Comments on: On Elections

By: haitianministries

haitianministries — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:08:25 +0000

Good point! Clearly, nobody has a monopoly on hubris in this election.

I would like to point out, however, that there are at least SOME positive aspects to this year’s elections. I’ve elaborated on those here:

http://haitianministries.blogspot.com/search/labels/elections

By: Nicolette Bethel

Nicolette Bethel — Wed, 02 May 2007 08:36:55 +0000

Fair enough. I think, though, that the lyric “We’re gonna take our country back” is equally bad — it suggests that the nation somehow “belongs” to one political party or another.

The whole campaign is just bad, and whatever happens will leave me unsatisfied and a little afraid.

By: haitianministries

haitianministries — Wed, 02 May 2007 03:46:29 +0000

Thanks for this illuminating post, Nicolette! Having heard a few of the speeches, it seems that each candidate’s message basically boils down to, “Vote for me because I’m not the other guy.” Not much to inspire here.

I’d like to nominate “No Turning Back” as the worst ever campaign slogan as it sounds too much like a paraphrase of George Bush’s “stay the course” mantra. Everytime I hear that it brings to mind pictures of everyone blindly yet dutifully marching off the edge of the cliff.

By: Global Voices Online » Bahamas: Elections Thoughts

Global Voices Online » Bahamas: Elections Thoughts — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:07:34 +0000

[...] On the virtual eve of the Bahamian elections, Nicolette Bethel shares her thoughts about politics and governance: “No matter who we think we support, or what party we will elect on May 2, we should be ashamed for allowing our so-called leaders to engage in such a widespread denigration of who we are…” Share This [...]

By: Nicolette Bethel

Nicolette Bethel — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:06:30 +0000

I don’t think there’ll be a bit of difference. Apparently every politician is the same; he or she just changes initials and colours. As for the leadership, we have a choice between two former PLP Cabinet ministers who were in business together, who were fired in 1983, who formed an initialless party for a while around 1987 (the Third Force), who contested the 87 elections as Independents and won against the PLP, and who chose to seek Prime Ministership through two different channels — Christie by returning to the PLP and Ingraham by joining the FNM.

Which is better — indecisiveness or the potential making of awful decisions that change the course of history? I’m afraid I can’t choose at all. The two men are two halves of a good whole; each on his own is not ideal. I don’t buy one piece of the rhetoric that’s being bandied around. It’s a game, and we Bahamian people are the pawns.

By: Rick

Rick — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 13:43:01 +0000

Many excellent points but you know the politico’s say they are giving the people what they want.
I beleive it all starts in our schools. Without a proper education and the ability to think crticially, we will continue to get droves of people at the rallies EXPECTING the politicians to GIVE them something.
I have struggled through watching one of each rally on TV and they are mostly show. Getting the crowd excited with rhetoric. When the rhetoric stops the crowd becomes restless.
In the final, I do not have a friendship with either leader, but I have come to the conclusion Hubert Ingraham is far more decisive than Perry Christie and we need some serious decisions made with education, the judicial system and crime in particular.
Having voted for my belief that an independent candidate in the form of Pierre Dupuch last time and having been disappointe with the results I have decided to vote FNM this time.
As I said somewhere else, it’s a good thing to watch a government fall. They will learn some lessons in humility that should make them better the next go round.