OSWALD BROWN
Writes...
The Free National Movement made a very smart political decision when it postponed its convention to November. Originally planned for sometime in May, the convention surely would have been one of the most contentious in the party's history had the FNM held it as scheduled.
May would, of course, have been the ideal time for them to hold it, in that the convention would have been staged shortly after the governing Progressive Liberal Party had completed three years in power, and this certainly would have been an ideal opportunity for the FNM to highlight the PLP's mishandling of a number of controversial matters, several of which were of a scandalous nature.
But buffeted by problems of its own, the FNM wisely decided to forgo this golden opportunity, and try and put its own house in order by November. The task ahead for them, of course, is a formidable one, given the fact that the primary reason for the disunity that seems to be so pervasive within the FNM is related to questions about the effectiveness of the party's leadership. There seems to be a well organized campaign being waged against current leader, Senator Tommy Turnquest, that repeatedly makes the claim that the FNM cannot win the next election under his leadership.
I have some strong views on this matter that I am sure some people will automatically claim are biased because of my family ties with Mr. Turnquest. But the fact that my wife, Dr. Jean Turnquest-Brown, is Tommy's aunt really has absolutely nothing to do with my assessment of his capabilities.
In fact, it is because of this that I have gotten to know him very well and can unreservedly that he is much smarter and more politically astute than people give him credit for. He is a caring and very focused individual who certainly has what is required to be an extremely effective leader of the FNM and, indeed, Prime Minister if the FNM were to win the next election under his leadership.
But I am convinced that questions about Tommy's leadership really have nothing to do with his ability. There are those within the FNM who still resent the fact that former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham openly supported Tommy and Dion Foulkes in the special election held by the FNM in 2001 to select a leader-designate to replace Mr. Ingraham, and they have never given Tommy the kind of support and loyalty that are essential for any leader of a political party to perform at his maximum best.
It is somewhat ironic that many FNMs who are questioning Tommy's ability to lead are among those who are encouraging Mr. Ingraham to return as leader, which raises a very interesting question: if these FNMs agree that in his almost two terms as Prime Minister, Mr. Ingraham distinguished himself as a great leader because he used sound judgment in reaching decisions, why is it that his decision to support Mr. Turnquest for the leadership is not considered by them to be a wise one?
To be sure, it must be supremely frustrating to members of the FNM that the party appears to not be taking full advantage of the "openings" provided by the PLP for them to gain substantial political mileage, but all of the blame for this cannot be placed at the doorstep of the party's leadership. Because they have been reluctant to galvanize their support behind the current leader, rank-and-file members of the FNM have got to take some of the blame for what they say is lacklustre leadership.
Their problems in this regard are compounded by what appears to be a strong campaign to encourage Member of Parliament for Montagu Brent Symonette to throw his hat into the leadership ring. I suspect that because there was a definite possibility that Mr. Symonette had decided that he would indeed seek the leadership at the next convention that the decision was made to postpone it by those who believe that this would be guaranteeing the PLP another five-year term in office.
But it is a sad commentary on our society that the only reason Mr. Symonette is not considered to be a prime candidate for leadership of his party is the fact that he is white. He is a very capable, qualified and politically wise individual, and there is absolutely no reason why he would not be an extremely good choice to lead the party, except for the fact that "reversed racism" is still very much ingrained in our society.
In a national campaign, with Mr. Symonette as leader of the FNM, the PLP would have him for breakfast, lunch and dinner, bringing up at every opportunity the misdeeds of the United Bahamian Party (UBP), which was headed by his father, Sir Roland Symonette.
Those who are inclined to embrace the body of opinion which insists that the UBP was a wicked and racist entity tend to disregard the fact that the UBP was established out of political necessity after the PLP began to pose a threat to the political power of a loosely knit group of Bay Street merchants known as The Bay Street Boys. When it was formed, the UBP brought together a disparate group of individuals, some of whom were indeed racist, but there were some — Sir Roland included — who were downright good and decent human beings.
There are many Bahamian families Over-The-Hill who can attest to the fact that Sir Roland did not hesitate to provide assistance to black Bahamians in need when he was approached for help, but given the nature of politics, this would not be included in the derogatory references made by the PLP about the past sins of the UPB during their campaign against an FNM party led by Brent Symonette.
It is unfortunate that the racial chasm that has kept blacks and whites in The Bahamas so divided over the years, socially and otherwise, is still so well defined that greater strides have not been made to establish a more racially homogeneous society in the almost four decades since the UBP was ousted from power on January 10, 1967. But that's the state the country finds itself in today, and until that changes, race will continue to be a major factor in determining the leadership of this country.
Having been an observer of Bahamian politics for more than 40 years and at one time a very active participant, it is crystal clear to me that the FNM has a lot of problems, but the current leadership need not be one of them. If Tommy Turnquest gets the kind of support that he should be receiving from the political schemers within his party, he has what it takes to be a great leader.
Oswald T. Brown is editor and general manager of The Freeport News. Comments on this column can be sent to androsboy@hotmail.com
