Nearly a week after a local newspaper published a scathing report on the FNM, the prime minister commented on the issue during an interview at his Cable Beach home where he reflected on his administrationﾴs lack of significant accomplishments over the last three years.
“When Sir Lynden decided that he was going to vacate, even though he clearly supported me and was criticized for it, I became the leader and he moved off,” Mr. Christie said, conveniently forgetting that the disgraced Lynden Pindling was basically forced from office by the international media and did not go quietly.
But then, showing his concern for Mr. Ingraham’s formidable political presence, he added, “As long as (former Prime Minister) Hubert Ingraham is in public life and the elected leader of the FNM… you will continue to have people ask for the return of someone who took them to victory before and thatﾴs Mr. Ingraham.”
Later, parroting Mr. Turnquest’s earlier public remarks, Mr. Christie tried to sound confident. “I am not going to be distracted by the FNM because I am basing all of my political plans and the economic and social plans of the country on my being prime minister after the next general election.”
Thinking for a moment, the Prime Minister realized his biggest liability. “For that to happen, the people must have confidence in me. Iﾴm all about ensuring that this is what is taking place: growing and consolidating the confidence in my administration for the next time around and we shall watch from afar to see how Mr. Turnquest and the other leaders of the FNM go about putting their house in order.”
Public confidence in Mr. Christie and his government are at the lowest levels of his administration.
Mr. Christie was next asked to respond to Mr. Turnquestﾴs statement at a press conference he held last Tuesday during which time he (Mr. Turnquest) said the press should be focusing attention on what he called an inept and rudderless government of Prime Minister Christie and not a “make-believe” issue of a leadership crisis.
At his press conference, the FNM Leader said, “They want desperately to take the focus off their incompetence, ineffectiveness and inefficiency. We must continue to reveal their total ineptitude as a government. The old, pompous, all-for-me nature of the PLP is back and we must resolve to rid our country of this rudderless, incompetent and unfocused government. This is the focus of the FNM ﾖ nothing more, nothing less.”
Mr. Turnquest had called the press conference to respond to a newspaper article which revealed that a committee he appointed, which is headed by former Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson, reported that the problem it found is that there is a deep concern about the need for new leadership of the FNM.
The prime minister indicated in his Sunday interview with the Bahama Journal that, given that the political season is heating up, he would expect the FNM to “increase its activity” and make such statements against his government. However, Mr. Christie really wasn’t able to say anything in defense against the remark, which most Bahamians believe to be accurate.
“One good thing about life is that we had two years to do some things knowing that it will take two years to have them implemented and so the fourth and fifth years are implementation years and the results of that will be experienced by all the people.”
Oddly, Mr. Christie mistakenly thinks he’s only been in office two years. ﾠPerhaps that is why he seems to be at least a year behind schedule.
Mr. Christie also said that over the next two years, his government will be demonstrating to Bahamians why it is important to give it a next chance. ﾠMost Bahamians think it is too much to ask for a second term after the scandals, victimization and incompetence displayed thus far.
Asked whether he had a special message for his detractors, the prime minister said, “I have been in elected politics from 1977. Someone must sit down and ask themselves, ﾑWhat manner of man is it who can win six consecutive elections? How does he do it?ﾴ Obviously it is hard work. H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K, discipline, determination, and the [Christie] shuffle.”
Clear thinking Bahamians ask, “What matter of man could be in politics so long and yet never accomplish anything significant.” ﾠMaybe too much shuffle and not enough hard work.
