The 2007 General Elections are expected to offer a much wider field of candidates with the formation of a new political party.
Dr Dexter Johnson, founder of The Bahamas National Party (BNP), which came on-stream earlier this month, said that since the party’s formation, “an overwhelming” number of people have signed up to join the BNP and have already applied to be candidates in the next general elections.
The 56-year-old surgeon and lecturer at The College of The Bahamas, who was a Free National Movement candidate in the 1987 elections, said, “We hope to have as full a slate as possible going into the 2007 elections. We will be running as complete a slate of candidates as we possibly can.”
The BNP will send a minimum of 35 candidates into the 2007 elections representing constituencies from New Providence and the Family Islands, he said. For too long, the party leader announced, Bahamians have not been given much to choose from in the political arena and the BNP is focused on bridging the gap that other political groups have left open.
“If you ask if we are going to win the next general election, anything is possible,” he said. “Based on the fact that the Bahamian people need a party of their own, it’s possible. We really believe that we will have a very good shot going into the 2012 elections. We will be a major force to deal with.”
According to Dr Johnson, the BNP is geared towards nationalism and keeping “The Bahamas for Bahamians.”
In government, there must be a balance when it comes to the needs of Bahamians, he said, but presently, there is no party that is putting the balance in the correct place.
“We believe that no one is looking seriously enough at nationalism,” Dr Johnson continued. “We’re tapping into something that Bahamians know we need. Bahamians know they’re not getting a fair shake in the country. They see it slipping out of their hands, and what most people are faced with is a choice between two evils. You either take one party that’s causing the problem, or another party that wants to replace them.”
Prior to the elections, Dr Johnson said, the BNP will focus more on promoting itself, getting its platform and philosophy understood, building trust within Bahamian communities and targeting young people.
He added that today, the other political parties have no philosophies and are working on unfocused agendas. For this reason, he explained, Bahamians’ backs are against the wall when it comes to choosing a party.
But, Dr Johnson said, the BNP is looking to the future and coming to rescue The Bahamas from the “unbalanced and out-of-focus views of other parties.”
By: IANTHIA SMITH, The Nassau Guardian
