Flippery When Wet…

Prime Minister Perry Christie’s political personality can be compare to cheap Chinese sandals: He is an easygoing flip-flopper but slippery when wet.  A man gifted with many tongues. Promising one thing and delivering something utterly unimaginative and ridiculous. Mr. Christie displays a soft-smooth approachable exterior, seemingly easily swayed, yet positions himself like an irremovable object – not budging on anything of national significance other than, after much counsel, rendering worthless opinion polls unwittingly aimed at pacifying a highly suspicious Bahamian public.

Unlike his predecessors, Sir Lynden Pindling, aka “king pin” or Mr. Hubert Ingraham, aka “papa” - without doubt the more obvious and prolific of all the flipping flopping PMs. Rather than “biting the bullet” and meet national challenges head-on, Mr. Christie would prefer to bedazzle the Bahamian public with bullshit while ducking and dodging the real issues like a wayward wife.   

As local folklore has it: No man can flip scripts like big papa can; flipping names on and off islands, highways, buildings, government contracts, etc, etc.  Recklessly flipping the meaning of executive orders and privileges, parliamentary protocol and conduct, and of the spirit of Democracy, all in the name of political patronage and foreign interest.  Mr. Ingraham displays a hard-rough unapproachable exterior.  Liken to an irresistible force, the everlasting Papa and great I AM.   No one ever doubted what he said was what he meant, nor dare openly dispute his ability to deliver. However, what he said did not often align with what he did and his bountiful deliveries were not often address to the bewildered Bahamian masses.

When viewed with dispassionate eyes, what lies at the heart of Bahamian political flip-floppery proves an enigma cloak of dark secrecy.  When the probe of nonpartisan scrutiny cracks through the thick political darkness, plain truth becomes visible.  The World Trade 'Organism' [WTO], and the January 3^rd. 2006 launch of the Caribbean Single Market Economy [CSME] begins unraveling before our eyes; especially the latter.  This much debated, anticipated and highly controversial consolidation of sovereign Caribbean countries threatens to equalize leading economies with those greatly destitute; much like what Portugal, Italy, Grease, and Spain did for the ill-fated Euro. However, unlike economic powerhouses like Germany, Russia and France; whereas the Bahamas, a very small but emerging 8 billion dollar economy comprising an estimated 300,000 citizens might have to bear the heavy burden of hundreds of billions of dollars in outstanding national debt and millions of unemployed and unemployable of larger member countries (i.e., Haiti, Jamaica and others).  

Sir Lynden knew well the dire implication that would befall Bahamians should he had sign onto a single market in his time. Like a great leader who truly and deeply was concerned for the welfare of his people, the poor and simple educated.   Sir Lynden said hell-no to WTO and no-way to CSME.   However, before a single nail went into Sir Lynden’s coffin the political flip- flopping had already begun.  Mr. Ingraham went about zealously flipping the script, stopping, reviewing and cancelling every major bill and amendment lying on the table of parliament.  He presented new legislation that promised great potential for all Bahamians but delivered the bulk of benefits directly to foreign investors, while secretly paving the way for the implementation of the systematic takeover of the WTO and CSME.

Not to be outdone, Mr. Christie is on the ground running with his campaign to flop every move made by his flipping predecessor and, in the eyes of the global community, it is looking ugly for local politicians.  Seemingly, Prime Minister Christie could not buy a club less more a clue to save his own ass, let alone sneak any WTO or CSME bills and amendments under the nose-hole of doubtful Bahamians and onto the tables of parliament.    With every major national issue up in the air (i.e., Immigration and national security threats, the increasing national debt, future employment benefits implications of National Insurance mismanagement, BTC 2% share buyback, constitutional reform escalation of local violent crime, etc.) something is bound to explode in someone face. 

Although there is more that can be said concerning the major flop-ups’ of this present and previous PM. Like a scene out of a Las Vegas show that can only be pull-off with massive amounts of smoke and mirrors.   However, I would prefer that we all witness firsthand in HD what happens to a pair of cheap Chinese sandals when wet…, and the rainy weather is already upon us.