Abraham Lincoln once said; “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”. As we celebrate our nations 32nd anniversary of independence, we reflect on the path of development that we as a nation have taken, and we ponder the conduct of our leaders over the years. During our recent celebrations the usual list of former politicians graced the airwaves to give their versions of our history. It is always interesting to hear these political pundits recount the history of the modern Bahamas and give their opinions of who should be considered national heroes.
I am often dismayed that many real unsung heroes are excluded from the stories and therefore many historical facts are left out and the stories are not always accurate. I always say and am painfully aware that the victor writes the history that he wants recorded. So those who are chosen to speak on these very important topics such as the road to independence and the fight for majority rule are those who will paint a particular picture.
Those who are excluded from sharing their experiences would give more prominence to the lesser known but more courageous citizens that played a quiet but very vital role in our nation’s development. These man and women that have not been highlighted, in many cases had more to lose and less to gain from there involvement but they dedicated themselves all the same to the cause simply for the love of country and passion for change. These revelations if ever presented would ultimately cause those most notable heroes to seem less heroic and change the public’s perception of how the peaceful revolution evolved and was truly won.
The Peculiar Line Of Succession
However incomplete as these historical recounts may be, they still always seem to shed light on our past, present and future political environment. Case in point is The Honourable Paul Adderley’s appearance on Darroll Miller’s Immediate Response. Under the Christie administration Mr. Adderley has become the Public Policy, Constitutional and political strategy “go to” man.
Why is not important for this piece but let’s just say he is Mr. Christie’s version of Karl Rove. I am usually cautious of how I digest what Mr. Adderley says, but this time he made some points that triggered my imagination in a way that he has never been able to do before. He described as curious the fact that both of Sir Lynden’s successors were fired from the Cabinet by the then Prime Minister over twenty years ago.
He said that although he has not given the whole scenario enough thought, something had to be said about an electorate that would support two so called outcasts to succeed a man who cast them out. He said that he would have to give it more thought before he could make a proper theory of this but it was definitely food for thought. He is right and thus I gave it some thought.
Aspirations Equals Suicide
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I put it in the past present and future context and came up with a clear understanding of the last 40 years of Bahamian politics. The PLP which is the “grand old party” of our young nation, has a well known, well understood but rarely discussed golden rule; never openly aspire to lead that organization. Party faithful admire ambition, applaud initiative and celebrate aggressiveness but all these must be channelled toward supporting the sitting leadership. This golden rule is perpetuated under a cloak of unity. Meaning, to openly aspire to lead means you are not a team player.
In reality aspirations and team play are mutually exclusive but in the PLP it is not allowed and if you hope to lead you must wait for “the word to come down” which traditionally is an anointing from high. Both Mr. Ingraham and Mr. Christie broke the rule and suffered the wrath of the powers that be. They like Sir Cecile and his team before them were banished into exile. This I am sure Mr. Adderley has figured out, however what he might have not considered is that although the PLP faithful turned their backs on these men, the rest of the country did not. In fact there divorce from the inner circle of the PLP actually caused the public at large to look closer at these men. In fact being outside of the party gave them the opportunity to develop whatever unique skills they possess.
This is why they raised to leadership despite what was their original fate. That is the past and the present, how does this relate to the future? The PLP still operates under this golden rule and it was quite evident during Mr. Christie’s illness that everyone knows this because no one dared to offer oneself to succeed him in the event he could not continue his duties. So who will succeed Mr. Christie? If my theory is correct it will be a person who has aspired and been ejected from the PLP. In any event Mr. Adderley is definitely on to something and time will prove whether in order to win in a post Sir Lynden era, you have to lose first.
By Charles Maynard
www.blackbeltbaldnaked.com
