by Ian Mabon
First published in The Tribune Letters Column, on Thursday, May 22, 2008 and reprinted here with the kind permission of the author.
Opposition has reverted to true form of ghetto politics.
I read with utter disbelief your lead story of today that the PLP intends to raise the issue of an alleged high school sex scandal at a private school involving two minors.
Further, the PLP insider’s assertion that this is not intended to embarrass the parent of one of the children, who just happens to be a government MP, is laughable.
With all of the other pressing issues that should be debated and resolved in Parliament, Her Majesties Loyal Opposition has reverted to true form, ghetto politics.
I don’t excuse the school officials handling of the situation, but they are a private institution and we are, after all, talking about two children.
Why should the school boards’ decision be viewed any differently than that of previously sitting magistrates to overturn the drug possession charge of the adult son of a former Prime Minister because of whom his father was?
If my memory serves me, during the last PLP government’s term there were allegations of rape brought against one minister that suddenly went away, of a toilet bowl being stolen by another, and most recently one minister, or should that be “Deacon”, gr….ding away in the back seat of his car in the church parking lot. How conveniently we forget.
As I wrote in an earlier letter chastising the present government, people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Bahamians are sick to death of juvenile and petty politicians on both sides of the divide and we wonder what small miracle it will take to lift them and our country out of the gutter.
A small miracle may fall short of the mark Ian, as the Gutter we are in as a country is not the same gutter they as politicians are in. Theirs is padded or, sanitized.
The politicians feel no adverse effects for their disgracefull behavior, so there is no compunction to change.
They are also all quite close to each other, aside a few cases of obvious animosity, so, all in all, the status quo is defacto here to stay.
The world however, is changing, and conditions in the Bahamian real world are following suit.
These so called leaders are becoming irrelevant, and may soon find themselves facing the music.
Bahamians are getting angry, and are realizing that the politicos have no answers, nor are they looking for any. This is a recipe for disaster, as people with no reference points behave in desparation, and often seize upon unlikely solutions.
Keep thinking, as there are few minds working on the solutions.
I wonder if he (Mr. Mabon) can appreciate how one sided his letter to the editor of the bias sheet appears after reading the article attributed to an F.N.M. insider the following day “FNM Threatens to reveal “black File” of PLP Names Linked with Harl Taylor” if the PLP went ahead with its story about the FNM politician’s son. Ian, write another letter concerning that.
(Slightly edited by administrator to remove disparaging comments – Humour is good but let’s not go over the top with rude comments)
Wasn’t this case a criminal matter? Sex with a minor, is child molestation- regardless of how anyone would want to say it.
This is a matter for the police, just as the matter, where another FNM MP’s daughter, who was 12 at the time, went out to have sex with a man she met over the internet.
That MP went ballistic, was threatening to kill the man, and got that man charged in the court within the week.
Something needs to be said about that. While the age of the latter case, was very wide- 12 to 24, as opposed to the former, 13-17, the fact of the matter is is that rape and molestation is what it is. On top of that, the daughter of the 12 year old, LEFT HER HOME, knowingly to meet this man. The other girl, wa taken on the school campus, with witnesses to attest to this as well as school administrators, who are in the “clique”….this is, no more and no less, abuse of power as well as other charges of rape.
Sometimes, you have to tell the truth and let it stand where it is.
I was talking to an aunt of mine, who never told me what side of the fence she was on, she was saying; “these things, happen all the time in the schools”…so, I guess we should turn a blind eye to all crime, because it happens all the time- as with gambling and murder, even.
She has a 9 and 15 year old daughter, as well as a 17 year old son. How would she feel, I asked her, if shoes were on the other foot. If it was me, I would be locked up and facing charges, and all and sundry knows it!
Shame on that parent of the 13 year old girl for not pressing the matter. Shame on the school administrators. Shame on the police!
That mother, killed the spirit of her daughter, for fear of politics. This country is going down the tubes, and I hate to see it happen like this…
Bill