In this last election, I had a vantage point quite different from the one I'd had in the previous four elections. For the first time in 25 years, I was not a frontline, active, public, partisan political promoter. Though I voted this election - as I have always voted - my less visible partisan posture and my sometimes public criticisms of some personalities, made me persona non grata in many quarters. But this is life. Sometimes what binds people together is not principle but interest, and interest can be fleeting.
Dr. Hubert Alexander Minnis is now the prime minister of The Bahamas. He endured a tumultuous period in opposition and prevailed. Despite a warm performance as principal opponent to Perry Christie and the PLP, in the grand scheme of things, his performance was fully sufficient to win at the polls. The new prime minister has assembled an impressive Cabinet, on paper. His speeches, so far, have been laden with laudable words. He has articulated his commitment to honesty, integrity, fairness and truth. No one can argue with those stated principles. He has declared that he will hold his ministers to account; again, quite laudable. Yes, in this honeymoon period, so far, prime minister Minnis has handled himself well. In fact, with the exception of only a few of his newly elected parliamentary colleagues and their supporters, his moves have received wide support.
Forgive me, however, if I throw a bit of caution to the wind and make an observation. The prime minister is 63 years old. He is a mature man, steeped in habits that are entrenched in his character. Like all leaders, the prime minister has weaknesses, some of which may have gotten in his way as leader of the opposition. I highlighted some of them in times past, much to the chagrin of some FNM supporters. My great hope is that he does not allow them to do in government what they did in opposition, which was, to erode the trust of some of the men and women around him. My hope is that the prime minister will find the means to ensure that his weaknesses, which we all have, do not get the better of him. Instability as part of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition was bad enough; in government it would be horrendous.
Another hope of mine is that in the euphoria of getting rid of Christie and the PLP, we find a strategic economic growth and development plan for our nation. This is necessary to cure one of the most fundamental ills in this country - growing poverty. The FNM's manifesto did not lay out an economic strategy. The speeches of the prime minister and his team did not lay one out during the campaign. The time to have had a strategic plan was then. The time to implement one is now. It is my fervent hope that the government will find one, for nothing stands in our way more than a lackluster economy incapable of producing business growth, jobs and higher incomes. On this rests a better fiscal outcome, broad-based prosperity and social stability.
The PLP did not have a strategic plan for growing the economy either; they merely rested much hope in the opening of Baha Mar. We cannot go another five years without pursuing an effective plan for revving up our economy. The global economy offers us no great support, as it did in the 90s. Today, a country has to identify its unique value in the global marketplace, and effectively and efficiently, offer it to the world. To win in the world, we must stand out in it, and that will not happen by accident.
The new team of Cabinet ministers and members of Parliament have an opportunity to be outstanding. Minnis can be outstanding. Outstanding, however, needs intentional pursuit and execution. It requires a level of critical thinking, detailed planning, unified collaboration, effective execution and ongoing evaluation. Even with these things, success is not assured, as there are forces beyond our control that can thwart our efforts. However, without them, failure is almost guaranteed.
o Zhivargo Laing is a Bahamian economic consultant and former Cabinet minister who represented the Marco City constituency in the House of Assembly.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
