FNM record of maladministration proves conclusively that it is not the government to be trusted with the future of the Bahamas…
Dear Editor,
In yet another shameful example of FNM election pandering and deviousness the Prime Minister announced to great fanfare that “the government will offer lots of land valued at $150,000 for about $50,000 to young professionals in the western area of New Providence”.
One would have thought that with the dire economic circumstances that the Bahamian grassroots find themselves in because of FNM maladministration his focus would be on them. But wait, I forgot the PM said that he
will take care of their existential needs in his second term.
His targeting young professionals is odd even for him. By definition a professional is “a person engaged or qualified in a profession. “professionals such as lawyers and surveyors” synonyms: white-collar worker ·a professional worker”.
So, a professional does not need handouts from anyone. They possess the skills and training to take care of themselves and their family. Bahamian professionals should be outraged by the FNM proposition that they need a hand up and positively livid that land is being used to buy their votes.
They have the financial resources to select where they live, the size and design of their homes and who their neighbours will be. So, it was equally odd that the PM went on to say that ““We’ve identified a property,” he said.
“It will be upscale and the overall value of the land – probably 90 by 100 – and we’ll put in all the infrastructure, community centre, etc. The lands in the west are usually about ($120k to $150k), most are about $150k. We would sell it to the young professionals for about $50,000 or less because it is really their land.
Crown land is really the people’s land, it’s not individuals, it’s the people and we just want to ensure that the people receive their land”. The PM,s statement on crown land being the peoples land came as a surprise to many. After all, a day does not pass without allegations of FNM operatives giving vast expanses of the “people’s land” to friends, family, supporters, and financial backers.
I believe that when the whole story is told the disgraceful OBAN land giveaway will pale in comparison to what is really happening to the peoples land. The PM regularly speaks to his humble up-bring in an attempt to show his feigned empathy for the plight of the poor.
This is all a charade; he hates us! He hates the very idea that he was ever a part of the masses. To him we are stupid, uncultured, ill-educated and not worthy of his time or respect. He shows his disrespect and disdain for the masses by his “stew fish and I late for the gym” statements.
Bahamians who grew up in the Bahamas of the 1950’s and 1960’s know that many of us had the same experience. We do not see our struggles and deprivation and lack of social growth and progress under the
forerunner of the FNM the UBP as a mark of shame. Despite the discrimination and social barriers erected to keep us down, through our hard work sacrifice and the many opportunities brought about by majority rule we succeeded.
We see our successes as a badge of honour; we do not dwell on it rather we use it as a measure of how far we have come and what we have achieved. But try as he will the PM cannot change the facts on the ground. The FNM has never been about elevating the poor and the needy rather their whole program caters to the rich and the greedy.
They offer us baubles and beads while they sprinkle diamonds and pearls and lucrative no bid contracts at the feet of their boys, girls, and financial backers. The FNM ministers heap jobs and princely salaries on their cronies and relatives who have no qualifications for those jobs while qualified Bahamians apply again and again with no success or even the courtesy of a reply. The FNM appears to encourage applications by thousands of foreigners for Bahamian citizenship thus putting more Bahamian jobs out of reach and think that is okay. The FNM uses us shamefully to get elected then discard us until they need our support again.
The FNM has been in power for three terms since 1992. If they had our growth, social advancement, and welfare in mind, they would have done something for us by now. Rather what we got is massive public debt, continuous budget deficits, out of control crime, a collapsing hospital system, economic decline, and our children unable to safely attend school because of their poor planning, Bahamian families losing their businesses and homes, our citizens sleeping in cars, a 45% unemployment rate, and
hopelessness.
Their lack of transparency in the management of our affairs has nurtured a growing perception by international organisations and US authorities that we are riven with corruption whilst the uncontrolled pillaging of our natural resources by a privileged few continues unabated. So, this recent election ploy using our land by the FNM should be seen for what it is; misplaced, dishonest, and cynical.
They know that as with all things concerning them that the land allocation will be discriminatory and biased in favour of their cronies and supporters and against ordinary Bahamians.
We Bahamians do not want more promises from the FNM; promises which their track record informs us that they have no intention of keeping. Rather, Bahamians want a truly caring, empathetic government with a record of looking out for the masses, building an economy and institutions, and providing the peace and security Bahamians yearn for.
In this regard, the FNM record of maladministration proves conclusively that it is not the government to be trusted with the future of the Bahamas.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Brown
for Bahamas Press 31st March 2021.
