politicians in leadership. We need leadership in politicians." It strikes me as odd that Mr Russell is just now saying that Mr Ingraham is a dictator after working with him for at least 14-1/2 years. I find it odd that Mr Kendal Wright is showing his disapproval with his leader, only after he now may face an end to his political career with the FNM. Did Mr Russell get the brown end of the stick? Or did Grand Bahama receive the brown end? Did they both get it? It depends on who you ask. But as I heard Kendal Wright utter in the House of Assembly during his contribution to the boundaries commission report, "We will give you a fair trial, but we will hang you in the morning." Mr Ingraham had it right when he said that serving the people is a privilege and not a right. I am hopeful that when future Members of Parliament get a chance to serve the people that they serve the people. Your allegiance should always be to the people first. And even if you get the brown end of the stick at the end, it will be okay if you did what you were supposed to do. DEHAVILLAND MOSS Nassau, January 3, 2012.