NASSAU, BAHAMAS –There are moments when a nation must look at itself in the mirror and ask: Who are we?
The recent billboard targeting the Prime Minister in a deeply personal and demeaning way is one of those moments, and it is beneath us as Bahamians. I strongly condemn it, without hesitation. It is not clever or persuasive. It is wrong. We all know the difference, and when we see it, we should say so.
I have always stood with those who are unfairly targeted or diminished in our public spaces, and I will continue to do so. From the highest office in this land to the streetsweeper who labours quietly each day, I will defend what is right wherever it is found, and challenge what is wrong wherever it appears.
What is troubling to me is that this was a collective effort. That sign was conceived, designed, approved, sent to print, produced, mounted, and physically erected for public display. At every stage, there was an opportunity to pause and ask, “Is this who we are?” Yet it still made its way onto our streets, where children, families, and ordinary citizens had to see it.
Age and health must never be weaponized in our politics. We all hope to grow old, and any one of us can face health challenges at any time. Whether the Prime Minister has any such issue is both unknown to me and entirely beside the point. It is personal, and it has no place in public discourse. In other words, it is none of my business, nor anyone else’s.
Elections are serious. They shape the course of our country. Criticism is necessary, but there is a clear line between accountability and degradation, and this crosses it.
At the end of this process, one man will be sworn in as Prime Minister of The Bahamas. He will represent all of us – red and yellow, black and blue. Service to the public is not confined to one office; it is carried out every day by teachers, doctors, sanitation workers, and countless others who serve this nation in ways both seen and unseen. Every role that serves the public carries a level of dignity that must be respected, even as those who hold such roles are held to account.
