The atmosphere in today’s Bahamas is in stark contrast to what our character as a people always was. We were always a calm spirited people who really looked out for each other.
We watched each other’s homes in their absence, kept their children until they came home, shared our food with the next door neighbour. We even shared grocery. We definitely were our brother’s keeper.
Today we have moved further away from our past. This last election has driven a wedge between us from the carefully designed rhetoric to separate us. Veteran journalists combined their efforts with mercenary writers to feed venom into the Bahamian population.
Cold and callous talking points were successful in us black Bahamians from over the hill, condemning our friends to hell to satisfy the puppet masters. We have called people corrupt without a shred of evidence, while intentionally ignoring our history of piracy, rum-running, land grabbing and an iron fist on the treasury as their personal piggy bank.
We sat like a lamb to the slaughter, while Houdini executed the disappearance of $100 million from the Road Improvement Programme. “Mums the word”. No corruption?
The writers who have “graduated”, are carefully administering the bitterness to a vulnerable populace. It is amazing how a couple of dollars would cause men to sacrifice their souls.
My mother said, “Believe you are smart but don’t believe no one is dumb”.
Now, the Bahamas is not recognised as the caring sharing nation we once were. We literally hate each other. We condemn those who had the courage to jump off a sinking burning ship. We have mutilated democracy, gradually taking away the privileges expected in a democratic country.
More Bahamians are afraid to speak. They need their jobs. They are afraid of being signalled out to be ridiculed, so they keep “fingers on lips”.
Many are dejected after being beaten into submission but the harsh government policies, designed specifically to suppress the people over the hill.
It is patently clear that a more dependent people would be easier to control.
On another note, The Free National Movement (FNM) is really laughing at all of us. After they heap taxes on our backs that cripples us, rookies like Iram Lewis makes fun about heating water in the tub. They want us to go backwards.
I am a strong proponent that members of parliament or anyone who are in the upper management of government should have a psychiatric evaluation when offering themselves for service.
We are in trouble!
Finally, we would make sense and move forward, if we return to the “old gate post” and be our brothers’ keepers again. We are all fools if we make enemies for politics because some – not all politicians – only use us when they need us. Then they replace us with someone else who wants to be used.
Who the cap fit, let them wear it.
Laser focused!
Ivoine W. Ingraham JP
