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What will become of Mr. McCartney and the DNA?

Published on Saturday, December 10, 2011 in the column Young Man's View, appearing the The Tribune's 'The Big T'

By ADRIAN GIBSON
E-Mail Mr. Gibson

I am presently sitting exams which will conclude on December 20th. However, due to this being a pivotal time in our national/political development, I’ve already pre-written columns prior to my examinations period since I anticipated that my studies would likely prohibit me from doing so. These upcoming columns will be submitted to The Tribune. To those loyal readers of YMV, who always express to me how they miss the column during such absences, the beat will go on.

Over the last few weeks, feedback to my columns has been tremendous and so today I’ve decided to answer a few of the public’s questions related to my thoughts on the DNA and Branville McCartney, Kendal Wright, the boundary cuts, the PLP’s nomination process and that party’s future leadership.
The other day, as usual, I was chatting with a good friend/political sage when he cracked a hilarious joke about Bran McCartney’s political fortunes relative to the boundary cuts.

PLP Leadership

Published on Saturday, December 3, 2011, in the column Young Man’s View, in The Tribune’s ‘The Big T’.

By ADRIAN GIBSON
E-Mail Mr. Gibson.

THE leadership showdown in the PLP will feature a line up of contenders, pretenders and a number of wannabes vying for the leadership who couldn’t convincingly serve as effective backups to Bozo the clown. In a post-Perry Christie era, one can imagine the probable leadership candidates scampering across a convention floor, all fervently seeking the support of the party’s ever ballooning contingent of stalwart councilors. No doubt, there will be a few aspirants employing Brutus’ tactics and stabbing each other in the backs with sharpened political knives.

When the leadership melee kicks off, one expects to see lots of finger-jabbing and colorful political vernacular.

Post-Christie, it appears that politically, the PLP will be at a bloody crossroad. Moving forward, the party must not—in the words of Sam Tenanhaus—become “trapped in postures of frozen light, clenched in the rigor mortis of a defunct ideology.”

In 2007, Bahamians expressed disillusionment with the PLP’s scandalous reign and lack of vision and voted them out of office after one term. Today, there remains some members on the party’s frontline who are among the walking wounded of our political culture and who should not be re-nominated.
A future leader of the PLP must be able to espouse a new and innovative approach to governance, one that would deepen the populace’s trust in accountable governance. A future leader must be capable of proffering a vision for empowering Bahamians, enforce ethical codes of conduct (MPs/ministers) and present a conscientious national development platform to the electorate.

Frankly, people are weary of the old ways of the PLP, top heavy with stalwart councilors who vote in lock step like assembly line drones and cultivate an atmosphere of personality cults. The supremacy of stalwart councilors within the PLP has perhaps singlehandedly retarded the advancement of the party.

Lame-duck legion

Meet the candidates: A look at the prospective future leaders of the FNM‏

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

            With the 2012 general elections likely being the last election that PM Hubert Ingraham would lead the FNM into, one notes that in a post-Ingraham era—perhaps 2017—the FNM may find itself at a crossroad in terms of leadership. Whenever the Chief decides to depart the political scene, the impending leadership showdown within the FNM will be great theatre. As it stands, there is a conga line of leadership hopefuls, minor also-ran pretenders and plenty of peripheral figures.

            No doubt, there will be persons vying for the leadership whose smug giddiness, jack-in-the-box outlooks and sulfurous presence in a runoff could setoff alarm bells. One can only imagine the great setback the party would suffer if such individuals were designated as leader. These days, Bahamians are tired of hearing meaningless missives by garrulous airheads seeking their support only to disappear into the abyss once they have it.

The Great Gun Trade-In

Published: October 29, 2011 in the column Young Man’s View in The Tribune’s ‘The Big T’

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

             THESE days, maniacal criminals are increasingly using guns as their weapon of choice as they disrupt the serenity of our once tranquil islands, going on murderous rampages, robbing families of loved ones and callously committing heinous crimes with no regard for the law. That said, it is high-time that the government imposes a heavily promoted amnesty (28-30 days) for the turn over of illegal guns whilst instituting a no-questions-asked, gun buy-back programme.

             Although there will likely be challenges and valid concerns such as the uneasiness about persons possibly using money’s given for trade-ins to purchase weapons, genuine interest for public safety dictates that something must be done and that those fears, whilst likely, will not be predominant.

Deconstructing DNA

Published: October 8^th, 2011 in column Young Man’s View in The Tribune’s ‘The Big T’

 By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

             THE upcoming election cycle is setting up to be a sulfurously partisan and venomous affair, a true soap opera featuring politically shrewd operators, mountains of dollars and, moreover, seems to be one that will leave grown men whimpering. That said, unless I am grossly underestimating the so-called backlash against the major parties—and I doubt that I am—anyone who honestly thinks that the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) will win the next election within a year of its formation is a bonafide citizen of fantasy land!

            Whilst the DNA could very well capture a few seats (this is also up for debate), unless they are using some kind of Jedi mind trick, it would be fairly neurotic to believe that they could win a majority of seats as a political upstart, particularly in our political culture—where voters are fickle and vacillate as regards their choices—and in the face of the evidence of what has already happened, locally and abroad, relative to new political entities.

Gangsters in school

Published: November 5th, 2011 in The Tribune's 'The Big T'

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

Nowadays, as crime spirals out of control and has led to nationwide trepidation as regards the criminal element, a microcosmic look at the issues of violence and miscreant behavior in our schools is representative of what we’re facing in wider society. Indeed, there are those students who are so disrespectful and fierce that they openly engage in frightful, mob-like brawls that leave teachers, students and administrators scrambling for cover and demanding the presence of a school gang unit/police, particularly in those school districts that are alleged to be a gangland.

Ingraham lays into McCartney

Published: October 22nd, 2011

Column: Young Man's View, The Tribune's 'The Big T'

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

            As elected officials continue to place their partisan egos in front of a unity of purpose and passionate commitment to a well-reasoned vision for the country’s upliftment, one wonders whether Bahamians will focus on the issues and demand more of their elected leaders during the next general election cycle.

            As the election draweth nigh, crime can without doubt be identified as enemy No.1. Quite frankly, if crime is not seen as being effectively dealt with the current government would be doomed in its attempts to enhance its political fortunes come election day. Frankly, issues such as unemployment, the economic downturn, poor agrarian productivity, political corruption, inconveniences suffered as a result of road works (in the minds of some), electricity stability and costs, et cetera, must be seen—by the Bahamian people— as being effectively addressed.

Asking for Accountability

Published: Saturday, November 12, 2011 in The Tribune's 'The Big T'

ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

Over time, it appears that we have been repeatedly electing certain politicians who are outright pinheads and tin men, full of childish braggadocio but devoid of a national plan or any appreciable outlook for the country. For far too long, local politics has been dominated by parochial figures who cannot see beyond their backyards.

With a general election on the horizon, it is past due for Bahamian voters to cease the practice of electing visionless politicians merely on the basis of personality and flair. In our country, an electoral mechanism should be implemented to remove elected legislative members who sometimes are found to be inept benchwarmers.

RIP Uncle Aaron

Published in the column 'Young Man's View' in Tribune's 'The Big T' on October 1, 2011

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

Goodbye (Long Island’s) rose,

May you ever grow in our hearts

You were the grace that placed itself

Where lives were torn apart

You called out to our (island)

And you whispered to those in pain

Now you belong to heaven

And the stars spell out your name……….

 Elton John’s Candle in the Wind 1997, with inserted words representative of my late uncle, Aaron Lowell Gibson

 Today, I write this column heavy-hearted and with a gaping hole in my spirit and a bottom-less emptiness that has left me in a state of sorrowfulness, but I want to pay homage to my late uncle—Aaron Gibson—who meant so much to me. I promised that this would be my first column, after being absent for awhile, in the Big T—the Tribune’s explosive, new week end paper. Frankly, I have dreaded writing such a piece, procrastinating all summer and constantly breaking-down into tears as I attempted to write it bit by bit. I must say that this is the first time that I’ve dealt with death involving such a close family member and that we lost the irreplaceable heart of our family and it has been heartbreaking for all of us.   

Likely Political Funeral Services

Published: November 19, 2011—The Tribune’s ‘The Big T’

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

BY all accounts, the Boundary Commission’s leaked report reflects nearly surgical alterations to various constituency margins—eliminating a handful of constituencies (with a supposed reduction from 41 to 38 seats in the House of Assembly), extending others and carving out even newer voting blocs. As we enter the final furlong in the run-up to the 2012 general elections, one can already begin to envisage the possible political outcome for certain MPs. Today, based upon the redrawing of the boundaries of certain districts, I’ll look at the probable political fates of Bamboo Town MP and leader of the Democratic National Alliance Branville McCartney, Elizabeth MP Ryan Pinder, Golden Isles MP Charles Maynard and St. Thomas More MP Frank Smith.

Quite honestly, relative to the political survival of the aforementioned MPs, their respective constituency associations/parties should immediately seek-out the services of Fealy Demeritte or another undertaker and have them on standby as these gentlemen appear to all be facing political deaths/political burials. Barring any changes, the four MPs mentioned are likely to run into political buzz-saws as the escalation of the 2012 general election campaign gets in full swing.

That said, today we’re gathered here for the announcement of the official political home- going services of Branville McCartney, Ryan Pinder, Charles Maynard and Frank Smith. Whilst the official political obituaries could be written at a later date (post-election), officiating the impending ceremonies will be His Grace, the Right Honourable Hubert Ingraham, Arch-Bishop of the Bahamian Political Diocese—fully regalled in his party’s red vestments—assisted Suffragan-Bishop Brent Symonette (DPM), PLP leader and Farm Road MP Canon Perry Christie—who will administer last rites at the political graveside—and a large contingent of registered voters in the newly reconfigured Bamboo Town, Elizabeth, Golden Isles and St Thomas More constituencies. (I would have no problem with congratulating, publicly and privately—via personal congratulatory cards—those of the four MPs listed who survive this election cycle.

The official political funeral services will be held at The People’s Electoral Chapel. Organist Melanie Griffin, Yamacraw MP, will lead the choir in opening and closing the ceremonies with a riveting rendition of the hymn ‘It is finished.’ Moreover, as election draweth nigh and the manifestation of this massive political burial ceremony bears down upon those MPs, the official pallbearers are PLP Deputy Leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, Carmichael MP Desmond Bannister, West End and Bimini MP Obie Wilchcombe, Killarney MP Dr Hubert Minnis, Englerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martin and Long Island MP Larry Cartwright.

Political interment will follow on the grounds of the soon-to-be demolished Cecil Wallace-Whitfield building, which presently houses the Office of the Prime Minister.