Dear Editor,

Civil society must be resilient if it is to withstand the limited opinions of would-be social technicians who masquerade as columnists, editors and talk show hosts. These "political animals" are needed to provide the necessary confusion that seems to accompany lively debate; the kind of confusion that causes those who are to be impacted to take a closer look; maybe if only for that reason.
It is unusual for an opposition leader in any country to be under the kind of scrutiny that Hubert Alexander Minnis has been under for most of this year. Everyone seems to have a blow to throw and something to say; especially in their perception of him. Many say that he does not fit the profile of a leader.
Candia Dames, managing editor at The Nassau Guardian, describes him as "dull", "ineffective", "dismal and uninspiring", in his leadership of the FNM over the last two-and-a-half years. A "flip flopper and it has been challenging him to project himself as an authoritative leader who is a viable contender for the post of prime minister".
Apparently, Dames, along with "Simon" of Front Porch fame have been so busy giving the good doctor their injections of negative opinion that they have failed to pick up on one little fact; the good doctor does not seem to care about their opinion. I see their prior and recent offerings as a two-pronged attack against a person that they should be supporting.
They are free to give their opinions but their jaundiced disclosures, have me thinking about their ages and the fact that they may need some older friends who have a balanced political perspective. There are some who would like to put Hubert Minnis in a category where he could be managed and consigned a predictable persona. However, I think he has made up his mind that the leadership profiles of Ingraham, Pindling and Christie do not really suit him, and that it is like David trying to go into battle dragging Saul's armor around.
If his detractors were watching they saw a little bit of Pindling with the snap convention move. We saw a little bit of Ingraham's shrewdness as his candidate waited until the last minute to declare his bid for the chairmanship, and we saw a bit of the Christie sweet talk as he consoled Loretta Butler-Turner. The Turnquest move is going to be studied for a while; it happened when all of the cards were on the table.
A departed friend has left a mantra that should be on the wall of any person who wants to dabble in politics: "You better know what you looking at!" This recent convention gave the rank and file of the FNM a view of the political landscape in The Bahamas that they will cherish for many, many years.
I think it was Simon's column before the convention that kicked things off, when he tried to paint Minnis with a brush that best described other persons in the FNM and PLP; he tried and failed to apply the "silver spoon" label to the opposition leader. A description that many saw as "stretching it".
Then there were the maneuverings of persons who could be adequately described as "silver spoons", throwing their support behind Butler-Turner. Having lost two previous elections because of a similar kind of "interference", the party was not going to allow it to happen again and they dealt with the issue decisively.
If you are not sure what a person is doing, you may not be watching. Peter Turnquest is a perfect example. Those of us who watch the parliamentary channel wonder what Dames was thinking when she wrote, "He has not been a standout in parliamentary debates. In many circles, he is barely known". He is one of the most listened to speakers in parliament, he brings what few MPs bring to the table, information, facts and clarity.
To say that he is barely known is questionable; it would depend on who you are talking to. He is the trump card if Butler-Turner attempts another one of her moves in the future. He is from Freeport, but Dame Ivy Dumont is his aunt whose roots are in Long Island (of all places).
The leader of the opposition does not fit the profile, but the evidence at hand suggests that he has done his homework when it comes to local politics. He does not move and react to the pricks and prods that have sent Ingraham, Pindling and Christie looking for their pound of flesh. What must be an irritation for those who have been setting the bar for him is his ability to jump just a little bit higher.
Some say that his victory made it easier for the PLP or the DNA; I disagree. It has become more difficult because the Ingraham target is no more, and the FNM is being led by a person who believes in using the machinery; and when the FNM is rolling they are more than a match for any political organization. I wonder if we are going to hear any more of that "sweet talk" from Minnis. The nation was probably as surprised as I was.
In closing, I would like for the columnists, editors and talk show hosts of this nation to do a piece or program on the possibility of the DNA joining the PLP or the FNM before political campaigning starts in earnest.

- Edward Hutcheson

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