The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

BAHAMIANS have been fed the myth that Coalition of Independents MP Iram Lewis has done diddly squat in Central Grand Bahama. Famed American writer Mark Twain once who said that a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. Being what we are as morally flawed human beings, we would more rather assume the absolute worse about the Central Grand Bahama MP in his political performance rather than anything meaningful he has accomplished. This is the case with those who are mainly driven by politics.

In response to a prospective Free National Movement candidate for the Freeport-based constituency, Lewis has, I believe, set the record straight in The Tribune regarding his accomplishments in that area since assuming office in 2017. Capital works have been carried out in Central Grand Bahama, inclusive of the restoration of the YMTA building in Hunters; the setting up of a smart park, a community garden, repairs to the Orlando Baseball Field, bathroom and upgrades to roads; the coastline cleanup initiative in the Eight Mile Rock area; pipe replacements in a Southern Grand Bahama community and a solarization project. What’s more, there’s the monthly farmers market at the International Bazaar and the annual back-to-school giveaways to needy children of struggling Central Grand Bahamians in addition to the annual Christmas parties.

Not surprisingly, when the foregoing accomplishments are referenced to certain elements within the FNM, they would immediately counter that those are the things that MPs do and that Lewis should not be patted on the back for simply doing his job. After all, they would further argue, he is paid the tidy sum of about $28,000 annually. But this is a case of moving the goalpost further afield. The issue was not about Lewis doing what MPs typically do in their respective constituencies. His FNM detractors were saying he did absolutely nothing at all. It was only after his announcement in the House of Assembly in early April that he would be defecting to the COI did we began hearing talks in the media of him not having done anything at all in Central Grand Bahama. As the aforementioned has shown, this claim is a bald-faced lie. It is a myth that must be dispelled.

The FNM is well within its rights to move on from the Central Grand Bahama incumbent. But its members should not resort to fabricating untruths about Lewis with the aim of tarnishing his image and reputation. Truth should not be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. Remember, Lewis was a dyed-in-the-wool FNM who believed in the principles and philosophy of the party. His claims on The Beyond the Headlines show with Shenique Miller that the FNM of today is not the FNM of yesteryear should give party supporters pause for thought.

In closing, despite all the unkind things said about Lewis by FNMs, I have not heard him say anything untoward about the party he once loved. That speaks volume about the kind of individual he is compared to his FNM naysayers. He has handled this matter with grace and dignity, while his opponents have engaged in gutter politics. Again, the claims that Lewis has done nothing in Central Grand Bahama is a myth that must be dispelled.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport, Grand Bahama

May 14, 2025.