EDITORIAL: The public rejected Dr Minnis and it’s time to go

Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has reached the end of the road as FNM leader – the only question now is when he will leave the post.

No matter how you look at the election results, they represented an overwhelming rejection of Dr Minnis and his platform.

It doesn’t matter if it was because people stayed home, it doesn’t matter if it was because people switched their vote – the simple fact is that they did not choose Dr Minnis, who lost an election he didn’t have to call so early by a landslide.

Whatever internal polling he put his faith in was sorely misguided.

The simple matter is that Dr Minnis asked the people to return him to office, and the people said no.

Had he won, he had already said the new term would have been his last as leader, as he intended to push legislation to limit a Prime Minister to two terms. So he was expecting to step down at the end of this new term – it just turns out we already have a term limit for Prime Ministers called the public vote.

With his platform rejected, it’s time to step aside and pass the FNM’s torch to a new leader. Dr Minnis would like to continue leading the FNM in the House of Assembly until a new leader is chosen. Other voices, including reportedly potential successor Michael Pintard, want him to go before that.

Both sides have a point. The best thing Dr Minnis can do as a final action is ensure a smooth transition. The worst thing he can do is serve as a lame duck leader with no authority to call the new government to account.

The first 100 days in office are often a flurry of new initiatives, laying out the agenda of the new government and beginning the process of legislating those changes. The Leader of the Opposition should be in place to argue against such changes when they would be for the worse, and to help serve as a check against decisions that are unwise or which do not serve the people’s interest.

That person should ideally be someone looking to the future, not in the process of making a transition from the past.

There is always the possibility of course that Dr Minnis might run for leader again at convention, reinforced by serving as party leader in the House in the meanwhile. That would be a mistake. The public has spoken, and loudly. Dr Minnis should accept that.

So far, there is no timeline for a convention for the FNM. That should be done quickly. The party needs clarity so that it knows its direction, and so it can provide strong opposition in Parliament.

The time has come for a change. What the FNM needs to do now is get on with it.

Hospital tour

What new Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis had to say after his tour of Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday should not come as a surprise.

He described the hospital as “dismal”, and described the construction timeline at the hospital as unacceptable.

Getting to know the reasons for the hospital’s problems is an important part of settling into the new job, but we all know one of the problems facing our healthcare system – COVID-19.

Construction has been delayed because of the number of COVID cases disrupting the contractor’s work. Meanwhile, the staff at the hospital are overwhelmed by the number of cases they are dealing with, while the morgue has more than 320 bodies stored there at present.

In this column, we have talked about how the hospital has been overwhelmed – and how we need to do all we can to drive down the number of cases to help our healthcare staff.

Mr Davis said that after talking to staff “we’ve gotten a picture from their perspective of what is happening in this fight against the virus. It’s bleak.”

We look forward to seeing what Mr Davis intends to do to remedy the situation, what resources he intends to make available to our healthcare system, and how he intends to press home the messages on vaccination and how to prevent the spread of the virus.

The situation is indeed bleak already. We cannot afford to let it get any worse.

Comments

carltonr61 says...

Eight months of global data from February 2021 shows that after mass vaccinations there is a lull followed by a rapid rise in cases and deaths as vaccinated persons shed spikes their body is creating to create an immune anti body response. The virus must be in your body,you must be contaminated for your body to create antibodies. Following which,spread takes place to vaccinated and unvaccinated. They will blame the election but no. The huge pink elephant vaccine is so full of green grass it showers many. That is why Israel opted for a third shot to save the vulnerable vaccinated and refused a lock down, because their was little to no public spread. The UK, not buying into vaccines 3,4,5,6 doses into its population was supposed to begin mass treatment with the Florida or Trump 3 day life coctail along with vaccination.

Posted 22 September 2021, 6:54 p.m. Suggest removal

John says...

Obviously the person who wrote the piece about Minnis having to go is very shallow and/or seriously lacks analytical skills or a n honest pen. There were many things about the election past that were not normal and hence begs a closer look. Firstly, why did Minnis find the need to call an early election and why so early in his term? And why did he hesitate for so long? Some say Minnis was following the advice of his Non-native advisers who suggested he call elections while he was still popular rather than wait until he was backed into a corner snd have to fight a tough battle. But unfortunately, as word and speculation of an early election got around, it was not popular with the majority of the electorate and Minnis tried to do a double clutch and pull back. But by this time Election fever was in the air and the opposition cried ‘bring it on dude’. By this time the Covid pandemic was raging and Minnis’ decision to call the Election was looked at as careless, reckless, endangering lives and a clear effort to deceive and confuse the voters.and disenfranchise many. Some saw it as an attempt to steal the Election. Minnis was no longer trusted by people he had forced into lockdowns and curfews under the guise of saving lives, Minnis was now pushing vaccines is patients popped the windows, doors and hallways of mall medical facilities. Tents were set up and they too became overcrowded. Minnis appeared a weak and failing PM who had lost control and was failing in one of the most critical and deadly medical crisis in the country. And he was a medically trained doctor . And his sidekick, Dr Duane Ssnds appearing to sing for his supper from a muffled snd restrained voice put even more hypocrisy in the mix. Get in the hospital and save lives, dude. And stop campaigning to save your butt. Then as all the soldiers were not already marching backwards, Minnis decided to go on a campaign and attack Brave Davis. The FNMs were home or mostly somewhere other than in the political arena and Minnis decided ( obviously after being ‘advised’ to attack the leader of the greatest number of political active people at the time, grossly offending them and basically telling them to keep their votes. And the fact that mostly it was PLPS who voted Minnis out-of/office and FNMs chose to be more kinder to him is clear language that they didn’t really want Minnis gone. And those who sat and watched all these missteps in the FNM camp and did not take action are just as bad.

Posted 23 September 2021, 1:52 a.m. Suggest removal

carltonr61 says...

****0

Posted 23 September 2021, 8:32 a.m. Suggest removal

CESTLAVIE says...

Nothing gets in the way of a journalist and the story they want to tell.

Posted 23 September 2021, 10:49 a.m. Suggest removal

JokeyJack says...

We still dont have the election results by poll #.

Posted 23 September 2021, 1:11 p.m. Suggest removal

tribanon says...

Minnis didn't even have the decency to address the serious issue of all the corpses that have been piling up in the morgue at PMH over many months now. Yup, most insensitive and evil to the very core. And to think what remains of the disgraced and very crippled FNM party is allowing him to be leader of the opposition when the new parliament opens. This is a truly cruel and unforgivable joke by the members of the FNM party's council.

Posted 23 September 2021, 10:44 a.m. Suggest removal

JokeyJack says...

Minnis was not rejected. The people voted for the FPNLMP, of which he is a part.

Posted 23 September 2021, 1:12 p.m. Suggest removal

John says...

Let me tell you a little secret. And before I do remember I am known for conspiracy theories. But don’t you think it strange the numbers of countries calling early elections? Who is duping government to uproot themselves and call early elections? Some say lenders are refusing to make additional loans to governments that have only a short time left in office. Why is this? Well they want the people that borrow the money to be around when the sh!t hits the fan. Minnis got out with his shirt and socks. Brave Davis and many nee governments around the world is hopefully ready for shock and awe. Ine as the Minnis government leaves office and a new government is set up, the country will be another couple billion in debt. And if at junk status now imagine when the government reaches crisis borrowing or borrowing just to pay salaries and stuff. The good thing is The Bahamas will not be alone. Many countries, big and small will fall over this financial cliff. Some say having to trade power and national assets for food and medicine.

Posted 23 September 2021, 9:19 p.m. Suggest removal

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