Is Bahamas becoming a dictatorship?

As of Friday, December 4, 2020

EDITOR, The Tribune.

WITH the November 24 declaration of a third state of emergency by Governor General Sir Cornelius Smith, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis now has constitutional authority to impose additional restrictive measures for another six months.

In the House of Assembly, Minnis mentioned extending the emergency order to January 31, which would mean that the decision regarding our civil liberties will be solely in the hands of the competent authority during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays and perhaps well into the foreseeable future.

I have not been following the debate regarding this matter in the House of Assembly. I would assume that the overwhelming majority of Free National Movement (FNM) MPs present during the debate rubber stamped the bill, which has led to criticisms that FNM MPs are whistling past the graveyard with Minnis as competent authority since March.

I have been critical of the seeming unilateral governance under Minnis, with the executive and legislative branches of government appearing to be on hiatus.

Reading a recent Nassau Guardian editorial concerning the extension of the emergency order, the writer seems to have implied that The Bahamas, which is a constitutional parliamentary democracy, is trending towards becoming a dictatorship under Minnis.

The writer may have read an April 3 Washington Post article that claims that dictators are using the coronavirus to strengthen their grip on power.

Meriam-Webster defines a dictatorship as a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique.

Intending to evoke dread in the Bahamian people, one FNM critic postulated that Minnis might attempt to postpone the general election, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext. Such a scenario would be similar to what is currently happening in Ethiopia under the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who postponed the general election indefinitely due to COVID-19, which was scheduled for August.

In December 2019 Abiy Ahmed won the Noble Peace Prize for his economic and social reforms in a country of approximately 110 million and over 80 ethnic groups.

Notwithstanding his International appeal, Abiy Ahmed and the Ethiopian Army are currently engaged in a full-scale civil war with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in the Tigray region in Northern Ethiopia.

Ethiopia currently has 109,534 confirmed COVID-19 infections and 1,700 deaths. Opposition groups obviously do not agree with the election postponement.

This has led to allegations of Abiy Ahmed becoming a dictator, which is not uncommon in Sub-Saharan Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular. Africa currently has 19 dictators. The Marxist autocrat Mengistu Haile Mariam ruled Ethiopia with an iron-fist between 1977 and 1991.

One of the key leaders of the military Derg that overthrew the alleged Solomonic monarchy of Haile Selassie I in 1975, Mengistu orchestrated the bloody Ethiopian Red Terror between 1977 and 1978, with an estimated 30,000-750,000 executions. Mengistu was as ruthless as Uganda’s Idi Amin, Libya’s Muammar al-Gaddafi and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe. All four African leaders fit the definition of a dictator, who openly suppressed, persecuted and murdered members of the media and the opposition.

With respect to Abiy Ahmed, I can understand why Ethiopians are jittery.

With respect to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, I believe his critics are being disingenuous and are over exaggerating his latest political moves.

With our proximity to the United States of America, no government, be it FNM or Progressive Liberal Party, would be able to get away with what Mugabe, Mengistu, al-Gaddafi and Amin did to their respective countries.

Granted, Fidel Castro was successful in establishing a decades-old communist dictatorship in Cuba after overthrowing the Fulgençio Batista US backed dictatorship in the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

For strategic and diplomatic reasons unknown to the writer, the US government has tolerated Cuba’s dictators. I don’t think the same courtesy would be extended to a nation with a population of just 400,000 and a small defense force that cannot even defeat the Haitian Army.

A Minnis dictatorship would be immediately crushed by the American military. I am not a water boy for this FNM administration.

As I stated in the past, I will sit out the upcoming general election. Minnis has made his fair share of logistical mistakes as competent authority.

But I believe opposition forces would do a better job at intelligently engaging the FNM in a debate over COVID-19 without having to resort to fear mongering about Minnis becoming a dictator.

Such unfounded speculation is an insult to the hundreds of millions who have suffered under dictatorships.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama,

November 29, 2020.

Porcupine 3 years, 4 months ago

"For strategic and diplomatic reasons unknown to the writer, the US government has tolerated Cuba’s dictators. A Minnis dictatorship would be immediately crushed by the American military. I am not a water boy for this FNM administration." Wow! Tolerated? Crushed?

"Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely" Lord Acton. This applies most everywhere.

moncurcool 3 years, 4 months ago

It is amazing how people so forget that Pindling was worst than this with his regime.

tribanon 3 years, 4 months ago

But back then we at least had some vestiges of the system of law and order our colonial masters left for us. Not so today.

moncurcool 3 years, 4 months ago

I guess you don't know what took place under Pindling. Maybe you didn't realize that the so called system you refer too that allows you have to tear down Minnis today was not even allowed under a Pindling system. But oh how we forget.

tribanon 3 years, 4 months ago

Give me a break! I was able to threaten SLOP with a lawsuit in the late 70's and he was only too happy to settle the matter before it got to court for fear of some very awkward things being revealed to the public in a discovery process.

GodSpeed 3 years, 4 months ago

The Bahamas will become whatever the IMF, WHO, US and World Bank tell it to become. The borrower is servant to the lender.

happyfly 3 years, 4 months ago

The author of this piece assumes a lot of things and also forgot to mention the 'ethnic cleansing' that is now reportedly being perpetrated by both sides in Ethiopia. Back to the point. A simple search dictionary defines {Dictator definition - a person exercising absolute power} so am not sure who is insulting who by suggesting that Minnis is NOT already a dictator. Yes, I do agree that the US would probably not tolerate another authoritarian government on its doorstep but so long as we all lay down and allow Minnis to be a dictator, there is little reason for anyone to do anything to alter the current situation

sheeprunner12 3 years, 4 months ago

The Covid19 pandemic didnot expose our 242Government as a dictatorship .......... The Pindling regime created this 1973 Constitution that gave Pindling dictator-like powers from DAY ONE.

And Bahamians do not seem to be interested in changing it any time soon ........

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 4 months ago

Power sweet. Minnis holding on to Finance. and Kwasi is minister of State for finance... I guess he'll take the blame if anything goes wrong. We're doomed

JokeyJack 3 years, 4 months ago

The U.S. will not do anything to help us. They have stood by and watched this whole movie for the last 40 years. They are aware of our issues, the invasion taking place in Abaco, our justice system, our numbered voting ballots etc. They have the same thing over there, a pathetically unfair justice system (no lawyer? no justice), and as for ballots ... well that is now open for all who open their eyes, and they have invaders as well. The President has even been unable to deal with TikTok which is a Chinese app siphoning personal data from Americans. Even a high percentage of Americans support the App and don't want it to be banned.

It seems that both in the USA, the Bahamas, and in many places around the world, communism is preparing for a heyday. The people seem to be preferring it. This is generally what happens when the people become aware of the VAST difference in incomes and living standards between the "haves" and the "have-nots" which exists worldwide today. Bezos, Gates and the like (thousands of them who never get named) are running the show. Americans know they can't see their Congressman in person. Companies pay people to tow the line outside the Capitol Building on those days, until they get near the front and then the reps from the big companies step in and go to the meetings.

Money talks. Why would it even be worthy of mention during an election, of which Party or candidate is raising the most money? You see numerous reports about this. Of course the people know that many are persuaded by ads on television and those ads cost money. More money = more ads = more persuasion = likely win.

Now the poor are preparing to accept the minimum table scraps that Communism provides because at least under that system they will get bread if they stand in the bread line. Under the current system, without any money you get none. Witness the long lines of cars in Nassau the other day to get to the stadium for food. Bread lines. Soup kitchens. These are the poor that the new rich rulers will be ruling over. I hope they can proud of themselves at the next Interplanetary Council Meeting. They probably will be. No shame, while other planets galaxy wide are flourishing with new high living standards for their citizens.

exclusivezayy239 3 years, 3 months ago

SHUT UP ignorant how is tiktok stealing data

JokeyJack 3 years, 3 months ago

It is indeed time to shut up. The Chinese will be giving you orders from this point forward. Trump Lost. Xi won.

moncurcool 3 years, 4 months ago

Amazing how people who claim the Bahamas is becoming a dictatorship can so freely express their views in public, even about the so called dictator.

pablojay 3 years, 4 months ago

You have people like 'Sparky' who for months have been calling the PM everything but a child of god , using any profanity imaginable and daring all and sundry to arrest him. Those of us who are old enough, know that could never happen under a Pindling regime.

tribanon 3 years, 4 months ago

'Sparky' had best behave himself. lol

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