The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

A fundamental truth of leadership is that once earned, it is incessantly tested. Most of the time, that test comes in the form of difficult strategic, tactical, moral, and ethical judgment calls. Put another way, judgment is almost always a good measure of leadership and leadership potential. This is particularly true at the political level, where – sadly – the temptation to ignore sound judgment always abounds.

It is in this context that it has become increasingly important to evaluate the performance of Free National Movement leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis. Judgment could not well have courted Dr. Minnis more aggressively since he was elevated to the leadership of the FNM. It has paid particularly frequent visits on questions of governance (Senate appointments and internal Party management) and ethics (the Nygard-Bacon affair).

And yet, in spite of its incessant door-knocking, we are forced to concede that, virtually every time, Dr. Minnis has failed to answer the call. On matters of Governance, the good doctor’s performance has been rather disconcerting. Of the 7 Senators he has named, he has lost 4. He appointed Senator Sands without consulting his executive committee or his executive council. And he has repeatedly ignored the advice of his members.

The Nygard-Bacon affair is cause for even greater concern. As an aspiring Prime Minister, Dr. Minnis should know that he will always be held to a higher standard of ethics, accountability and transparency. He should quite simply never have put himself in such a position. Once alerted to the precariousness of his situation, he should have alerted those better equipped to lawfully resolve the situation.

That said, Bahamians should carefully consider whether or not, based on this track record with his own friends and allies, he can be trusted with the far more complex job of managing the nation’s governance. More importantly, they should ask themselves whether he would do any better than our current Prime Minister – with whom he appears to share significant amounts of imperviousness to accountability. For me it is a frightening prospect !

Even that, however, will not do much good if those in the Free National Movement who care about country first, fail to ask ourselves the same difficult questions. Do not be mistaken: it gives me no pleasure to do so. But as someone who has served the country and Party in various capacities, I cannot and must not escape my duty to help steer the nation and movement in the right direction.

Bahamians embraced Hubert Ingraham’s leadership for two important reasons. The first is that he was decisive. Decisively firm, focused and driven. The second was that on such delicate matters of judgment, he let his integrity and patriotism guide him ahead of his self-interest. This enabled him to take on big projects, projects that might have paralysed lesser leaders, and to deliver.

The point in this is not to call the former Prime Minister back into duty – he has served us well, and long enough. It is merely to demonstrate how far our movement has strayed from the ethos that allowed us to clean up the rampant corruption of the late eighties and early nineties. Minnis’ FNM is obsessed with the kinds of self-indulgent cynicism that generates instability in even the best of organizations. It is not my FNM.

It is not the FNM that was relied upon to turn the country around in 1992. It cannot be the FNM that aspires to turn us around again, and resolve the increasingly disconcerting state of the nation in 2016. The time has come for change. Dr. Minnis must call an early convention, and seek a mandate to lead our movement in the next election. Without this, he may very well endanger the future of our Bahamas, not to mention our FNM.

This is your one residual duty now, Dr. Minnis. It is a matter of leadership. A matter of judgment. Show us you can do better.

MICHAEL SCOTT

Nassau,

May 20, 2016.

• (Michael Scott was formerly a FNM candidate, Board Chairman, and Council member).