The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

 If one were to take the Nassau Guardian's front page report on Free National Movement's (FNM) North Abaco candidate at face value, then one would have to conclude that the details surrounding Greg Gomez's employment history raises more questions than answers. We do know for a fact that the newly minted North Abaco candidate had lived in the United States for a period of 11 years. What he exactly did for a living in the US remains somewhat shrouded in mystery. According to FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis (Killarney), Gomez explored other opportunities and sought to upgrade himself educationally while living abroad. After returning to The Bahamas in August of 2011, Gomez became a district council member and a community activist, according to Minnis. So we do know that he at least has a political resume. Minnis told the Press that Gomez worked as a banker and a customs officer at an airport. I think it is safe to assume that the FNM candidate had worked as a banker and a customs officer before he had moved to the US 11 years ago. I say that because, according to the Minister of National Insurance Shane Gibson, in a Nassau Guardian report that was published on October 2nd, NIB records show that contributions were made for Gomez in February for one month in 2012 for a plumbing company. Gibson also said that the only other contributions for Gomez were made in May, April, June and July when he was on the 52-week programme. There seems to be some discrepancy regarding when Gomez worked on the programme. Gomez continues to insist that he was placed on the programme after the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) came to power. I am also hearing reports in the local media that the FNM candidate was an island administrator before the FNM was voted out of office on May 7. 

 Gomez has charged that he has been victimised by the PLP government when he was removed from his post as island administrator. However, Local Government Minister V Alfred Gray has vociferously denied this allegation. Even The Nassau Guardian, which many in the PLP party have accused of being closely aligned to the FNM party, has written that some alleged documents show that Gomez had worked as a construction worker on a salary of $210 per week. On Nomination Day Gomez declared his annual income to be $28,000, and his real estate asset to be valued at $70,000. His net worth is $52,300 and his total asset is worth $80,300. Despite earning an annual income of $28,000, Gomez's current total savings are only $300. If the FNM candidate is earning $28,000 per year, this means that he is earning a weekly salary of $538.46 per week. By Bahamian standard, that is a lot of money. If he is currently earning over $500 a week, as he declared on Nomination Day, where is he earning this money? What is his current profession? The FNM leader has said that Gomez is fully employed with his campaign. I don't want to put words into Minnis' mouth, but is he suggesting that his North Abaco candidate is receiving a salary from the FNM party? The Guardian said that when it pressed Gomez for his employment status, he responded by saying that he was too busy to talk to the newspaper and hung up the phone. He did this twice, according to the daily. However, Gomez, before hanging up the second time on The Nassau Guardian, did say that he is an educator and a minister. Perhaps Gomez taught in the US. From what I have been able to gather from the press, it doesn't appear that he has taught in The Bahamas. To be sure, there's plenty of political intrigue concerning the Gomez's employment status issue. But there is one burning question that I would like to ask The Nassau Guardian and the governing PLP: Why is Gomez's employment status such an important issue? Let's just say for argument's sake that Gomez is indeed unemployed, what is there in the constitution that would prohibit him from contesting the North Abaco by-election on October 15? Why all the brouhaha over Gomez's work status? In all my years of following Bahamian politics, I have never seen such a commotion over a candidate's employment status. You get the sense that the Gomez's opponents are saying, ''If he is jobless, he shouldn't be allowed to run in the by-election contest.'' With all due respect to the prominent newspaper and the PLP, I think they have both made a mountain out of a molehill. If anything, Gomez's sporadic work history could very well work in the FNM's favour.

The fact that he was among the hundreds of struggling Bahamians to be employed in the job programme tells me that he can relate with the 40,000 plus Bahamians who are still reeling from the weak economy. Believe it or not, the FNM party desperately needs individuals of Gomez's ilk in its parliamentary caucus. As a Bahamian who is obviously not in the upper echelon of society, Gomez can appeal to the thousands of impoverished Bahamian families who are struggling to keep their heads above water. As I have argued in the past, the one Achilles heel of the FNM is that it is perceived by the impoverished black masses of being the party of only rich and middle-class white Bahamians and well-to-do black Bahamians. Now that it has chosen a candidate who does not have deep pockets, the FNM party is, whether it is aware of this or not, about to disabuse this perception. The FNM need not feel embarrassed about its candidate's unemployment status, if indeed he is unemployed, of course. After all, there are thousands of Bahamians who can relate with him. And they want somebody in Parliament who knows exactly what they are going through. Unfortunately, we have far too many in the House of Assembly who are out of touch with the masses.

 KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama

October 2, 2012.