The political world in The Bahamas is liken to that of a massive chess game with the government pondering how it will play vital yet equally sensitive issues such as the possibility of introducing a legal national lottery, getting a handle on the illegal immigration influx, breaking the back of crime and the ever delicate balance of maintaining a bitter sweet love affair with our big brother Uncle Sam. Adding to these ongoing issues are events and decisions the government through the careless ambition of members of the Christie cabinet, have brought upon themselves.
Topping the list is the ongoing childish spat between the Chairman of BAIC and it’s Minister Leslie Miller, the gamble and lost of nearly two million dollars on this past Junkanoo season and the infighting in certain government departments about the senseless appointment of relatives of die hard supporters.
If these public relations nightmare weren’t bad enough add the fact that the pressure is being applied to the government to live up to it’s social, economical and political promises by some of it’s grass roots supporters.
For what its worth, being prime minister must not be the easiest job in the public sector and one can only imagine what Mr. Christie takes to bed at night and how he sleeps afloat a mountain of burdens and concerns. Being PM must not be as cherry as Mr. Christie first imagined. Well the game is in full play and it is much too late to walk away from the table now. We are now living in a period of history where world leaders from nations big and small are being tested on every level. No doubt test and trials have their benefits and those who are equipped will and can survive the fire and emerge as pure gold.
According to Dr. Myles Munroe everyone is a leader but the million-dollar question is can everyone lead and do so effectively? That’s the question plaguing the electorate and I am certain it’s the private thought haunting Mr. Christie’s team. Can he really do it? Does he really have what it takes? Or are we staring at the nation’s first one term wonder?
Whether you like it or not every successive leader will be compared to his or her predecessor, that’s the nature of life and the lifeblood of politics. How different is Mr. Christie from that of his political father and brother, the late Sir Lynden Pindling and former PM the Hon. Hubert Ingraham respectively? Are these once three amigos one in the same?
Some argue that the political and national philosophy of each man is a clone, considering that each leader’s DNA is pure PLP.
However there is another perspective that some highlight, in that Mr. Christie does not possess quite the gusto or political might of either Sir Lynden or Mr. Ingraham. There are even office jokes that unlike Mr. Ingraham who was known to kiss the sunrise behind his desk, it is suggested that Mr. Christie on the other hand greets sunlight under warm covers and takes to his desk just in time for lunch. Whenever Mr. Christie finds his way to work is one question but certainly not the most important, there is yet a more vital issue, one that determines a young nation’s path of progress and stimulus for growth, the issue of vision.
In his book Leadership 101-What Every Leader Needs to Know, best-selling author John C. Maxwell notes that vision is everything for a leader. It is utterly indispensable. Maxwell goes on to ask the question of why and answered this way “Because vision leads the leader”. “It sparks and fuels the fire within, and draws him forward”. What an awesome description. Vision is indeed everything for a leader, and one has to ponder, does our sitting prime minister possess a vision and if so, can I have a copy please? All during the last elections we heard deep commitments and fragmented promises but no cohesive plan for moving the country forward. I want to discuss this issue of a national vision further in a forth-coming letter.
In an effort to maintain focus let us look at the major issues, which at this crucial time requires Mr. Christie’s unbroken attention. First there is the BAIC catfight that is spiraling out of control, lining the walls of the Industrial Corporation with much causality. What began as a back room brawl has turned into an major public and political embarrassment for Mr. Christie and with both Members of Parliament about to enter the ring, their boss, Mr. Christie, seems either unwilling or incapable of convincing the other to take the gloves off. Instead, the Prime Minister is allowing this verbal blood bath to continue all while we the taxpayers pay for view.
Then there was the sinister plot to lay the 2007 re-election carpet that resulted in the near financial death of Junkanoo by cultural kingpin Neville Wisdom.
The country watched as Junkanoo was swiftly moved from a passionate cultural expression and placed on the market for the highest bidder. What did Mr. Christie do while Mr. Wisdom was injecting Junkanoo with his sour brand of business ethics? He was doing what he does best, dancing for supper before every camera, like he was vying to become the next American idol. Is this how leaders deal with national problems?
Well according to First Christie chapter one verse nine it says and I quote: “thou shall deal with thy problems by doing the Perry shuffle”. While the PM is busy practicing his dance moves, rumors are flying that there are several black crabs in the PLP basket plotting to make a dash for the throne.
In addition to the above mentioned distractions we are struggling to maintain our reputation abroad as the destination of choice, allowing jet liners filled with passengers and fuel to land on bad runways. In addition, our visitors are paying top dollar to endure bad service and ghetto fabulous attitudes and to cap it off, they have to endure harassment as they walk a dirty Bay Street in search of foreign made, Bahamian promoted handicrafts. Talk about first impressions being lasting. We also have a Defense Force with thousands who seem defenseless and unable to stop a few hundred immigrants from escaping into the bushes of freedom. But I forgot that the Defense Force is also battling the leadership issue as we are stuck with a silent commodore who thinks it is not his place to at least at some point in this century, inform the country as to his plans of tackling the illegal immigrant influx problem. These are only a few of the major issues plaguing our society.
Crime, a pre-historic, backward education system, the still rising cost of land, inefficient government corporations and you have the makings of a rudderless ship afloat, searching high and low for it’s captain. Mr. Christie needs to rise to the occasion and he needs to do so quickly, because time is not a luxury. we thought this was the moment you had been preparing for all your life. Well it’s show time! And it’s time to get some real work done. The country needs a blueprint, a map and a vision for the way forward, maybe this was why Mr. Christie opted not to conduct the traditional Prime Ministers new years national address. He needs to deal with the BAIC affair and come out from behind his wall of silence on the issue. He also needs to compel Minister Wisdom to stop stalling and wasting more taxpayers’ money and simply publish the information we already know he has. He needs to give Minister Allyson Maynard Gibson a real portfolio to put to effective use her crafty skills that became so evident during the battle at Pinewood. Maybe Mr. Christie can ease the load on Minister Alfred Sears and allow Mrs. Maynard Gibson a chance to sit as Attorney General and free up Mr. Sears to get our school curriculum into the 21st century.
With so many issues and decision to be made, this is no time for Mr. Christie to be distracted by trying to bring to the house phantom bills like the forth-coming debate on e-government, The Bahamas can’t even govern good on the ground, how in the world are we supposed to do so in cyberspace. God help us all.
It’s time Mr. Christie, the drums are rolling and we await sir. It’s now your turn, so go ahead Mr. Chrsite make your move.
Peace and blessings.
Yours, etc.,
Kevin Harris
Letter To The Editor, The Nassau Guardian
