I read as did
every literate Bahamian the caption commentary on the qualities and
characteristics that a good leader should possess in the opinion of the
FNM. The Opposition in response to
this commentary rather than pointing out their beliefs on the qualities and
characteristics that a good leader should possess sought to display a tit for
tack tattle of achievement and outright rhetoric dispelling the negative
qualities that the FNM opined that the PLP leaders shows and displays. The response was emotive and showed the
shallow thinking that the Opposition possesses in dealing with rational and
logical issues that concerns us all.Let us take a good look at both sides:
The FNM opines that a leader in the position as Prime
Minister should be decisive, competent, hardworking, action oriented with good
judgment and tested leadership.
The position of Prime Minister also requires courage and compassion.
The PLP opines that a leader in the position of Prime
Minister should have compassion for his people, deliberate judgment and a level
head, one who loves the Bahamian people.
If you weigh both sides, one can conclude that the
Opposition did not address the issue which is not that the election will be a
contest between two men, but whether the party can address the actual current
issues, develop and implement solutions and has the fortitude to carry them out
in the best interest of the Bahamian people.
This can only be with a leader/Prime Minister who in the
words of David Rockefeller, “Must see the vision, state the mission and set the
tone”. It is quite obvious from
the emotive response, that the Opposition themselves doubt whether their leader
possesses such qualities. If the
writer of the commentary can substantiate his/her characteristics with a noble
source why is it then stupid, crazy or a concoction of lies and half truths?
The facts are ascertainable and will surely speak for themselves without
question.
Let us now look at other sources which describes the
qualities of a good leader:
Isaiah Chapter 55:4 “Behold, I have given him for a witness
to the people, a leader and commander to the people”
Harry S. Truman
(1884 – 1972) Stated that, “A leader had to lead, or otherwise he has no place
in politics”
This is a democratic nation one which is gearing up for one
of the most important general elections since majority rule. It is expected that either party will
tout their horns to boast of what their party has to offer. Both leaders have held the position of
Prime Minister and as such in the words of
Charles Swindoll, need to “….cultivate two things a
righteous heart and a rhinoceros skin”
Are these persons the role model for our future leaders, our
children? Will we Bahamians have
to listen and sit through another five year term of mud slinging and character
assassinations, rather than dealing with the issues at hand? The problems this
country is facing did not happen overnight. They stem from years of neglect and failure in addressing
the issues that affect the social fabric of this nation and our economic
development. Neither political party seem to be willing to lead this nation by
developing, articulating and delivering a plan that will address our
issues. Remember that
“A leader is best when people barely knows he exists…when
his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say We did this ourselves.”
{Lao-Tzu}
The people of the Bahamas will very soon select who in their
opinion possesses the qualities and characteristics of a good leader and Prime
Minister in the very near future.
The global economy has changed and is constantly changing,
our social issues have widen and have become systemic as citizens have decided
to solve problems on their own. For sake of argument, an entire generation was
lost in the 70’s and 80’s directly as a result of the drug trade. Today indirectly our young men and
women have grown up with no parental guidance, lacking the essential skills to
survive, the freedom of religion has grown into a plethora of large edifices
focusing on wealth rather than morals,
Christian thinking in our citizenry has been reduced to a place of
written words doomed to hide in the annals of history. In this competitive
global environment we have consistently placed patches or temporary fixes on
our problems rather than dealing with issues head on.
One can go on and on but in my opinion, “It is time for a
new generation of leadership, to cope with new problems and new opportunities.
For there is a new world to be won”
{John Fritzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963) Television Address July 4th, 1960
}
Dear Editor,