Editor,
Most of us anticipated that once Minnis and his party would have secured an electoral victory in 2017 that at the very least we would have unshackled ourselves from the failed leadership of Brother Christie and that Heaven would have arrived on Earth. Alas we were deluded and possibly lied to.
Obviously no sensible person is able to blame Minnis, et al, for the devastating Dorian a few short years ago. His reaction and recovery efforts, however, are still works in progress with no audited financial statements or transparency. This is dead wrong and sends a stinking message to the unwashed masses. Since COVID-19 crashed in without adequate notice Minnis has had legislation promulgated giving him almost unlimited and draconian powers over the economy and Bahamians ourselves. This has been going on for a year and counting. Power begats power.
With the abrupt shut down of the economy last March by Minnis and his kitchen cabinet tens of thousands of Bahamians were obliged to join the lines at food banks and government funded bread lines in the hot Sun or while getting drenched with rain. Employment is still sluggish and thousands of small to medium sized businesses which folded last year will bot be coming back anytime soon, in my view.
At one point Minnis warned us to brace for all sorts of restrictions and he did in fact imposed many of them almost willy nilly. Beaches and parks were shuttered. Offenders against the Emergency Powers Act and the attendant Regulations were liable to arrest; charges and possible fines and/or imprisonment upon a guilty plea or conviction. Churches and other houses of worship were ordered closed. Weddings and funerals are to this very day restricted.
With suspected general elections just around the corner Minnis trying his level best to rebrand himself as Uncle Minnis. He played, dismally, the staged role of a ‘Hard Man’ from last March to January of this year. He is hoping and praying, I am sure, that a miracle from on high comes along to ensure his reelection. He reminds me of Pharoah of old who employed the stick and carrot approach.
Unfortunately for Minnis and them people on his train, the bridge which spans the valley, where the raging waters are below, has crumbled and to venture onto the tracks will lead to utter disaster for he and the FNM. Only God Himself, in my view, is able to help them. The unwashed masses, to my knowledge, do not like to be publicly beaten with sticks on a daily basis. Nor do they like to eat carrots and other vegetables. The alternative is clear. To God then in all things be the glory.
Ortland H. Bodie, Jr.
Business Consultant & Talk ShowHost
