The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has been the second most successful leader of the Free National Movement (FNM) in the 51 years of its existence, second only to former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. Both men were able to accomplish what Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield and Sir Kendal G L Isaacs were unable to do – win an election. Minnis’ rapid ascension to the top of the FNM was somewhat fortuitous, leapfrogging over FNM stalwarts Dion Foulkes, Tommy Turnquest, Zhivago Laing, to name a few. Minnis was tasked with rebranding the FNM after its lopsided loss to the Progressive Liberal Party in 2012, after many prominent FNM parliamentarians were rejected by the electorate. Moreover, Minnis had to weather the internal storm that brewed within his Parliamentary caucus, as former FNM Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner openly challenged his leadership throughout his tenure as official Opposition leader.

Minnis has kept many of the familiar faces within the organisation who figured prominently in previous Ingraham administrations, yet the stubborn narrative persists in some quarters that he has purged the FNM of Ingrahamites. I view Minnis’ early election date – which leaves over seven months remaining in this legislative session – as him handing the government back to the Bahamian people. The healthcare system has been overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. Nurses and non-frontline staffers from the Ministry of Health are currently engaged in an informal industrial strike. The Bahamas Electrical Workers Union is unhappy with the executives at Bahamas Power and Light.

Moreover, Bahamas Union of Teachers is also threatening to take industrial action over some promised increments. Many areas of East Grand Bahama and Abaco remain mostly in a state of disrepair since Hurricane Dorian, despite the FNM’s highly touted economic recovery zone initiative which removed duty from hurricane and building supplies, vehicles, furniture and appliances on the two islands impacted by Dorian. COVID-19 had brought our economy to its knees in 2020, which placed an unprecedented strain on the central government to assist tens of thousands of jobless Bahamians. The National Insurance Board has, since March of 2020, doled out over $260 million in government assistance.

The government purchased Grand Lucayan Resort in Freeport remains unsold to Royal Caribbean, placing further strain on the Treasury. Moreover, Minnis has not kept his word in bringing marijuana legislation to Parliament, much to the annoyance of the Rastafarian community. Nor has he enacted a law that sets a two-term limit for prime ministers. Government revenue continues to be dwarfed by mushrooming financial obligations, due to the burgeoning workforce in the public sector. This suggests to me that whoever wins the September 16 general election, whether it’s the FNM or the PLP, the 12 percent on VAT will undergo a significant increase, perhaps to 15 percent or even higher. Either that, or an income tax regime will be introduced.

Moreover, Minnis’ vaccination campaign has encountered stiff resistance from Bahamian anti-vaxxers, who are standing in the way of the country achieving herd immunity from COVID-19. My point in stating all the foregoing is to show that Minnis has left a boatload of unresolved issues on the table by truncating his legislative session. Part of me thinks that Minnis would be just as happy and relieved to lose, as he would be to win. For him, it would be a win-win situation. By winning, he would gain a new mandate from the Bahamian people. Under the current circumstances, he simply cannot govern. In the event he loses, he can settle back into his comfortable private life as a successful businessman and physician who has a thriving private practice. For thousands of struggling Bahamians eager to punish Minnis, his financial situation won’t change, whether or not he is prime minister on the evening of September 16. He is a multimillionaire.

The prime minister salary of about $86,000 is chump change, considering the massive issues plaguing The Bahamas. While most Bahamians consider $86,000 to be a king’s ransom, for wealthy individuals such as Minnis, it simply isn’t worth the headache and stress. I often wonder why anyone would even consider becoming prime minister. I think Minnis is overwhelmed and exhausted, both mentally and physically. Him being removed from his current situation, via the electoral process, would be a welcome blessing.

The issue of Minnis losing might even entice him to follow the example of Ingraham in retiring from frontline politics, which would result in a by-election in Killarney. In any event, I believe that the FNM must now brace itself for a possible post-Minnis situation, in which it will be forced to hold a convention to elect Minnis’ successor. FNMs such as Dionisio D’Aguilar, Adrian White, Ellsworth Johnson, Kwasi Thompson, Iram Lewis and Desmond Bannister must prepare themselves for the likelihood of a Minnis resignation. The FNM must have a contingency plan for the possible Minnis-less era.

The Minnis-less FNM, as the official opposition, will be tasked with holding the new Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis administration accountable to the Bahamian people. As for Minnis, he would probably be salivating in his accomplishment of rising to the highest political office in The Bahamas, while offering much needed advice to his successor.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama,

August 22, 2021.