Mr. Desmond Bannister
National Chairman
Free National Movement
Nassau, Bahamas
 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

RE:  2nd Vice Chairman’s Resignation

It is with heaviness of heart that I, hereby, inform you of my intent to officially sever all ties with the Free National Movement (FNM).  This decision was not an easy one for me, for the FNM has been an important part of my life for more than three decades.  However, I have undergone much soul-searching in the past weeks and truly believe that my differences with the current regime are irreconcilable.

Sir, as you know, the Free National Movement is a part of me; in the Bahamian vernacular, “my navel string is buried” in the party.

My father was the quintessential Party supporter.  As a candidate and an avid supporter, he sacrificed his time, his resources – some would say his very health – for the FNM.  The rest of my family followed in his footsteps and grew up to contribute in some way or another to the Party.  I say all that to remind you that I was – quite simply, an FNM.

My affiliation began when I was 20 years old – when I joined the Torch Bearers.  Over the quarter of a century that has passed, I worked to help build an organization that could be seen by the Bahamian public as a viable contender and one capable of successfully governing this country.  I served as an Executive member of the Youth Arm, and went on to serve at the Council and Executive levels of the Party.  At on point – in the 1980’s – I even went to jail for my efforts on behalf of the FNM.  So you see, at no time was it a mere volunteer effort on my part.  I was investing in an organization and a philosophy that I believed was superior to all others.  I was serving my country the best way I then knew how.

But the FNM that I see today, is not the one for which I laboured; the one for which my father sacrificed; the one for which Sir Cecil and Sir Kendal fought.  No.  That Party has been dismantled, and replaced with the “house that Hubert built”.

It is a house that I find reprehensibly alien.  And please, don’t misunderstand.  I am not a political dinosaur; a disgruntled supporter who does not believe in the infusion of “new blood”.   On the contrary, I have actively sought to bring in new persons over the years – in fact, you will recall, Mr. Chairman, that I was instrumental in convincing you to come into the FNM fold.  No, my difficulty is that the fundamental principles on which the FNM was founded, have been trampled and abandoned.

We seem to have lost our way.  Our heart and spirit have changed and not for the good….

We now find it easy – and acceptable – to raise up leaders and then discard them at will.  We think its OK to step on the backs of some in order to raise up others within our ranks.  We are no longer Free.  We are, today, shackled by the dogma of one person.  Only one voice is heard, and all dissenters are crushed.  This is an unbearable state of affairs.  And, unlike those who prefer to stay and complain, I believe my time can be better spent in other pursuits.  There is still a country to build, and I must be about that work.

I will not stay where my gifts and talent and service are not appreciated, and so, please accept my formal resignation as the 2nd Vice Chairman of the Bamboo Town Constituency Association of the Free National Movement.  Consider this, as well, my disassociation with any other affiliation with this organization.

Yours,
Basil James Moss

CC: Gregory Sherman, Chairman
Bamboo Town FNM Constituency Association