The Editor
Bahamas Press
21st May 2021.
Dear BP,
By any stretch of our imagination, Bahamians are now fully aware that the FNM government is one of the most incompetent, mindless and irrational administrations we have ever seen.
There is never a day when we are not told some patently transparent lie, have our intelligence insulted or are taken for fools. Rather than focus its attention on mitigating the severe effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and its deadly consequences by fully engaging with our talented medical professionals it is business as usual for the FNM.
They are still giving contracts to their boys and girls; making our narrow streets even narrower by building unneeded sidewalks; FNM nepotism and cronyism is now an established practice in government ministries; the FNM is claiming credit for the construction of Family Island airports when it is well documented that these were PLP projects which the FNM delayed until they thought we had forgotten.
Sadly, the Prime Minister knew of the dire situation now facing us as far back as July 2020 when in People Magazine he reportedly said “Regrettably, the situation here at home has already deteriorated since we began the reopening of our domestic economy. It has deteriorated at an exponential rate since we reopened our international borders,” Minnis explained. “Our current situation demands decisive action if we are to avoid being overrun and defeated by this virus.
We cannot allow our hospitals to be overrun. Many priorities must be balanced, be they health, social and economic. Chief amongst these though is the health. We cannot risk the death of Bahamians and our residents. We must be resolved in our collective willingness to save lives”. Yet unbelievably and unforgivably, his government sat on its hands,
sold us pipe dreams, punished the Bahamian people with endless uninformative national addresses and curfews and refused to give the matter the urgency it deserved. Police has targeted Bahamian coconut water sellers, while allowing restaurants and bars operated by FNM supporters to carry on their businesses unmolested despite numerous, repeated breaches of the Covid-19 emergency protocols.
And after ignoring all the advice from the PLP Covid-19 experts, local experts and well-intended Bahamians and organizations the government has plunged us into a “third wave” of the pandemic from which we may not emerge as an intact nation.
Now we are fully experiencing the consequences of FNM mismanagement. Cynically and wickedly, the FNM has sought to connect the slow death of our economy with hurricane Dorian and the Pandemic and not its incompetence. However, their incompetence and do not care attitude about anything benefitting Bahamians was evident from day one of this administration. The pandemic has laid bare the rotten irrational FNM policies underpinning the actions of this government. We know that
they no longer care what we think. Despite daily reports of nepotism, cronyism in granting no-bid contracts and, continued allegations of rampant corruption in the government they have not changed course nor, mended their ways.
Indeed, we are experiencing the same consequences of the FNMs premature reopening of the economy in July 2020, despite warnings not to do so, but, on a larger more dangerous scale. From top to bottom, this government is truly incompetent and guided by hubris.
Whether it is the bold unsupported statements of the minister of health; the misleading statements of the governments hand-picked medical spokesmen; the widespread belief that the FNM is “massaging” our Covid-19 statistics especially those concerning infections and deaths; or the manic rantings of the minister of aviation, we are seeing an FNM government in full meltdown with no clue about how to save our country or effectively manage this existential public health emergency.
We saw this irrational, bizarre behaviour on full display this week. On Wednesday in the house the PM gave a presentation about how the Covid-19 protocols were being eased. Yet on Thursday night there was a conflicting statement which virtually locked down the economy again.
Now, having burned the bridges between them and our independent medical experts and resolutely refusing to invite them and their expertise as full, equal partners to the table, they now want them to miraculously
clean up their messes. Bahamians are seeing the consequences of four years of NM hiring of unqualified party hacks to sensitive, technical positions which they know absolutely nothing about. Despite hundreds of millions borrowed and allegedly spent on Abaco and Grand Bahama reconstruction plus $32 million donated from USAID, these islands are now worse off than during the peak of Dorian.
And whilst the government may avoid or delay accounting to the Bahamian people for the million’s borrowed in their names, they will not for long, avoid a prompt, detailed accounting for the USAID monies donated. What we have here is a perfect storm. A government which is populated by totally incompetent; political cronies in sensitive positions with no clue of what they are doing; major unsolved crimes and more to come; and a fumbling, bungling government with no clue or plan to save the Bahamian economy and our people. The FNM plan is to continue to lie, obfuscate,
hire their cronies, practice nepotism and shamelessly exploit needy Bahamians through blatantly political television advertisements.
And since they have no plan except to stay in power if possible, cover up all their misdeeds and hope for the best. But as we know, hope is not a plan.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Brown
