EDITOR, The Tribune.

When is ninety-three per cent a failing grade? I ask this question because evidently, the critics of the Prime Minister are aggressively seeking to convince the Bahamian public that ninety-three per cent is a failing grade.

Ever since the Prime Minister the Rt Hon Perry G. Christie became leader of his party, he began the process of selecting the future leadership of his party and the country. Of the number of future leaders Mr. Christie recruited, about twenty-nine or ninety-three per cent of his recruits are still actively involved in frontline politics at various levels of leadership. The names include Michael Halkitis, Hope Strachan, Frank Smith, Shane Gibson, Daniel Johnson, Khaalis Rolle, Renward Wells, Dr Michael Darville, Kenred Dorsett, Dr Kendal Major, Arnold Forbes, Dion Smith, Tanisha Tynes, Jerome Gomez, Gregory Burrows, Julian Russell, Renardo Curry, Gregory Moss, Robyn-Dawn Lynes, Joseph Curry, Keith Bell, Ryan Pinder, Damian Gomez, Anthony Moss, Cleola Hamilton, Alex Storr, Julian Russell, Picewell Forbes, Melanie Griffin, Glenys Hanna-Hanna Martin, and Allyson Maynard-Gibson.

Of that number of next generation leaders, two recently came into what appears to be ideological conflicts with the leadership of their Parliamentary Caucus and resigned over differences that were not reconciled for one reason or the other. It is worth repeating that the record clearly shows however that twenty-nine of the thirty- one or ninety-three per cent of the new generation leaders continue to work as a team at various levels in the executive and parliamentary branches of government to facilitate a seamless national leadership transition. This is called succession planning.

Editor, while I appreciate that the free expression of views, exchange of ideas and opinions are central to a vibrant and deepening democracy, I keep repeating the position that opinions must be supported by objective and unassailable empirical data if those opinions are to retain a shred of credibility. The critics do not get to arbitrarily set the standard because they would invariably stack the deck against their target; ignore the obvious; rewrite history and move the proverbial goal post when the truth becomes inconvenient.

Critics of the Prime Minister continue to repeat this unhinged line that has no nexus to reality that because Mr Moss and Mr Rollins resigned – and two back benchers at that – the Prime Minister’s succession plan to establish the next generation of national leaders either “imploded”, the bridge to the future somehow collapsed or somehow the experiment failed, but the available evidence prove that these assertions cannot be further from the truth. These frivolous assertions cannot go unanswered and unchallenged.

When is ninety-three percent a failing grade editor? The answer is NEVER!

ELCOTT COLEBY

Nassau,

June 20, 2015.