This past week, Mr. Alvin Smith, M.P. for North Eleuthera and Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in Parliament had an opportunity to demonstrate that he had what it takes to do the job for which he was chosen. When the decision was taken – and however it was engineered – for the opposition to walk out of a major debate in parliament, Mr. Smith’s political immaturity was revealed. The bottom line is this: he blew it.
As every Bahamian with an ounce of sense knows, the Hon. Neville W. Wisdom made a first class blunder when he decided – with Cabinet approval – to rent bleachers for a whopping one million dollars to undergird a fantasy that the annual junkanoo parades would generate revenues sufficient to turn a profit on money invested.
This disaster revealed a flaw at the core of the government’s much vaunted strategy concerning how Bahamians should respond to the fiscal crisis it has been facing for the past few years.
Swept into power, in part at least, by its withering criticisms of the manner in which its predecessor in government had dealt with any number of socially important issues, a supposedly ‘new’ Progressive Liberal Party was not expected – at least not so soon – to fall into the same pit of hypocrisy to which they had consigned their nemeses in the Free National Movement.
The indisputable fact of the matter is that with the Wisdom debacle, Prime Minister the Hon. Perry G. Christie and his colleagues today stand condemned for their massive mismanagement of the matter concerning the junkanoo parades and their failure to provide the public a sensible explanation or excuse for this snafu.
None of this, however, absolves Mr. Alvin Smith and his colleagues on the opposition side for their failure to ‘run with the ball’. Given a golden opportunity to score big, they failed. Instead of seeing how our system of governance is supposed to work with government and opposition each playing their designated role, the public was obliged to witness a Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition being hectored by the Prime Minister and lectured to by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Other members of parliament took turns scoffing at Mr. Smith. This was unfortunate for all parties concerned.
In the realm of morning after speculation, the question arises as to whether things could have gone differently. Of course, they could have.
One possibility which immediately suggests itself is that Mr. Smith should have sought the assistance of the Member of Parliament for North Abaco, and former Free National Movement Leader, the Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham.
He might have also sought advice from the Member of Parliament for Montagu, Mr. Brent Symonette. Indeed, reports in media suggest that it was Mr. Symonette who had the most to say that was relevant concerning junkanoo fiascos and wasted money.
The truth, however, is that this is all wasted ruminating if things remain the same in the governance of The Bahamas.
If, for example, the government reads the outcome of the ‘debate’ in the House as being in its favour, they would be seriously mistaken. The public still needs to feel and know that ministerial incompetence – has consequences. At the minimum, Mr. Wisdom should be re-assigned and given responsibilities which relieve him of any chance of making errors as costly as the one he made with the junkanoo bleachers.
As for the hapless opposition leader Alvin Smith, while there is blame enough for him, his colleagues who know how the political game is played should have raised if only a finger to help him get it right.
In fairness to him, the point must be made, reinforced and hammered home that Mr. Smith’s failings must be seen as part of a wider syndrome of failure on the part of the opposition.
It is today quite clear that despite the passage of time since last year’s crushing defeat at the hands of the Progressive Liberal Party, the Free National Movement is still struggling to get its act together.
This is most unfortunate not only for the opposition, but also for the type of governance the Bahamas wishes to emulate. That system demands an opposition which is aggressive, focused and knowledgeable. This past week, the FNM failed on all counts.
Editorial, The Bahama Journal
