EDITOR, The Tribune

We are between a rock and a very hard place under this administration. Yes, as a student of Bahamian politics, unique in and of itself, I concur that one should not necessarily blame the Competent Authority and his people them for the abject mess we are in today. It is a given, however, that while they could not have anticipated or stopped Dorian last year or the uninvited arrival of the pandemic, their responses have been dismal at best.

Before we go further, please allow me to thank Dr. Dahl-Regis on the splendid job she, et al, did while briefing a grateful Bahamian nation daily. That team deserves an ‘A+’ on a job well done and should be awarded a national honour next year January if the Lord continues to tarry.

Now, let me tell you how these leaders got us into the mess we are in today. With Dorian they failed to ensure adequate hurricane shelters. This year will be even less according to the Minister of State for Disasters & Reconstruction. They had stated during the campaign that within short order badly and illegally constructed buildings in the known shanty towns in Abaco and elsewhere would have been demolished by Court Order after being condemned by the Ministry of Works.

This did not happen and when Dorian waltzed into The Bahamas the leaders have yet to catch themselves and the shanty towns were decimated. No one knows for sure just how many residents in those locations were killed. Some say thousands while some say hundreds. Abaco is still devastated. Grand Bahama is where you put me.

The most Competent and crew also have presided over the continued destruction of traditional family and other values. Crime has yet to be seriously tackled don’t mind brother Rolle and Dames them running right out. Divorces and legal separations are soaring. 65% of every child born within our delivery facilities are out of wedlock and often, the putative fathers are nowhere in sight.

You may not be able to absolutely legislate morality, BUT the public policies of any progressive administration must encourage criminal reforms and family traditions along with a good education or trade skill; the work ethic and, of course, rugged self reliance as opposed to governmental doles and dependency. That’s it.

Due to its failure to implement a single meaningful public policy, many of which they promised during the campaign; their bad ongoing responses to Dorian and the shutting down of the economy in the absence of consultation with the stake holders and the unwashed masses; mixed with the now routine curfews and lock downs plus no income for tens of thousands, the Competent Authority and his crew will be out of office in short order.

They will be wiped out. If the number of constituencies remain at 39 this crew will be lucky to get 6 seats: Killarney; Southern Shores; South Beach; Bamboo Town; Free Town and, of course, St. Barnabas. The New PLP will get no less than 27 to 28 seats. One or two Independents may slip in BUT as true as night follows day, the New PLP will form the next caring; compassionate; focused and invigorated government that this nation has ever seen. Under a new and visionary Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, QC, MP.

Milk and Honey may not flow immediately, but under Brave you will have an opportunity to become economically self dependent where you so wish or there will be massive and mind boggling opportunities for employment. We will see a sensible; affordable and well managed green economy ad the expansion of solar and renewable energy sources.

Crown Land will be liberalized and true judicial and legal reforms will be ushered in such as the long awaited and consistently delayed Land Registration Act. The best days for our leaderless and wounded beloved Bahamas will come to pass once we get rid of these political and economic Egyptians.

To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H. BODIE, Jr.

Nassau,

July 26, 2020.