Dear Editor,

Now that the former member of Parliament for the Golden Isles constituency and former minister of youth, sports and culture in the Ingraham regime, Charles Maynard, has passed away, the opposition Free National Movement (FNM) must now decide who it wants to be its new national chairman.
The FNM, it seems, has gotten over the sudden and tragic passing of Maynard. Now the official opposition party must regroup if it hopes to hold onto the North Abaco seat in the upcoming by-election. Maynard's passing has left a huge, gaping void in the opposition. But the party must now find a replacement who would be able to fill the giant shoes that were left by the late FNM chairman. Contrary to what the deputy chairman of the FNM, Dr. Duane Sands, recently said to The Tribune about it being too soon to select a successor to Maynard, I believe the party must immediately find a replacement. Maynard's passing was tragic. But life goes on. I was surprised after reading a report in one of the Nassau dailies that FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis is in favor of former FNM Chairman Carl Bethel being selected to the vacant chairmanship post. I wholeheartedly agree with the FNM leader when he told the press that Bethel has a lot to offer. He is one of the most consummate politicians in The Bahamas. Even though many of his political detractors have been very critical of the former member of Parliament for the Sea Breeze constituency, he has maintained his composure, patience and dignity.
I have never seen a Bahamian politician who is more diplomatic than Bethel. Rather than stoop to the level of his critics, Bethel has remained steadfast in his professionalism, even after suffering a crushing defeat at the polls on May 7 at the hands of an individual who had never been a member of Parliament.
Bethel is a true statesman. Despite what the critics say, I still believe that there is a future for him in frontline politics, especially in the FNM. Perhaps few were surprised that Bethel had lost his contest. It was the second election loss for him in as many as 10 years. In 2002, he lost his seat to a political novice. Many so-called political analysts were predicting that Bethel would go down again in defeat in 2012, and they were right. His last election defeat was another unfortunate setback in his celebrated political career. But I don't really fault him for his loss. What happened on May 7 was a wholesale rejection of the FNM by fed up Bahamians. Bethel lost his seat because he just so happens to be an FNM. I don't think it had anything to do with his individual performance in Sea Breeze. While he was the minister of education, he had taken a lot of flack for several child abuse allegations in the public school system.
His critics were adamant that that was one of the reasons for his removal from that ministry. They have chosen to interpret his removal from that post as a firing. However, FNMs saw it as a much needed restructuring for the betterment of the party. Be that as it may, no one can deny that Bethel is a quintessential FNM who worked himself up through the ranks of the party. During the disappointing eighties when the FNM was so accustomed to losing to the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, Bethel was there. He is no johnny-come-lately to the FNM. The current leadership of the FNM should not discard him or second generation FNMs like Tommy Turnquest to the political bone yard.
The last five years have not been easy for the former FNM parliamentarian. Not only was he removed from the Ministry of Education under the former Ingraham administration, he also had failed to hold on to the chairmanship post of the FNM in May. What's more, he was the sitting chairman of the governing party that was nearly wiped out of Parliament. But now it looks like he is about to make a comeback to frontline politics. Minnis was dead-on when he told the press that Bethel has "institutional knowledge" that he would not ignore. He is a walking political history book. I think one example of Bethel's erudition will suffice.
I was glad to hear the former FNM chairman, Michael Foulkes and Janet Bostwick defend the record of the FNM on the Wendell Jones radio program, "Issues of the Day", on Love 97.5 FM, some months before the May 7 general election. As I listened to Bethel on the program, I came to the conclusion that he is very knowledgeable on Bahamian history. The trio reminded the host and the listening audience of what The Bahamas was like during the 1970s and 1980s. During that interesting period in Bahamian history, few understood what true democracy was. I was astounded to learn that a Cabinet official wanted the government to rusticate its political opponents to the island of their births. This was nothing short of dictatorship. I am equally amazed that The Bahamian people stood idly by and allowed the then administration to get away with such a dangerous proposal. That the Bahamian people would even allow such a dangerous proposal to even be entertained in the modern Bahamas tells me that they were so afraid of the then opposition FNM and elements of the defunct United Bahamian Party (UBP), who had joined up with Cecil Wallace-Whitfield and his fledgling political organization in the early 1970s, that they were willing to tolerate almost anything from the hierarchy of the then government.
I am glad that this plan never saw the light of day. Obviously somebody within the then government had put a stop to it. The FNM is now, for all intents and purposes, in a rebuilding mode. It has two new leaders, Dr. Minnis and Loretta Butler-Turner. Moving forward, however, the party must see to it that veteran FNMs such as Bethel and Turnquest have a meaningful role to play in the party. The two still have a future in frontline politics. And the FNM needs them.

- Kevin Evans

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