The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

IT IS written in Ezekiel 37:1-3 ‘The hand of The Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of The Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones ... and caused me to pass by them round about; and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry, and He said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God thou knowest ...’

As it is written, so shall it be done right here in the Bahamas.

I do not compare the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) as a bag of dry bones, politically speaking, as some of our more unkind detractors have done. It might, however, appear that way to many, even some of our core supporters. The prophet Ezekiel was sent to the ancient house of Israel to bring them out of the stupor and hopelessness they ‘perceived’ themselves to be in way back then. As it was deemed necessary then, so I submit it is today. I have been ‘sent’ to read the Riot Act to my beloved party and leadership.

The PLP made a spectacular attempt in 2012 to embrace what was then termed ‘bridges to the future’. It is sad to admit that 90 per cent of those flimsy ‘bridges’ have collapsed under the weight of arrogant behaviour, impatience and egotistical masturbation. Rollins crashed early in this term. Wells was close behind. Moss, doomed to ‘fail’ from the get go, soon himself crashed and burned. We have embraced a few more and I hope that in our next term in office, we PLPs, the real ones, do not live to rue the day. Wolves come dressed in all sorts of guise and practice deception as a tool to advance.

The PLP, as is to be expected of any individual or organisation, may have grown too comfortable in the past year or two. We have to urgently arrest and eradicate this notion and even accept that there is much more work to be done and many more ‘promises’ to fulfil before we prostrate ourselves before the electorate. I have been called many things and branded by others as things that are unprintable. I am not, however, an ostrich and I will never bury my political head in the sand.

The PLP administration is on the ropes and is not looking too good to many Bahamians. It is what it is. Some will seek to ‘blame’ the PM and our team for the unaccepted spike in crime. Some will blame us for ‘unemployment’. Many more, alas, will ‘blame’ us for teenage delinquency and pregnancies. The rest of the ‘unwashed’ masses and their handlers will ‘blame’ us for the inordinate delay in rolling out the National Health Initiative (NHI) and National Youth Service.

Unless and until we PLPs, with whom I am proud to align myself, despite the deficiencies, especially the glaring ones like the landfill debacle, go into a private internal conclave and consult and be advised by people like me, it may be ‘fatal’ going back to the electorate on the schedule that is the PM’s head. Yes, even if my beloved PGC does not ‘know’ the date in his own head, I ‘know’ it.

The opposition forces and appendages are of no real value when you see and witness the soap opera and phantom-like characters as they come onto the political stage or engage in the spectator and blood sport of politics. It will become even more messy than it is now, if that is possible.

When I was a youth I vividly recall the celebrated comedy series: ‘The Three Stooges’: Larry, Moe and, of course, Curly Joe. They were bumblers of the highest order but, at least, just like today, we are being ‘entertained’ by their antics and theatrics. We have on centre stage Dr Minnis, Loretta and Bran. Who is Larry? Who is Moe and who is Curly Joe? Some suggest that the erstwhile PGC is ‘Charlie Chaplin’ lite. I beg to differ. On his ‘worst’ day or night, Brother Christie, despite how I sometimes rake him over the coals, is ‘better’, politically, than all of these players.

Some people, allegedly, are toting illegal fire arms and playing crazy. Others engage in serious and potentially fatal arguments over mundane politics and partisan groupings. My Lord, can these dry bones live again? Brother Christie is the ‘glue’ that, for these elections, will hold the PLP together. We are fully united behind his leadership as we prepare for the mother of all political battles ever waged in our wonderful nation. He is, indeed, charismatic, experienced, focused and, more importantly, compassionate towards all, especially his detractors and haters.

The PM has the opportunity to invoke supernatural and ever present forces to ensure the re-election of the PLP, as government and he, himself, as Prime Minister, for the third and final time. He would have served the party and the country well, despite the detractors and those who ‘hate’ him and his leadership without substantive cause, much less reason.

Can these dry bones live again? Yes, fellow PLPs and those right thinking Bahamians who will support and vote for our return to office in the tens of thousands, in short order, not only will we be re-energised but we will bring to fruition a stable, prosperous and focused administration, this time around. If we did not do all that we could have and should have done, I, for one plead mea culpa and ask for your ‘forgiveness’ and continued ‘forbearance’.

Can these dry bones live again? The answer is yes and they will live more than abundantly than ever before.

To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE JR

Nassau

March 28, 2017