Dear Editor,
It is now commonly accepted and clearly acknowledged, except by the most diehard supporters of the Free National Movement (FNM), that the country, especially here in New Providence and over in Grand Bahama, is being badly run.  The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), et al, are merely posturing and seeking political supremacy.

The environment is extremely dirty; garbage cannot be collected on a timely basis; major roads are dug up and in a shambles; electrical and water supplies are sporadic at best; traffic lights are constantly on the blink; government buildings are eyesores of the highest order; our schools are in a massive state of disrepair; our hospitals and clinics are potentially a clear and present danger to those who are obliged to utilize their facilities; and the majority of our politicians ain't checking.

These things have been festering for decades yet no administration, hitherto, has seemed to have the vision or fortitude to do anything about them. The Band-aid approach is still the order of the day. When ordinary people seek to point out these gross deficiencies, they are labeled anti the party that is in power or worse.  There is one singular thing that I have observed over the years about our home grown politicians and it is that they are thin-skinned to the extreme.

Well, I don't really care about how they may or may not feel when I see my beloved nation falling into ruins right before my very eyes.  The time for clowning around is over.  Right-thinking Bahamians must step up to the plate and seek, collectively, to raise the ruins before the entire structure collapses.  I hold no brief for any of the major parties and the not so major ones.  They are all, I submit, cut from the same motley cloth.  Common Cause, an activist, non-partisan civic organization, will hold all politicians to a high standard.  They will either fish, cut bait or be forced to get the hell out of the boat.  No more free rides and bamboozling at the expense of the people of The Bahamas.

Immigration, crime and massive unemployment are plaguing us.  But, the political and sociological 'doctors', be they witch or bush, are forcing Bahamians to take a dose of medicine which is clearly aggravating the devastating illness as opposed to providing a cure.  I now call on my fellow Bahamians to let us seek to raise the ruins.

I call on fellow Bahamians to boldly state that enough is enough and that we are, collectively, 'mad as hell and we are not going to take this mediocre approach to governance any more'.  Register to vote, and actually vote.  To God then, the Great I am that I am, in all things, be the glory.
 
Yours, etc.,
Ortland H. Bodie Jr.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian