The Free National Movement first came to power in 1992 and maintained a mantra of trust and transparency - key words that they expected would continue to bring them victory at the polls. Bahamians haven't hesitated to show PM Hubert Ingraham who is boss in the past. He was put to shame when he brought a Referendum to the Bahamian people. A multiple referendum with five questions was held on February 27, 2002. Voters were asked whether they approved of the removal of gender discrimination from the constitution; the creation of a national commission to monitor the standards of teachers; the creation of an independent parliamentary commissioner; the creation of an independent election boundaries commission; and the increase of the retirement ages of judges from 60 to 65 (or 68 to 72 for appellate judges). All five questions were rejected by voters, with between 62.8 and 70.9% voting against.
Pundits predict that the same fate awaits PM Ingraham and his party; the campaign machine intends to pull out all the stops and possibly use drastic measures to try to pull of another election victory. His only hope is that the party's investors may still have a bit of confidence and dig deeply to fund whatever the measures may be.
By all means, certain special interest groups have been benefitting in such quiet ways from the FNM governance that the average voter is unaware that billions of dollars have been swooped away right from under their noses. Had it not been for veteran media personalities with keen understanding and background about Bahamian political history, the average voter would have been oblivious to the amount of wealth being amassed unbeknownst to them.
Steve McKinney and Pierre Dupuch put their thinking caps on after certain "red"flags were raised during the FNMs latest term in power. Dupuch questioned the processes that were utilized for all of the developments that took place under the FNM. He wondered where all of the fill that was excavated during this term disappeared to. He educated Bahamians on the value of our limestone rock. Through a series of vastly distributed emails, he explained how asphalt and pharmaceutical companies pay big bucks for the precious limestone which is perfect for making medical pills as well as for forming asphalt roads. Mr. Dupuch pointed to the billions of dollars that could be garnered from such a trade, and his sources gave him reason to believe that such trades are, indeed, occurring. Considering Mr. Dupuch's assertions and the vast amount of developmental projects undertaken, there is reason to suspect that the FNM Cabinet will be sitting well whether they win the election or not.
Environment Minister Earl Deveaux has reportedly already moved into his mansion near Lyford Cay, where many of his private friends reside. The average Bahamian is not aware of just how close friends Deveaux and other Cabinet members really are to such mega rich residents in the Bahamas. If they did, it may explain certain questionable actions that the FNM continues to do its best to sweep under the rug. Thanks to Steve McKinney's investigative journalistic style while hosting his Hard Copy talk show, there are enough clues to draw a conclusion that the FNM Cabinet is really far from transparent and cannot be trusted to protect the interests of the average Bahamian.
Minister Deveaux has been caught with his pants down with his special interest friends on more than one occasion. His friendship with Louis Bacon was exposed when he bent the law to grant Bacon a permit through improper procedures. The public called for his resignation after learning that he had such a close relationship with another investor, Aga Khan IV. McKinney broke the story that Deveaux was flying around in luxury in the mega rich investors yacht while an application for him to dredge his private island was still pending before him. The public never knew of the application for dredging until local environmentalists and the group STEP complained when they saw the beautiful hill on Bell Island being cut down.
A look into these two relationships which the public perceived as inappropriate gives a small glimpse into a larger view of what is really going on. A shrewd and cunning Prime Minister would ensure that relationships with mega rich investors are beneficial to himself and his cohorts; and there is every reason to believe that this PM would have done so.
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