No PLP should be caught dead on the Black Friday march, an unhinged and utterly tone deaf Fred Mitchell declared in a bizarre voice note on Thursday night in a futile and petty attempt at diffusing a growing movement, shamelessly diminishing its effect, stifling democracy and intimidating those who were making plans to protest in Downtown Nassau and participate in a 12-hour long occupation.

Mitchell's voice note was disgraceful, distasteful and contemptuous. It reminded us why the movement of ordinary Bahamians that led to the impressive show of people power on Friday has taken on such life in the last few weeks.
The foreign minister further fueled angst toward a government that has long worn out its welcome with the Bahamian people.

He failed miserably in his attempt to mute the impact of the march and create divisions among those who were preparing to demonstrate a show of unity and unwavering resolve to push back against an out-of-touch administration more concerned with maintaining its hold on power than it is on bettering the conditions of average Bahamians.

The Fox Hill MP was characteristically arrogant, and he was condescending -- as acknowledged by Speaker of the House Dr. Kendal Major, who called Mitchell's statement "utterly irresponsible".

In a last ditch attempt to cast the march as a politically motivated event, Mitchell offended Bahamians  who were already deeply frustrated by the actions of an uncaring government, and who feel increasingly alienated in their own country and more and more terrified that The Bahamas they knew and still love is slipping away from them, and will be far out of reach of future generations of Bahamians.

Mitchell foolishly claimed that because former FNM Senator John Bostwick, who is from a prominent FNM family, was one of the organizers of the event, it was clearly "an FNM propaganda exercise and no PLP should be caught dead on it".

He said, "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. This is nothing but an FNM march in disguise, pretending to be neutral, but they are FNM."

It's too bad that so many Bahamians who turned out, including PLPs, were not smart and astute enough to recognize that they were involved in FNM propaganda.

Mitchell demonstrated warped thinking and made a desperate attempt at muddying a cause that at its core was a genuine, non partisan attempt at bringing attention to issues that are worrying to so many Bahamians.

Those who demonstrated sent an unequivocal message to the government that they are not prepared to sit back and be dumped on.

There have been far too many instances of our government treating us with disdain.

There is a sense that the rug is being pulled from under us by an administration that disrespects the people who have given it power.

Many people feel undercut and abused by the people they elected to represent their interests.

As opposed to respect and care, what we have been getting from the Christie administration is the same brand of politics that flavored Mitchell's message on Thursday night.

Fundamentally, the Christie administration has failed to demonstrate that it is truly committed to transparency and accountability.

The government has made deals on our behalf, but refuses to let us in on them.

And it was brazen enough to contemplate allowing the Chinese to fish in Bahamian waters. When they were called out, government officials turned their guns at the media in a series of twisted statements that made many Bahamians even more distrustful and fed up.

So many Bahamians feel that they are being squeezed. We are paying valued-added taxes. When we ask for an accounting of how that more than $800 million was spent, we are told it went to the government's consolidated fund to cover general expenses.

Meanwhile, our shoulders are weary from a growing debt burden. Many Bahamians do not see any improvement in their pocket books.

Many are telling their college-educated children not to return to The Bahamas. There is nothing here for them.

We have a prime minister who is flat out of answers. He is flat out of energy. And we are flat out of patience.

He needs to go. He, Mitchell and the others who continue to treat Bahamians with such disgust and disdain.

They are suffocating any prospects of national growth.

We need a fresh injection of political and leadership talent in The Bahamas.

We need a Bahamas where we feel free to protest, as is our democratic right.

We do not need ministers like Mitchell who talk down to us, who insult us with bitter language.

What made Mitchell's comments even more laughable and baffling is his history of protest and agitation. He had an early reputation as a freedom fighter and a human rights activist.

Over the weekend, several people on Facebook shared pictures of a younger, radical Mitchell protesting in the streets, along with other members of The Bahamas Committee on Southern Africa.

When the committee was formed, Mitchell declared, "We did this because we believe, and still do that, democracy -- based on one man, one vote -- must come to all the countries of Southern Africa."

On numerous other occasions, as leader of the People's Democratic Force (PDF), Mitchell and supporters took to the streets to make the public aware of issues the PDF had taken up with the Bahamian government.

At one such protest in 1990, Mitchell said it appeared the PLP and the FNM agree that the country is theirs alone.

"... There must be no collusion with the government in sharing the political profits of the system," he said.

Mitchell's demands for more accountable government, made when he was under another political banner, were not unlike the demands many Bahamians on the Black Friday march made.

So there was an unpalatable level of hypocrisy in Mitchell's voice note.
Clearly, Mitchell understands that the national mood has shifted away from the Progressive Liberal Party.

The march on Friday underscored how much in trouble the PLP is. The message was not sent by a group of FNMs.

It was sent by Bahamians from all walks of life who recognize there is strength in numbers, that they, too, are guardians of our heritage and birthright; and this now is one of those moments when they must stand, courageously, unwaveringly and determined to effect fundamental change.

Candia Dames, Guardian Managing Editor

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