FNMs Confident Of Win In Grand Bahama

December 11, 2006

FNMs Confident Of Win In Grand Bahama
By Rogan M. Smith

A former Free National Movement (FNM) cabinet minister has predicted a sweeping win for his party – forecasting a six-seat victory in Grand Bahama.

Former Pineridge MP C.A. Smith, who had served in parliament for more than 20 years until he lost his seat in the 2002 general election to PLP candidate Ann Percentie, said the FNM has already begun counting seats it knows it will win.

For many years the FNM has held a firm grip on Grand Bahama, with many political pundits dubbing it "FNM city." However, that wasn’t enough to secure a victory in 2002.

"We have six seats and we will win the six in Grand Bahama. We can count the six as we begin in the north to count the numbers that would make up the government," Mr. Smith said.

Mr. Smith was speaking to Love 97’s "Issues of the Day" host Mike Smith during an FNM rally in Grand Bahama on Friday night.

FNM candidate Kwasi Thompson will run in Mr. Smith’s former constituency in the upcoming general election.

Mr. Smith said he feels confident that the FNM will be returned to power now that former Prime Minister and FNM Leader, Hubert Ingraham is back at the helm.

"In 1992 when the nation required a leader to rescue it, Hubert Ingraham came along and did it. In 1992 when our country’s good name all over the world was sullied, when unemployment was high, when jobs were almost difficult to find, Hubert came and he provided the opportunity for so many Bahamians. He did it before and he can do it again," he said.

According to the former MP, FNM members have healed past party divisions.

"Like in any family we have had some family squabbles, but all of that is behind us. The important thing is that the six candidates have been named," he said.

"Those aspirants have now joined in ensuring that those candidates are elected. The purpose of this election is to make sure that every FNM gets out and votes for the FNM candidates. Of course we’re going to expect that those persons sitting on the sidelines, who have watched what the PLP has not done will come and vote for the FNM."

The FNM has already announced its Grand Bahama candidates: incumbent Kenneth Russell in High Rock; incumbent Neko Grant in Lucaya; Kwasi Thompson in Pineridge; Zhivargo Laing in Marco City; Vernae Grant in Eight Mile Rock and David Wallace in West End Bimini.

On Friday night, Mr. Laing said Grand Bahamians have suffered for almost five years under Prime Minister Perry Christie’s "misadministration."

Mr. Laing, who had originally said that he would sit out the 2007 general election, is considered by many to be one of the strongest candidates in the FNM arsenal.

He said he decided to return to frontline politics because he could no longer subdue his passion.

"You know the PLP isn’t happy about that, so when you hear them say all sorts of nasty stuff about me, it’s because they are scared. Those who were on cruise control, now have to gear up," he said.

"Sadly, things in Freeport and Grand Bahama have been terrible over the last four years under this Christie misadministration. I don’t need to tell you that because you hear, see and feel that every day for yourselves. Things are so bad that even unemployment dropping isn’t good news for Grand Bahama."

According to the Department of Statistics, unemployment in Grand Bahama fell from 11 percent in 2005 to 8.3 percent in 2006, but government statisticians explained that the number of "discouraged workers" (or people who are jobless but are so frustrated in their search for work they have given up) has increased.

"Yes, it’s down, but for all the wrong reasons. Many Grand Bahamians have left home looking for work and many who stay have become so discouraged that they’ve stopped looking altogether," Mr. Laing said.

"The young people speak to me about the joblessness in Grand Bahama. They know that the Christie misadministration has failed Freeport and Grand Bahama."

Mr. Laing claimed that during the FNM’s first term in office, it created more than 4,200 jobs in Grand Bahama. He said the PLP has only created 1,160 jobs to date.

"When Mr. Christie came to office, there were only 1,610 unemployed persons in Grand Bahama. Today there are more than 2,300 people unemployed, more than 70 percent higher than there was," he said.

"The Department of Statistics says that the unemployment rate is 8.3 percent," he said.

Mr. Laing then claimed, "Joblessness in Freeport is 16 percent and among young people, it’s as high as 40 percent."

He said too many hotel workers are only working one to two days a week for "meager" salaries.

"Occupancy rates in hotels are a low 30 percent. While they struggle, the Minister of Tourism [Obie Wilchcombe] – the sweet talking Willy man – says that he will not promote Grand Bahama’s tourism because we do not have enough rooms," he said.

"He cannot fill the rooms we’ve got, but he wants to add more rooms before he starts promoting Grand Bahama. If that’s not backwards, I don’t know what backwards is."

Mr. Laing said the Progressive Liberal Party has still not delivered on its promise to secure a buyer for the Royal Oasis Resort in Grand Bahama. As a result, thousands of workers remain unemployed, he said.

The resort was closed after it was damaged in Hurricane Frances in 2002. The resort’s mortgagee, Lehman Brothers, signed a deal with World Investments Holdings many weeks ago, but the sale deal has yet to close.

According to Mr. Laing, Grand Bahamian contractors still struggle to secure jobs and have complained that they are being victimized.

"They tell us that if their politics isn’t right, which means, if they’re not PLP, they have little chance to get jobs at all. Those that manage to get something tell me that it takes a very long time before they get paid," he said.

Mr. Laing also touched on the recent controversy involving Immigration Minister Shane Gibson, and the approval of the permanent residency application for American celebrity Anna Nicole Smith.

"We have young, so-called stateless people born in this country to foreign parents who only know Grand Bahama and the Bahamas as home who tell us that while they cannot hear from Immigration in years Anna Nicole could hear from Immigration in a matter of days," he said.

"All I can say is what a friend she has in Shane."

Mr. Laing continued to tear apart the government for what he said has been a "lack of governance" in Grand Bahama.

He said schoolchildren are losing learning hours because the PLP government has failed to execute simple repairs in time for school openings, and he claimed students have to suffer unnecessary overcrowding because the government has refused to build additional schools.

"High school graduates face a grim situation when they leave school because jobs are limited and higher education opportunities are inaccessible because of financial hardship," he said.

Mr. Laing predicted that investments would flow freely in Grand Bahama under an FNM government, and he added that Grand Bahamians would once again have access to well paying jobs.