EDITOR, The Tribune.
Thank God that, mercifully, the fiasco and total wastage of public funds on Junkanoo/Carnival has come and gone. The unwashed masses had their block party; plenty of loose behaviour; whining up; sexual gyrations and, I am sure, a degree of unprotected and licentious sexual escapades. The results, across the board, will be manifested within nine months.
Of course, as like last year, there will be no audited financial statements and monies, no doubt, will again go missing with no accountability. The “people” have had their block party and gratuitous entertainment. Now we must confront the real issues that matter and get on with the daily grind. The main issue, for some strange and inexplicable reason is the upcoming referendum bills set for a vote on June 7, 2016.
The so-called Constitutional Commission, despite its title made many recommendations for constitutional reforms but the administration of the day opted to put only four bills to the electorate dressed up as “gender equality bills”. These bills remind me of the fabled Bull Frog who loved to dress up in soldier’s clothes.
They are designed to hood wink the unsuspecting masses (as if that were possible) into believing that all of a sudden the Christie Administration is all gung-ho about removing discrimination based on a sex (which has yet to be credibly defined from a legal and constitutional position); race; colour; religious beliefs or, God forbid, political affiliation.
Both the PM and Virgilius Alfred Gray (PLP-MICAL) are on record as saying that they hoped that the majority of the work at BAMSI is or has been allocated to PLP supporters and contractors. If this is not rank and overt discrimination, you tell me what it is. I fully understand the way politics and patronage are played and doled out in our wonderful nation. It is very much the same all over the world where human beings have come together as societies and communities.
The bills will be defeated, again, and there will never be another opportunity anytime soon to achieve what has proven to be very elusive in the Bahamian context. They will fail because, again, the public information and discourse have proven too limited; too confusing and too agenda driven.
FNMs, regardless of the editorials of armchaired wannabe politicians, inclusive of the editors of the dailies, will remember the saga that was played out by the PLP some years ago.
With unemployment hovering around 18 per cent amongst the regular adult Bahamians and estimated at 30 per cent amongst our younger people between 18 to 35 years of age the political directorate would be concentrating on jump starting the economy. The silence on this is deafening. Entrepreneurs are not being encouraged and, for sure, no funding is readily available. The average Bahamian has been consigned to picking peas out of shaving cream and, of course, bowing or bending down to the political directorate.
While our erstwhile politicians and their paid retainers are criss-crossing New Providence (they have left very small footprints across the Family of Islands) in a vain attempt to sell snake oil to the people of this wonderful nation, our infrastructure is crumbling; crime and the fear of crime continue without abatement and the so-called religious leaders are worshipping at Pharaoh‘s altar.
Now, the government of the day is seeking to legislate abstract concepts of morality in a so-called democracy.
No individual that any of us vote for is ever able to represent you personally as you would act at all times and in every matter.
It is a given that no two people are alike and that no other person can ever be you or me. Thus, in a democracy, an individual can only come so close as to what you or I might really wish for or want.
Thanks in large part to my late and deeply lamented biological father, the Reverend Divine Illuminator, Ortland H Bodie Sr, I am a trained metaphysician of the highest degree. Morality is inherently in all human beings but we must exercise free will in bringing it out. This, I submit, is not the role of a central government in a democracy, such as ours.
Bills number two and four are Trojan horses. I could care less what learned jurists; paid sycophants; bag men/women; political hacks and clerical prostitutes have to say. They are mouth pieces for sale for a fistful of dollars. Remember the so-called Yes Campaign for Gaming? Some of the same individuals who were like Niccodemus of old (who went in by night) are back with a vengeance.
They have no credibility.
My standard when voting is: ‘Is the proposed law immoral or illegitimate or wrong for individuals?’ If the answer is ‘yes’ then I vote against the same and I invite all right thinking Bahamians to reject ALL of the bills as currently drafted. I suggest that we push back the date of the referendum if the PLP administration does not wish to end up with eggs (not the Chinese ones) all over its collective face to a date after the upcoming national conventions.
The danger which we face with these bills is the apparent confusion between law and morality. What is often lawful has no moral value.
My detractors and those who prefer to shoot the messenger rather listen to the message, often ask me: “Don’t you believe in democracy?” I pose a rhetorical question in return: “To do what?” They are always stumped for an answer.
There is an apparent intolerance towards individuals and organisations who oppose these nefarious and evil bills. I make no apologies for my stance and to hell with those who think that they have a monopoly on wisdom and divine guidance. Allow me to throw out a constitutional bone for your consideration. In centuries gone by, slavery was completely legal in the USA and, in fact, was enshrined in the Constitution of that great nation. Did that make slavery moral? Legal; yes but immoral.
I differ from the Hon Alfred M Sears on many issues but, despite, his being around for a while, his recent public comments on real constitutional reforms are food for serious thoughts. In fact, with all due respect, to ALL of the others who are seeking political ascendancy within our great party, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), brother Sears, so far, has been the only coherent and credible individual to conceptualise and lay out a plan of action for the future of the nation.
Everyone knows of my political loyalty to the current DPM, the Hon Philip ‘Brave’ Davis (PLP-Cat Island,) and I do not anticipate that that will change anytime soon. As a pragmatic individual, however, who is loyal to God; family and nation (in that order) I have no more time to waste with rhetoric and pablum.
The DPM must, in short order, lay out his own progressive vision for the party and, by extension, the nation. The PM is lost in the eighth dimension. There is absolutely nothing that he and his inner circle are able to do any further for this country. To God then, in all things, be the ultimate honour and glory.
ORTLAND H BODIE Jr
Nassau,
May 8, 2016.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 10 months ago
Bahamians had better mark their "X" on the ballot next to the picture of the gate, as it represents (1) the gate to keep thousands of foreigners (wanting Bahamian status) out of our country and (2) the gate to keep same-sex marriages from happening in our country! The corrupt Ingraham-led FNM and Christie-led PLP governments of the past three decades think we are all fools. Even though many of us are either unemployed or under employed, our corrupt government is now hell bent on granting thousands of foreigners Bahamian status in exchange for their vote down the road. We can't afford to let this happen. Bahamians must show up at the polls on June 7th and vote a resounding "NO!" to all four of the proposed amendments to our constitution. Remember....just mark your "X" next to the picture of the gate on your ballot. We must all vote "NO" otherwise we and our families will really be sorry when the wave of foreigners come to our shores to take our jobs for less pay!
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID