We’ve all heard him on talk shows criticizing his FNM government, and former leader, for the sad state-of-affairs in the country, but I submit that he is to be blamed, right along with them, as well. He was a part of Ingraham’s cabinet which presided over the demise of the country’s economy. He was there, with Ingraham, when together they “stopped for review and cancelled” most of what Perry Christie and the PLP had going; they stopped Baker’s Bay in Abaco; Ginn in west Grand Bahama; Albany, Bah Mar and the straw market in Nassau; the I-Group in Mayaguana; the $850 million project in Rum Cay; The Heritage school contract in Freeport and a number of others, totaling in the millions of dollars. All the projects they stopped; all the contracts they cancelled and now he (McCartney) comes to Grand Bahama with some phony 180 day economic recovery plan? I ask very simply, Mr. McCartney, where was this 180-day economic plan, for Grand Bahama, when you were a part of Ingraham’s cabinet and government? The man is a damn political FRAUD and PHONY. He has been with the FNM and Hubert Ingraham for all the fourteen years, they’ve been in power to date, so he cannot now, in good conscience, criticize the rest of his former colleagues and not take some of the blame, himself, for what went down. He was with them, all the way, when they were eating and drinking and braking up the country. We will never let this political FRAUD off the hook. I repeat for further emphasis, Branville and Hubert and Laing and Tommy and the whole damn FNM bunch are to be blamed for the mess this country is in. As a cabinet minister, appointed by Ingraham, he went right along with all the nonsense that Ingraham (his boss) was doing and there is no record to show that he ever objected to what his government was doing to us. When Hubert stopped all the PLP projects, and drove investors out of town, he was around the cabinet table agreeing with him (Ingraham). When Ingraham cancelled the contract for the school in Heritage, here in Freeport, and the contract for the straw market in Nassau, he was there around the cabinet table agreeing with him (Ingraham). We want change that we can believe in and trust and that’s why we are VOTING PLP all the way and rejecting both the FNM and its step child, the DNA, for they are one and the same.

The fanfare with which they built up the launch of Branville’s DNA party here on Grand Bahama had even me convinced that the surprise package, of candidates to be announced, would have been a bombshell but, alas, it was not. Neither of the three, who were nominated, will get 100 votes and that’s too bad because I was hoping that, at the very least, the individuals would have been persons who could capture a goodly percentage of the FNM’s base support, here in the second city. The three persons announced are all FNM’s, I am told, but with the exception of Roger Rolle, they are not very well known and will not make much of an impact on the voters. Grand Bahama doesn’t need more of the same “spineless representation;” we need persons who will represent our interest well, not the same kind of “silent on every issue” representation we’ve been having from Laing, Neko, Verna, Quasi, Russell, McAlpine, David and Pintard. We’ve had enough of their deafening silence.

In his vitriolic attack on his former FNM Administration Branville, during his DNA Grand Bahama launch, spoke of the slaughter and neglect of Grand Bahama’s economy (by Ingraham and the FNM government) over the past four years or so. He failed, however, to admit and tell us of the role he played in helping to destroy what we had going here. He did not tell, those attending, that he was the Immigration minister, no less, who gave Hannes Babak the ultimatum that unless he did some things for Hubert Ingraham, such as convincing Sir Jack to sell his shares, in the Port Authority, to Hutchison Whampoa, that his work permit would not be renewed. Of course Hannes’ permit was not approved and Freeport’s economy, then, went into reverse and hasn’t changed gears since. Branville held the proverbial gun to the head of Freeport and Grand Bahama while Ingraham gave the orders to “shoot and kill.” So we can reasonably conclude that Branville McCartney was one of the main characters who presided over Freeport’s (and Grand Bahama’s) economic demise. He allowed himself to be used and now he comes to us pretending to be an innocent bystander to the carnage. He now talks about a 180 day plan for this island’s economic recovery; but not so fast Bran we blame you, right along with your former colleagues; Neko, Kenneth, Zhivargo, Verna, Quasi, David Thompson, McAlpine and Pintard (all of you) for destroying Freeport in the first place.

McCartney, as a cabinet minister, took part and debated in no less than four FNM government budgets and he agreed with all of them; I cannot recall him ever objecting and or voting against any measure brought to parliament, by his government, unlike two of his former minister colleagues; Pierre Dupuch and Tennyson Wells. One of those budgets (2008/2009), agreed by him, imposed the largest tax hikes (on the backs of poor Bahamians) in this country’s history. The entire customs tariff regime was changed delivering customs tariff rate increases ranging from 3-18% across the board; slash and burn is what Branville agreed with Ingraham to do. Innocent my big foot; Branville was an accomplice to what Ingraham and the FNM government did to businesses here in Grand Bahama and we will not allow him to escape part of the blame. He tells us now that it was wrong, what the FNM did to us, but I would remind my readers that Branville was a key player on the team, with the wrecking crew, for the entire four years.

So the FNM and its Son, the DNA, will both be rejected and the PLP will be returned, to governance, to finish the good work it started. Business persons, in this city, fully realize now that when the PLP is in power they make money; they flourish because the PLP believes that when businesses do well they employ more Bahamians and when more Bahamians are working, the country benefits from more persons paying taxes. It’s a simple, common approach to governance. The PLP would never tolerate the kind of obstacles which the FNM has intentionally placed in the way of business; to the point where so many have been forced out of operation and or have been forced to scale back their staff compliment to bare minimums. The FNM’s austere measures, and hostility against business, are especially evident in the Freeport area where we are now just trying to hold on for dear life. Freeport Flight Services, which has been in business, performing most necessary vital ground services at Freeport’s International Airport, for the past 36 years, will call it quits come August. They will close their doors leaving another 50 persons out of work and on the unemployment line. It wasn’t reported in the newspapers but just last week the Our Lucaya Resort let go its engineer and to me that is a clear indication that the complex is on the verge of closing its doors. I am fully convinced that these Chinese are trying to keep the doors, of this hotel, open (barely) as a favor to Hubert and his FNM government, for selling the country’s soul to them. They (Chinese) are aware of the pending general elections and the fact that if they shut the doors completely right now, Ingraham’s goose would surely be cooked. I have news for them, however, his goose is already cooked-golden brown. They can’t save the FNM; nothing and nobody can. I am curious as to what will be the FNM’s campaign message this time for the “Trust” factor is worn out and the “proven leadership” crap just won’t work anymore. My advice to them; stay from around the people’s houses if they wish to avoid stale PISS being thrown in their faces.

In this election (in a three-way race) it will be necessary for Branville’s DNA to poll 40% of the votes cast, in each constituency, in order to win the seat and will have to poll 17% to have their deposits returned to them. Constituencies will have a possible average of 3500 persons who will actually vote, so if you do the math, Bran’s DNA will have to poll 1400 of those votes cast to win the seat and or 595 to get their deposits back. I submit that this is not possible for the third party DNA candidates, including Bran himself. Given this scenario, Bran will lose his seat and forfeit his $400.00 deposit, I predict. He will, of course, damage the FNM’s chances, in my view, in many of the constituencies especially those where the margins were less than one hundred votes in the 2007 poll. While he will no doubt attract some swing voters, I am inclined to believe that he will devastate the traditional FNM base support.

Like I said, the man is politically dishonest. On the one hand (in the same press statement) he charged that the country was going in the wrong direction under Hubert Ingraham and in the same breath, in the following paragraph of his resignation statement, he stated that Hubert was still the best to lead the country. Well what was he saying about himself at the time? That he was not capable? What kind of mumbo jumbo; cock and bull talk is that? My common sense tells me that if someone is leading me in the wrong direction I should dump that SUCKER, as soon as I can, before he wrecks the whole situation; I wouldn’t promote the PIN-HEAD, for Lord’s sake.

 No Bran, my friend, you are just another confused, gutless, angry little man who would rather switch than put up a good fight, from within, with Ingraham for the leadership of the FNM. We accepted what you told us when you resigned, as fact, when you said that you were FNM and would remain as such; and so our logical conclusions are that the DNA and the FNM are really both the same. Make no mistake about it; you and your father, the FNM, will be rejected at the polls.

Forrester J Carroll J.P
Freeport, Grand Bahama
July 2011