The pressure that the PLP is feeling from the FNM is causing officers and members of the government to display a serious case of paranoia. We must be careful because fear causes some unusual behaviour from people. Fear sometimes even causes hallucinations. Fear even causes one to feel like everyone is against them Be sure your deeds will find you out.
First it was the chairman of the PLP Raynard Rigby who issued an ultimatum to The Tribune, signaling that the PLP will resort to their "old self" of intimidation and victimisation.
The hot air that emanated from Mr Rigby spells out that the PLP is running scared and will "chew up" anyone who gets in their way.
No less a person than Minister of Foreign Affairs Fredrick Mitchell himself is crying about unfair press. "Well blow me down". Fred Mitchell, in the flesh, is complaining about something that he mastered, ie, distorting the facts. Fred was well schooled, being a part of the ZNS team during the Pindling era when the press was literally under siege. ZNS only aired what Pindling wanted the people to know. Keeping the people uninformed was designed to control information. I double dare Mr Mitchell to refute this.
Who can forget how the PLP fought "tooth and nail" not to allow any other radio station to be licensed. Unless Fred Mitchell and Raynard Rigby have a serious case of amnesia, they should turn around face the wall and put on the tallest dunce cap ever.
The naked truth is that the only difference between then and now is that their original game plan to keep the people stupid was completely destroyed by Hubert Ingraham when he allowed several radio stations to be licensed.
But in an effort to attempt to still have a strangle hold on information getting out, Fred Mitchell and Raynard Rigby are "crying wolf". But the sad ad fact is no one is listening, especially the people who know just what happened during the Pindling era. One can only conclude that the PLP may be attempting to ļ¾ return those days.
Castro controls controls information from being disseminated in Cuba, allowing Granma (Cuba's newspaper) to be the only voice. The PLP is on that same path allowing ZNS to withhold opposition contributions in the House of Assembly and FNM functions that are never report reported and intentionally left out. It is frustrating to see that the Bahamian people fund ZNS and the PLP is using it only to their benefit. This is wrong and we must pay them back for that too.
Minister Mitchell must calm down, the real action has not yet started. The opposition already knows that ZNS will not be balanced and so other avenues will be used to get the message out. So there is nowhere for the PLP to hide. The word will get out. I would be shocked if Tribune, Guardian, Journal or Punch is intimidated by Fred Mitchell.
By: IVOINE W INGRAHAM, Nassau
