Stop the Political "Tennis Match"!

Stop the Political “Tennis Match”!

 

The longest professional tennis match, in terms of both time and total games, was the Wimbledon 2010 first-round match between Nicolas Mahut and John Isner on June 22, 23, and 24, 2010. It lasted 183 games and required 11 hours and 5 minutes of playing time.  I do hope to one day commend those tennis players as they truly showed the world what the word perseverance means. Unfortunately, neither Mahut nor Isner won Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal won.

 

Hubert Ingraham, regarded as one the countries hardest working political strategist, was born in Pine Ridge, Grand Bahama, on August 4, 1947. He will be 63 years old this year.  He first served as Prime Minister from 1992 until 2002 and became Prime Minister again in 2007.

 

Perry Christie, regarded by many as a very kind consultative Prime Minister, was born in Nassau, Bahamas on August 21, 1944. He will be 66 years old this year.  He served as the third Prime Minister of The Bahamas from 2002 to 2007.

 

Unfortunately, we see the same political “tennis match” being played in our lifetime. It appears as if any young man or woman with true political fortitude and ambition will only advance if approved, and or endorsed, by either of these leaders. They will or could undoubtedly suffer at the hands of two ancient politicians who have cemented themselves institutionally in their respective political parties. As the two expert political leaders of our nation’s  leading political parties continue their daily diatribe and “volley” their seemingly personal political agenda of “tit for tat”,  year in and year out,  it often appears as if our country’s most pressing issues, in these most trying financial times,  get lost. We sit and watch these two ancient political gladiators navigate, taunt, and tease each other about their proclaimed delivered political successes, or their undelivered political failures, all at the expense of us, the Bahamian people. 

 

They continue to hold this lengthy political “tennis match” that will end the same way that the longest match at Wimbledon 2010 ended.  Even the chair umpire at Wimbledon, Mohamed Lahyani, sitting in his perch long enough to have watched four Junkanoo parades and a Carifta Game, showed signs of fatigue just like our Speaker of the House of Assembly, the Honorable Alvin Smith. The Speaker often appears to have battle fatigue from watching two leaders go back and forth on issues with no productive results, simply for political points. Rather than embracing each other’s positive national initiatives, contributions, or programs that could have further enhanced the development of our nation, they again, like the two tennis players at Wimbledon, go on, and on, and on, to accomplish nothing except for the occasional outburst of laughter, followed by an orchestrated laughing cast of paid, elected Members of Parliament, who must laugh according to when the signal is given, as if they were in a pub with their Mafia boss.  

 

The “tennis court” which I use here to symbolize our country, has cracked under their feet, thus symbolic and emblematic of the rapid depreciation of our nation. Our Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition still go on, and on, and on, playing their political “tennis” match, even though the country continues to slowly deteriorate under their leadership.  

 

Yet, crime is totally out of control. Illegal immigration has changed the face of our nation as we continue to accept habits foreign to our way of life that undermines our culture and very existence. Unemployment increases. Financial Services Industry has read its own obituary no matter how many agreements we sign. BEC sneaked a rate hike. Schools are just being repaired in August again. Tourism is suffering from a terminal disease. Cuba readies itself to open and expand its Tourism Industry with hopes of embracing its glory days. We fake farming while realizing our labor costs is just too high. Urban Renewal needs urgent “refuel”. Our waters are poached and not protected by our military command due to lack of equipment and supplies. The hospital has run out of beds and meds. The roads program is forced down the throats of Bahamian citizens without any recourse. The” Barefoot” bandit never saw Fox Hill prison. Number houses are guarded by the police. And the engine runs out of oil in Abaco while the leaders of the two leading parties continue to simply hit volleys at each other in their political “tennis” match. But which young politician will emerge like Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2010, to finally win this country’s prize from these veteran gladiators who have passed the civil servants’ retirement age, and go on to be the new Prime Minister for a new generation of Bahamians?

 

Anthony U Bostwick Jr

Comments

[Rhawli]

Very insightful observation Sir.

I hope you've begun to watch Citizens Review on JCN. This is the focal argument Erin makes every week. The country will be lost if the people continue to tune into the FNM and PLP daily soap opera. It is all show and in 2010 people haven't waken up to that fact.

Every current issue you hit them with, the two focal leaders have been silent. Silent!! Last time Hubert was all over the press, he was needling Perry about Elizabeth and recently BahaMar. Crime explodes while he was in South Africa and aint say nothing nor cut his trip short to symbolically show he was on the job. The last time Perry issued an official statement was on the Barefoot Bandit. That was an easy one to take the populous view on. He's a disgrace as leader of the opposition and Brave isn't any better. These guys are relics of the country's minority rule UBP past. They've employed the same culture of governance with new black faces with big smiling white teeth.

As a Bahamian living abroad, I see the writing on the wall. When I was with ATM, all they raved about was positioning themselves for the new Cuban economic boom. I am ashamed at how these guys think there in the 20th Century Bahamas with all the chaos and strife ripping the country apart. I don't know boy. I am dumbfounded by what I read everyday.

[Rhawli]

Oops! Edited version. Always preview before you post.

I hope you've begun to watch Citizens Review on JCN. This is the focal argument Erin makes every week. The country will be lost if the people continue to tune into the FNM and PLP daily soap opera. It is all show and in 2010 people haven't woken to that fact.

Every current issue you hit them with, the two focal leaders have been silent. Silent!! Last time Hubert was all over the press, he was needling Perry about Elizabeth and recently BahaMar. Crime explodes while he was in South Africa and aint say nothing nor cut his trip short to symbolically show he was on the job. The last time Perry issued an official statement was on the Barefoot Bandit. That was an easy one to take the populous view on. He's a disgrace as leader of the opposition and Brave isn't any better. These guys are relics of the country's minority rule UBP past. They've employed the same culture of governance with new black faces and big smiling white teeth.

As a Bahamian living abroad, I see the writing on the wall. When I was with ATM, all they raved about was positioning themselves for the new Cuban economic boom. I am ashamed at how these guys think they're in the 20th Century Bahamas with all the chaos and strife ripping the country apart. I don't know boy. I am dumbfounded by what I read everyday.

[Paul Cumberbatch Jr.]

Dear Mr. Bostwick,

I hope that you are well and that God is belssing you,

Interesting take, on the various issues that seem to envelope our political climate,

I look forward to reading more.

Take Care,

God Bless,

Paul Cumberbatch Jr.

[Anthony Bostwick]

Thank you for your kind observation. All young Bahamians who now question the direction and governance our country should take an active roll in its future development. We must never walk away from our country and hope it gets better as it never will. We must make it better for ourselves, and for our children by always remaining honest to facts, and addressing the issues despite our politics with a "new political maturity".

[gray hair]

I did not know it's still happening till now.