Watching David Cameron demit office as prime minister of Great Britain yesterday was a reminder of how character is manifested throughout the public life of an individual.
How one acts and performs as leader of the opposition typically suggests how one will act and perform as prime minister. Power magnifies one's character for good or ill.
Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis has proven to be highly undemocratic, woefully incompetent, extraordinarily inarticulate, an uninspiring and non-transparent politician, prone to victimizing his opponents and incapable of thinking on his feet.
Minnis is anti-intellectual, disingenuous in his statements about rooting out corruption and terribly disorganized. He will demonstrate this magnitude of deficits as head of government. There is a political crudeness he has exemplified.
U.S. President Barack Obama famously spends hours every night and often into the early morning reading dense background briefs and redrafting speeches.
He knows that a successful head of government must consume an enormous amount of complex material on matters ranging from economic and social policy to foreign affairs. As opposition leader Minnis is famously known for his incapacity to thoroughly read and understand material he is given.
The briefing material will be more voluminous for a prime minister. If he can't handle such material now, he will be a disaster as first among equals. He would quickly lose the confidence of the Cabinet.
Obama has used speeches and unscripted remarks to communicate policy and ideas, to conduct public diplomacy in foreign affairs, to help heal his country and to inspire confidence in times of crisis, and to inspire the American people in pursuit of individual and collective dreams.
Minnis would prove dispiriting and hopeless in touching the Bahamian people through his speeches. He is today one of the worst speakers in Parliament. His communication skills are abysmal.
Were his profession that of a mime or we were in the age of silent films he would be fine. But we are in a different age and the communication skills of a prime minister are essential. It is painful to listen to his mangling of thoughts and ideas that he clearly does not understand.
The country needs a leader who can represent us around the world. We can and must do much better than Minnis.
As opposition leader, Cameron was gregarious, open-minded, approachable and generally considered an easy personality to deal with. He was a modernizer. His premiership showcased these attributes.
His final comments during prime minister's question time, and remarks outside 10 Downing Street before leaving for Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation, showcased his grace and charm, the character he demonstrated before becoming prime minister.
He did not give in to self-pity or churlishness or play the victim as does Minnis on a regular basis, constantly playing for sympathy because he lacks the essential characteristics of a leader.
Minnis showcases the politics of negativity. Because he has few positive attributes as a politician, he has to elicit sympathy and then attack challengers to distract from his surplus of deficits. He does not inspire others about himself. He attacks others in order to better hide his negatives.
Cameron's masterful remarks in the Commons were good-humored and articulate. He was quick on his feet and charismatic. He demonstrated competence.
Those of Minnis' supporters who argue that these qualities are not essential in a prime minister are making excuses for his vast deficits. These qualities of communication skills and competence are exactly what make for successful leaders.
Cameron outlined in his parting statements what he considered major accomplishments. But most of his remarks were those of gratitude: for the privilege of serving as prime minister; for those with whom he served, including in the civil service; and for the service of the many people in Britain engaged in volunteerism and community service.
While there is debate over Cameron's policy legacy, he exemplified a spirit of tolerance and mostly eschewed unnecessary harshness in political life, though he could be vigorous in political battles including stinging barbs and zingers during political debate.
Modernizer
His courage in pushing for same-sex marriage showed him as modernizer intent on capturing the center of British politics. His "life chances" agenda suggested a different kind of Tory.
Hubert Minnis has no vision or defining agenda for The Bahamas or for the FNM. He simply wants power. He has no ability to capture the public imagination, especially that of young people.
Rather than inspire and attract a new generation to the FNM, he has hollowed out the party, decimating its legacy and future. The FNM is dying.
Those dinosaurs giddy about Minnis' leadership because of what they can get are living in a dream world and a party most Bahamians now consider a mere shell of its former self.
Today's FNM is solely a vehicle for the ambition of Minnis and those intent on riding his gravy train to power. Minnis and his court have used all manner of undemocratic means and craft to hold on to power.
The recent fight over the delegate list in Ft. Charlotte is but one example of how they have played fast-and-loose in undermining the democratic process in constituency associations.
That the matter had to be taken to court demonstrates the games being played by the Minnis camp. The same game is being played in other associations. There are questions about a proper list of delegates.
The suspension of the campaign by the nominee for Bain and Grant's Town is another troubling sign about the state of the FNM and of Minnis' disastrous leadership.
The only way Minnis survives is through undermining democracy in the FNM and through using certain means to incentivize delegates to support him, including promises for posts galore and other incentives.
Were a vote held for party leader among the FNM membership in general, Minnis would likely lose quite badly. Instead, he is being artificially propped up through dark means. There are reports of bullying and intimidation by some Minnis supporters.
Hypocritical
Minnis has spoken about transparency, accountability and democracy. His actions have been dramatically inimical to these values. It isn't that he's being hypocritical. Instead he has shown bold-face disingenuousness. He is not a democrat and would abuse power if not checked.
History has shown that one of the worst combinations in a leader is a dangerous mixture of insecurity and incompetence, traits Minnis demonstrates in spades. Such a combination usually produces tyrannical and highly autocratic leaders.
Were he to become prime minister his autocratic and vindictive traits would likely be reminiscent of the worst days of the PLP. Power would allow him to vent his excesses.
As he has done as opposition leader, Minnis, as head of government, would severely undermine our democracy, using the instruments of the state and the power of his office to undermine our constitution and democratic traditions, as he has undermined the same in the FNM.
Do not be distracted or listen to what Minnis says, watch what he has done and what he does!
At the rally announcing his re-election bid, Minnis was in the warm embrace of Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller. The PLP supports Minnis because of its intimate dealings with him and because he is its best chance for re-election.
FNM Tall Pines nominee Don Saunders was undermined by Minnis appearing with Miller. Why did Minnis appear in such grand fashion with a man with a less than stellar reputation and who joked about viciously battering women?
When Miller made such a claim, Minnis did not challenge him. Why is Minnis so comfortable in the company of a self-proclaimed batterer? Does Minnis believe that beating up women is a joke or acceptable? Why did he remain quiet?
By remaining quiet he raised troubling questions, suggesting that he too is a misogynist, who sees women in a certain light. This troubling silence and his flip-flop on the equality referendum suggest that he will not be a strong advocate of women's rights.
Hubert Minnis may appear to some as a benign, somewhat amiable figure. This is mere appearance and artifice. Lurking in his shadows is a man who has clearly demonstrated that he is prepared to abuse power and undermine democracy in order to satiate his lust for power.
o frontporchguardian@gmail.com, www.bahamapundit.com.
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