DNA mistakes adding up

Tue, Jul 24th 2012, 08:25 AM

Dear Editor,

The leader of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), Branville McCartney, recently said that his party will not offer a candidate in the by-election in North Abaco. Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham submitted his letter of resignation to the speaker of the House of Assembly on Thursday, July 19, 2012. His resignation will be effective August 31, 2012, which will end a 35-year consecutive reign as the member of Parliament for North Abaco.
Many Bahamians still remember the crushing loss that the DNA faced at the polls on Election Day. Many Bahamians also remember the almost 15,000 registered voters voted for the DNA. This figure represents almost nine percent of the ballots counted on Election Day. If the DNA could garner nine percent of the popular vote in one year of existence, can it pull 27 percent more in five years? This seems to be an achievable target given the fact that the Free National Movement (FNM) is presently involved in a major power struggle and that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) appears to be operating business as usual.
The DNA has been mostly asleep at the wheel for the past 10 weeks and has not affectively opposed the myriad issues affecting our country. It has lost some steam since the election and many supporters wonder what will be the party's next move.
The by-election in Abaco will be called in short order and McCartney has said that no candidate will carry the DNA's banner. This in my view is a grave political blunder. The objective of all political parties is to win the general election. But you must start somewhere.
The announcement by Hubert Ingraham that he was resigning from his seat shortly after the general election should have set off a chain reaction in the DNA. They should have organized themselves and chosen a candidate and had him or her on the ground garnering support for the impending faceoff.
The people of North Abaco have always supported Hubert Ingraham; several times as a member of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), once as an independent and several times as a member of the FNM. There is no clear consensus as to which way the people will vote this time around.
The last general election saw Ingraham winning again, but he had a good challenge from the PLP's candidate, Renardo Curry. The DNA's candidate, Sonith Lockhart, did not fare well at all.
The FNM has yet to announce a candidate for the upcoming by-election in North Abaco and this is symbolic of the internal power struggles now going on in this party. Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said that one of the reasons that he delayed his resignation was to give a prospective candidate time to meet the constitutional requirements. This would have given the DNA extra time to run its campaign and a great opportunity to put in play a revised strategy of trying to win a seat in the House of Assembly, but the party decided not to offer a candidate.
I say to McCartney that DNA supporters also live in North Abaco and even though the support of North Abaconians was not encouraging in the general election, it is a slap in the face not to offer a candidate.
The mistakes are mounting for the DNA and if they want to be a significant force in the political game and win over votes I suggest that they begin to take advantage of all the opportunities afforded to them.

- Dehavilland Moss

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads