WHO do you trust?
That’s the question our front page headline asks today, and it’s a question that voters must find an answer to. Who do you trust with the future of our country?
On one side is the incumbent party, the FNM. On the other, their predecessors, the PLP. The DNA seems to be struggling to find its voice so it’s really about the two traditional rivals right now.
The FNM is running on its record since winning the 2017 election. It has had monumental hurdles to face, that would have challenged any government. First there was Hurricane Dorian, and then the even greater storm of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his national address yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis indicated that securing enough vaccines for the country played a key role in his election decision.
“As a result of our country reaching the goal of securing the vaccines we need, it is now time for the Bahamian people to choose who they want to lead them as we move toward vaccinating every Bahamian who wishes to be vaccinated,” he said.
That is indeed a notable achievement – just ask any government around the world still struggling to get enough vaccination doses for its citizens.
But the FNM has fallen short in other ways. The much-touted marijuana reform dragged on for years and hasn’t made it to the finishing line in Parliament before the election. Freedom of Information wasn’t implemented in time. Then there are the promises that seem to have gone nowhere at all – campaign finance reform, for example, which should have been a priority long before another election came close.
There have been other problems – the much-touted Oban deal that seemed not to have been properly investigated was an early embarrassment, the Grand Lucayan sale has dragged on and on, and did little amid opposition to the Bahamas Petroleum Company’s oil drilling.
In the FNM manifesto in 2017, the first item on the checklist was to introduce term limits for Prime Ministers. That has never seemed to be a priority. The second item was to introduce a system of recall for non-performing Members of Parliament. Not a whisper has been heard on that. Other promises too have gone by without being fulfilled. The government can’t complain that it didn’t have the votes – it had an overwhelming majority.
Which brings us to the Opposition. The FNM had that overwhelming majority because of how tired the Bahamian public was of the Christie administration. The PLP has Christie’s deputy as the would-be Prime Minister, in Philip “Brave” Davis, and former Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell as the party chairman and the candidate for Fox Hill. What marks this PLP out as any different from the one people were so tired of? It’s hard to see any difference.
Throughout the pandemic, the PLP has offered criticisms but few solutions. They seem to have been in favour of fewer restrictions – yet not offered much guidance on how they would curtail the spreading infection instead. Today we report 14 new deaths from COVID-19 in the latest data from the government – dealing with the pandemic will be the number one priority of whoever wins the election. Who will do that best?
Mr Davis last night talked of “chaos and collapse and crisis” everywhere we look. While he’s right when he says “our hospitals are stretched beyond capacity”, and “our economy is stuck”, he offers no solution. He talks of “armed robberies in broad daylight” as if we didn’t see high murder rates throughout his time as Deputy Prime Minister.
While the first priority for any incoming government will be the pandemic, there are many more things to be tackled. There is the prospect of taxation reform, with international pressure for change and a mountain of debt to be paid off. The economy needs to be revived, and crime remains a constant problem. We still feature in international reports on corruption, and transparency is more talked about than delivered.
It won’t be an easy task for any government – or an easy choice for voters. So back to our original question – who do you trust? The parties have just a few weeks to convince you.
Comments
birdiestrachan 2 years, 8 months ago
PM Minnis makes Mr: Christie look like a saint. from heaven.
The FNM in the last four years has done more damage told more Lies and broken more promises than the PLP and the former FNM has done since independence. Before Covid or the hurricane they were on a part of destruction,
America has given many countries vaccines so the doc did little in that regard. he went to the airport and accepted the gift.
only a fool will trust their future to one who has made the present a living hell
Mr: Davis has a heart and a soul. both lacking in PM Minnis.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
no he doesn't make Perry Christie look like a saint. It was a dark day in the Bahamas when the PLP started using parliament to attack private citizens. It was the same dark day when the FNM did it. Nobody looked like a saint. We are in trouble
Proguing 2 years, 8 months ago
I doubt very much that Minnis will have a worse defat than Christie...
Honestman 2 years, 8 months ago
Minnis and the FNM have been a huge disappointment and frankly don't deserve another term; however, the sad reality is that a victory for the PLP would be the kiss of death for The Bahamas. Christie and his band of brothers took us to the economic precipice and that was before Dorian and Covid. The PLP offers nothing but the same old ideology and the same old tired, failed politicians. It is sad that there is not a credible third choice for the electorate but that is the reality. With a first past the post electoral system any protest vote for the DNA or an independent candidate will likely assist the PLP who could end up being re-elected with a smaller percentage of the overall vote. What a horrible choice for the electorate.
IAmOne 2 years, 8 months ago
So…it’s about our future?
tribanon 2 years, 8 months ago
As a reminder, Minnis has demonstrated over the past 4+ years that he is pure Kryptonite of the most destructive kind. He has proven himself to be a grossly incompetent failed leader who is hell-bent as an arrogant tyrant on transforming our nation into an authoritarian police state in which the vast majority of us would be stripped of the rights and freedoms that we hold so dear.
Whatever you do, don't make the unforgivable mistake of voting for a FNM candidate on September 16. If you can, vote for an independent candidate who has no known serious 'baggage'. But above all else, never lose sight of the fact that another Minnis led FNM administration would be by far the absolute worst of all possible outcomes for our nation.
tribanon 2 years, 8 months ago
P.S.: Already it seems corrupt foreign investors, like the cruise ship companies, and the tourists that come to our shores enjoy more rights and freedoms in our country than we do. This madness must stop.
SP 2 years, 8 months ago
I wouldn't trust the FNM or PLP with a bag of rotten fish!!
Both parties have bull-shytted the electorate so much neither of them was able of coming up with a sensible campaign slogan.
Proguing 2 years, 8 months ago
Exactly! The only option left is to head for the airport like in Kabul
carltonr61 2 years, 8 months ago
fact is that all PLPs who sought integrity for nation for country were betrayed., 1/4 FNMs will not vote. minnis blocked and hogtied DNA momentum.PLP will for the first time get massive FNM votes.
WETHEPEOPLE 2 years, 8 months ago
Minnis is a crook first of all, ive never seen more deceit from a government in all my life. Word after word, they are all filled with lies. The worst government ever! My future?
DonAnthony 2 years, 8 months ago
You must have never heard of brave Davis😀
tribanon 2 years, 8 months ago
A corrupt yellow-belly scoundrel, "Yes". But a corrupt evil tyrant, "No". Vote for an independent candidate if you can, but never vote to support evil which is what the FNM party under Minnis has become.
themessenger 2 years, 8 months ago
Just vote DNA, according to their candidate Frederick Sawyer "A vote for the DNA is a vote for God." and if that wasn't sufficient he continued with "Do not send uncircumcised people into the House of Assembly to be tempted by the devil." Yep, our choices for good governance are as clear as mud. Tribanon for PM!
tribanon 2 years, 8 months ago
Has someone told you I might be one of the independent candidates who will be seeking elected office on September 16? lol
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