Jerome Pinder
In our system of Government, we are very close to a five year dictatorship. I say this, because we basically live by what our Prime Minister does and says. Surely, there is nobody in the Cabinet who stands up to the PM??????
If there is one thing that we need, is a forceful opposition. However, the PLP seems to be imploding from within. We currently need an opposition who is going to act as a checks and balance to the current administration. We need them to question what the current Government is doing, what legislation they are passing, and offer suggestions to provide a better future for the Bahamas and the Bahamian people.
However, we have an opposition that is in complete chaos that has offered little to the Bahamian people, besides a lot of in fighting.
To top this all off, we have a current sitting Member of Parliament who stands up at a Convention and mouths off about a current case before the courts. Do they not have the common sense to check their facts before spotting off. Not to mention when it suits them, all of a sudden "God is Good." What happens when the news does not suit them, is God then bad?????
This is yet again another new low for the Bahamas. What can we expect next, given the behavior of our Members of Parliament?
A few thoughts about the fiction of government.. First the traditional reference to the “loyal opposition” is a farce.. Who are they loyal to in the first place, our country, the Bahamian people.. I think not.. The opposition is only interested in their own self interest and the people be damned.. Hay its “all for me baby” has been the trademark of Bahamian politics as long as anyone can remember.. So lets forget the reference to “loyal” an just call the minority party the opposition regardless to political identity..
The use for the world “dictator” is a rather strong reference to describe the Bahamian Prime Minister.. Yet using your own reference one has to ask what Prime Minister or for that matter what political leader in our country’s entire history did not act or function in such a manner.. Perhaps it is the nature of the beast.. Lets never forget that we elect our political leadership, and the Bahamian people have over the past two decades have voted to change the direction of their government three different times.. Our democracy is far from perfect but it works.. Lets keep the dictators in Latin America and in other totalitarian countries..
As for our beloved country let our wisest men and woman work to reform our political system.. Clean up the corruption and hopefully someday have representation that the people choose not some self serving political party.. The people have that right for the Bahamas is their country and does not belong to some political party or entity.. The Bahamian people must always come first, the political parties a distant second..
I side with your emotion through the examples you made ….. but for the readers lets clarify.
Loyal Opposition = this is ceremonial, a remainder from the former colonial era- and, similar verbage is still in use in the UK at present – Loyal stands for loyalty to the QUEEN of ENGLAND or the CROWN……
Whether it be minority, loyal, or opposition – it is evident that we are in need of constitutional reform with greater checks and balances – and more extensive changes at the executive level – especially with regard to what executive branch of goevernment should control budgets and forecasting” with a perview to greater, transprancy and critical analysis.
So lets encourage the efforts for common sense reform to the constitution of the Bahamas and an awareness to the need thereof.
You missed it again.. LOYAL means faithful.. That is faithful to a country, person, ruler, government or ideal.. The issue here is where is the Opposition’s loyalty vested or focused.. Sadly the term “loyal opposition” is void of any truthful meaning in the Bahamas.. Political self-interest is the order of the day, and NOT the interest our country, a person (other than self-interest), ruler, government or even a noble ideal such as truth.. So once and for all lets stop using a meaningless adjective to describe a self-serving, useless Opposition in the House of Assembly no matter which political party that is out of power.. Call them what they are, the Opposition.
WHATS UP WITH THIS “YOU MISSED IT” – READ IT AGAIN – IT IS LOYALTY TO THE HEAD OF STATE THE QUEEN. PLAIN AND SIMPLE – DURING THEIR SWEARING IN , WHO DO THEY MAKE ALLEGENCE TO THE CROWN – YES FAITHFUL TO THE CROWN AND ITS IDEOLOGY AND PRACTICE – NOT THE PEOPLE … THATS IS WHY I ADVOCATED COMMON SENSE REFORM TO THE CONSTITUTION BY THE PEOPLE , FOR THE PEOPLE.
SO STOP THIS NONSENSE ABOUT MISSING THE POINT – NOTHING IS MISSED OVER HEAR, YOUR JUST A LOUD MOUTH KID IN THE PLAY GROUND , FEENING FOR ATTENTION IRREGARDLESS TO COMMONSENSE ATTRACTIONS UNFAVORABLE TO YOUR BIAS.
YOU ARE PRIMITIVE – SO KEEP TO THE ISSUES AND DONT TRY TO ATTACK MY DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING – OBVIOUSLY YOUR MIND NEEDS STRETCHING TOWARD GREATER READING COMPREHENSION –
NOW CALL IT A DAY!! AND MOVE ON!!