Dear Editor,
 
I was taken aback after reading the list of new candidates for the Free National Movement (FNM) in the January 12 edition of The Nassau Guardian.  After months of guessing, the Bahamian public finally knows who will be the FNM's standard bearers in the 2012 general elections.  According to the press, 25 percent of the FNM candidates are newcomers.  Moreover, the FNM has nominated eight women.  This is clearly a very clever move by Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham to attract female voters.  I have also noticed that many of the these newcomers are very young.  As a master politician, Ingraham is well aware of the fact that nearly half the Bahamian population is under the age of 40.  In an effort to draw votes from this segment of the Bahamian society, the FNM has fielded many young candidates.  The FNM party knows that if it is unable to get the support from the youth of the nation, then it will lose the election.  Nevertheless, I still believe that the race for the 23 constituencies in New Providence will pose a great challenge for the incumbent government.  I say that because many of the new faces that the FNM party has ratified to run in New Providence are relatively unknown candidates, with absolutely no experience at all in running a government.  Having said that, though, the same thing can be said about several of the new candidates for the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).  The PLP has also nominated several candidates who have no experience in government.  However, I am of the view that the Official Opposition will head into the upcoming electoral contest as the heavy favorite to win, especially in New Providence.  That is because of the myriad of problems the country is presently facing. The PLP will use the high murder rate, the burgeoning national debt, high unemployment and the recession to its advantage during the campaign season.  Moreover, the recent shocking decision by St. Anne's Member of Parliament and Deputy Prime Brent Symonette to retire from frontline politics, could very well hurt the governing party.  Symonette came under heavy criticism from the PLP and its rabid supporters several months ago over allegations that hundreds of Haitian residents were given citizenship status in order to boost the FNM's chances of being reelected to power.  Of course, Symonette has vehemently denied this, but it appears as if the PLP public relations machine has managed to convince many swing voters that the FNM has not been very forthcoming about this vexing immigration issue.  The PLP has done a remarkable job in pandering to the xenophobia of some Bahamians.
Also, the decision by the FNM hierarchy to move current New Providence members of Parliament Sidney Collie (Blue Hills), Desmond Bannister (Carmichael), Loretta Butler-Turner (Montagu) and Phenton Neymour (South Beach) to Family Island constituencies raises more questions than answers.  If these veteran MPs feel as if they cannot win in New Providence, then what possible chance do the political novices of the FNM have against their PLP opponents?  Does the FNM really believe that Karen Butler can defeat Leslie Miller in Tall Pines?  What about Winsome Miller in Golden Gates?  Does the leadership of the FNM realistically expect Miller to defeat Shane Gibson in that constituency?  Further, why didn't the FNM renominate Senator Dr. Jacinta Higgs to run in Fox Hill against Fred Mitchell?  She almost defeated him in 2007.  Personally, I think the FNM MPs who have been moved from New Providence to the Family Islands should have stayed put.  If they cannot win in New Providence, then there is a distinct possibility that they also cannot win in the Family Islands.  I suspect that they haven't worked as hard as they could have in their present constituencies.  In any event, these FNM MPs have given the PLP public relations machine plenty fodder to chew on.
Be that as it may, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had stated before that he intends to bring in new candidates to run on the FNM's ticket.  Of the 38 candidates who have been given the nod to run under the FNM's banner, 17 are new faces, and that includes former Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) Leader Cassius Stuart.  The governing party has been radically revamped with new faces.  I think one can rightly argue that because many of the FNM candidates are unknown, the PLP will have a very difficult task in critiquing them.  They have absolutely no record in public office, so what can the PLP say other than they are the more experienced team?  If Christie uses the argument that the PLP is more experienced, then this approach could very well backfire on the opposition leader.  We must bear in mind that several of the current MPs on Christie's team, who brought great embarrassment to the former PLP government, have been renominated to run in the upcoming election.
Unlike the new candidates of the FNM, these senior PLP politicians have an unsavory track record in frontline politics.  I can think of at least two PLP MPs who should not be running, but I don't believe that Christie has the courage to force these persons to leave frontline politics.  One can safely assume that if the PLP wins the general election, these MPs who helped to bring down the first Christie administration will again be appointed to the Cabinet.  Ingraham, on the other hand, has shown time and again that he is very much willing to sack a Cabinet minister who steps out of line.  This is one of the reasons why I prefer Ingraham to Christie.  Ingraham keeps his Cabinet in line.
To be sure, the FNM, despite its challenges in New Providence, can boast to the Bahamian electorate that it is a new party.  On the other hand, the PLP, despite a few cosmetic changes, is virtually the same party that was booted out of office in 2007.  In the final analysis, Ingraham has given to the Bahamian people what they have been agitating for: Fresh, young, talented Bahamians.  Ingraham's revamped FNM might very well end up surprising us all on election day.
 
- Kevin Evans

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