A Letter to Da Editor –

Laing, the ‘OUT- GOING’ Minister’s arrogance

Dear Editor of Bahamas Press,

Gerrymandering the electoral districts to create unfair advantage to the FNM and to one candidate in particular, should not be allowed in Grand Bahama, especially, when this is obviously being done to favor one candidate, as if he were a ‘son’ of the current PM. The relationship has far exceeded that of mentor and protégé.

As far as we know, no biological connection exists between Hubert Ingraham and Zhivargo Laing (and we make no such allegations) but since the relationship, in many ways, seems resemble a Father-Son relationship, this Blog will discuss it in those terms because history is littered with father-son despots who have ruined countries because they put their selfish interests first.

In the past few decades, we have been appalled by news reports of the exploits of the sons of Syria’s Hafez Al-Assad (Bashar), Iraq’s Saddam Hussein (Uday and Qusay), Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi (Saif) , Liberia’s Charles Taylor (Chucky) and Serbia’s General Milosevic (Marko) to name a few. Currently, the Assad Brothers and Gaddafis are in the news; the first because Bashar is carrying on his father’s brutal legacy and the second because Saif’s father was killed a few weeks ago and he is being held for trial. If we go a bit further back into history, we know of Papa Doc Duvalier (and Baby Doc, who returned home to Haiti last year) and if we come a bit closer to home, we recall the Bushes (George H.W and George W).
Luckily, in the United States and in The Bahamas, we have no worries and have had no need to worry about despotism, given our generally peaceful observance of the democratic process. That is not to say, however, that there have not been attempts at fathers trying to create succession of leadership through their sons. To my mind immediately spring the inept Minister Tommy Turnquest, who was given the mantle for the Free National Mess (FNM) leadership but proved to be woefully inadequate to carry out the role and Minister Dion Foulkes, who has fared somewhat better (though is a lame excuse for his father). To these biological pairings, we could add a third, non-biological pair and a more metaphorical ‘father-son’ pairing of whom the Bahamian people in general and the voters of Grand Bahama in particular, must be very wary, and that is the ‘father-son’ (metaphorical, not biological as far as we know) of Hubert Alexander Ingraham and Zhivargo Laing !!

Laing, the protégé, has shown himself to be as visionless as the Hubert Alexander Ingraham, his mentor, and as he sits in the House of Assembly day after day nodding approval to Hubert’s gaffes from one row behind, he has proven that he has no independent mind and cannot think for himself. He is a puppet extraordinaire of Hubert Ingraham, so to groom him for succession in a country that has had its fill of an out-of-touch administration would be to force on the Bahamian people a successor they neither want nor is capable to do the job! To gerrymander the electoral districts in Grand Bahama to favor one, lame candidate is tantamount to laughing at the voters of Grand Bahama.

Laing, the ‘OUT- GOING’ Minister’s arrogance knows no bounds and the people of Grand Bahama will see through the gerrymandering that went on recently. Our candidate for Marco City says he is comfortable with the changes because of what it shows. I agree with the two reasons he gives but I am equally uncomfortable with the cuts to boundaries because the Free National Mess (FNM) is trying desperately to protect at least ONE candidate, and that is Zhivargo Laing, the one who should most go! I know I have mentioned others in the past but me and my Party’s “verbal ammunition” is targeted at ridding this great island of any remnant of Hubert Alexander Ingraham, including his protégé.

The Party’s record speaks for itself and the actions of the out- going Minister  speaks for himself! He voted for the sale of BTC; he has sat as a spectator as Freeport fell further and further into economic decline; he has alienated voters in Grand Bahama and pretended he knew what is going on, when in fact, he has been the Chief Ostrich, with his head in the sand. The current Prime Minister should be ashamed of himself and his brazen attempts to create a safe seat for his protégé but enough is enough. The Prime Minister is an abject failure and so is his protégé, end of story!

Good riddance Mr. Ingraham and take your protégé with you … you have done enough damage to the country and to Grand Bahama !

J.Maxfield Outten