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By Annan Boodram |
The PLP won 23 seats while former prime minister Hubert Ingraham's Free National Movement (FNM) gained eight seats and three went to independents.
The Liberals who led Bahamas to independence in 1973 but were routed in disgrace 10 years ago amid charges that then Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling had taken bribes from Colombian drug lords. The charges were never proven.
This time round the rout of the Free National Movement appeared to reflect Opposition charges that it was elitist, had ignored the needs of the smaller islands and poorer people, and was selling out the country to foreign interests.
One political analyst in Nassau said that the Liberals also benefited heavily from the votes of the 18 to 25 year-olds.
Charges of corruption have dogged the FNM prime ministerial candidate Tommy Turnquest, a millionaire banker, throughout the campaign. Among them were claims he gave air-conditioning contracts at inflated prices to party supporters.
As the FNM was absorbing its overwhelming loss Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was insistent that the had nothing to do with the performance of his party over the past 10 years.
A combination of parochial matters, combined with issues surro
unding the FNM leadership,
might have had some impact on the major swing from the FNM towards
the Progressive Liberal Party, headed by his close friend and
former law partner Perry Christie, Ingraham said."The result of this general election was not decided on performance; if not the FNM would have won" Ingraham said during a press conference at the Radisson Cable Beach Resort the night after the elections. "It would appear that people are less concerned about policies and performance. Clearly, Christie was more attractive to the people than Turnquest and people voted for a change."
Ingraham's Treason?
Asked if leadership was a factor in the election result, Ingraham declined to comment, saying that there will be ample opportunity for analysis of this and other issues which might have adversely impacted on the result.
But his leadership has certainly been under much scrunity in the run up to the elections. Former Progressive Liberal Party Member of Parliament, Bradley Roberts had called on the Bahamas Attorney-General to investigate charges of "treason" against Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham when he served in the PLP Cabinet.
Roberts had tabled several documents, that had been widely disseminated in the community and in at least one publication, concerning Ingraham's activities during the time he was a member of the PLP Cabinet.
The documents before Parliament state that Ingraham was at some point, a confidential informant for a foreign government.
On the first letter in the House package, dated Sept. 21, 1983 are markings that apparently seek to avoid recognition of what may be sensitive information, Roberts said. The letter is addressed to one 'Andrew', who, the MP said, he later discovered was former Charge d' Affaires at the U.S. Embassy, Andrew Antippas.
The letter was signed by Hubert A. Ingraham, stating that he was ready to meet with the relevant persons in Washington.
"My posture as well as yours towards those we represent, makes it imperative that we eliminate the root of what is causing good governance to falter in The Bahamas," the letter stated.
The second letter is dated Dec. 14, 1983, addressed to Ingraham from William French Smith, Attorney-General, Washington, D.C.
It states: "My Dear Mr. Ingraham, upon your request to meet with me in a strictly confidential environment, I must unfortunately, deny your request on the basis that such a meeting should be arranged through the diplomatic channels of both U.S. and Bahamian Governments."
Smith also indicated that while Ingraham may have been concerned about The Bahamas Government's narcotic interdiction policies, any meetings would have to be arranged through appropriate diplomatic channels.
Also in the letter, Smith expressed the hope that Ingraham would maintain an open relationship with U.S. officials in The Bahamas, while attempting to confront what he considered to be "suspicious actions" on the part of Bahamian government officials.
A memo dated March 2, 1987 from Robert W. Merkle, a U.S. attorney, advised all Jacksonville Task Force Agents that all collect calls from Ingraham and Aaron Knowles (CI-0827), must be accepted.
Roberts also referred to another letter dated May 11, 1987, which speaks to the importance of Confidential Informant # 1622 and the need for cooperation between two "bickering" U.S. attorneys.
"This serious matter, if left unresolved, could one day and once again damage the credibility of governance in The Bahamas, just as the days of drug trafficking damaged the first independent government in The Bahamas," Roberts said.
Stoutly denying the treason allegations against him, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had said he would sue politicians and a newspaper publisher.
Ingraham had said he intended to file suits against Bradley Roberts, Bahamas Freedom Alliance leader Halson Moultrie, and The Punch's publisher, Ivan Johnson, for their "malicious" attack on his integrity.
The law suits would commence "soon after I leave office," the Prime Minister said who added, "The documents on which these allegations relied are fraudulent."
Prior to Mr. Ingrahams' denial, a press release issued by the Public Affairs Section of the United States Embassy denounced the documents presented to Parliament as "not authentic" and "false." The release stated that Ingraham was not, and has never served as a Confidential Informant for U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Turnquist's Resume
In the runup to the elections leadership certainly seemed to have been an issue. Tommy Turnquest, who lost his bid to become his country's leader, was criticized as being too inexperienced despite his bloodlines, his years spent as a youth movement organizer, his work as a Cabinet minister and a career as a banker.
Son of former Governor-General Sir Orville Turnquest he launched his political career at the age of 21 in 1981 by joining a group that revitalised the Torchbearers, the youth arm of the Free National Movement party, which he led for four years.
Turnquest went on to study at Malvern College in England and at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He returned home to join one of the country's largest banks and eventually became its manager.
He gave up that post when he was elected to Parliament in 1992 as the representative for Mount Moriah constituency, which re-elected him in 1997. He has held several ministerial posts, most recently for tourism.
Turnquest long has had to fight the perception he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father was a leading lawyer and queen's counsel, he attended private schools and lived in a two-storey mansion on a hill.
Christie's Background
Meanwhile as he quickly moved to to shore up investor confidence in his small nation heavily dependent on offshore banking and foreign investment in tourism Christie announced that James Smith, a former Central Bank governor, would manage the budget and financial services industry for the nation, an Atlantic archipelago of 700 islands and only 300,000 people.
Smith is serving as minister of state within the Ministry of Finance.
With about $950 billion under management, the Bahamas financial services sector staved off international blacklisting by tightening "know-your-customer'' rules and banning shell banks. But as a result, some 55 banks fled the islands.
Critics said the FNM government moved too quickly to appease industrial nations at the expense of an industry that produced 15 percent of gross domestic product.
Christie had been critical of the FNM for going too far in toughening regulations, putting the Bahamas at a disadvantage compared to more liberal offshore centers. But there was no immediate indication that he would try to roll back any of the new restrictions.
The new Bahamian prime minister, Perry Gladstone Christie, was a high school dropout and world-class triple jumper who led a carnival band. Many thought he would follow in the footsteps of his taxi driver father when he was dismissed from Government High School because he fell behind in his work.
But he went on to get a law degree with honors from Britain's Birmingham University in 1969 and eventually became a senior partner in a large law firm.
Possibly the youngest man ever named to the senate, Christie was appointed in 1974 at age 30 by the man he would eventually replace, then Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling of the Progressive Liberal Party.
Three years later, he was elected to the House of Assembly for the Centerville constituency that he has represented ever since.
In his official biography he said he would "rather lose by doing what is right, than win by doing what is wrong". Following that creed, in 1984 he resigned from Pindling's Cabinet because of alleged drug corruption in the hierarchy.
That was when he promised "For the people's love, I'll swim in the vomit" of the party, and earned the nickname "Vomit".
He won the 1987 election as an independent candidate, soon rejoined the party and was named minister of agriculture, trade and industry.
After the party's crushing loss in the 1997 election -- winning only five of 40 Parliament seats -- Pindling resigned and Christie took over.
Christie helped form the oldest junkanoo carnival group in the country, The Valley Boys. He would dress in the traditional costume and parade. He can't seem to forget those roots and is known for dancing before he speaks at party rallies.
He also was a world-class triple jumper, winning a bronze medal at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games in Kingston, Jamaica.
The Cabinet
Now as he takes the political reins in the Bahamas he has appointed a full 16-member Cabinet to implement the new Progressive Liberal Party administration's legislative policies for the next five years.
Allyson Maynard-Gibson, one of three women in his Cabinet, was named to the new Ministry of Financial Services and Investments. And Melanie Griffin, is the new Minister of Social Services and Community Development.
They joined the first woman Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Cynthia "Mother" Pratt in the Cabinet.
Christie said in putting together his Cabinet, he gave particular attention to national priorities. And, in this regard, he sought to reposition pre-existing Ministries to respond more directly and effectively to these national priorities.
The second new Government bureau, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Local Government is headed by V. Alfred Grey.
Alfred Sears, was appointed Attorney General and Minister of Education and Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service.
A surprise announcement was probably the appointment of trade unionist Shane Gibson, as Minister of Housing and National Insurance. Gibson, President of the Bahamas Communications & Public Officers Union is on record as saying that if given a Cabinet post, he would resign his union position.
The PLP's ambitious plan of implementing a National Health Insurance plan has been placed in the hands of Dr. Marcus Bethel, a noted physician practising in Grand Bahama.
Stating that the strengthening of the national commitment to tourism is vital to the lifeblood of the economy, Prime Minister Christie chose Obie Wilchombe, as Minister of Tourism.
The remaining Cabinet Ministers are: Vincent Peet, Minister of Labour and Immigration; Leslie Miller, Minister of Trade and Industry; Neville Wisdom, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture; Glenys Hanna-Martin, Minister for Transport and Aviation and sporting pioneer Neville Wisdom, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.