CU Bush League Politics
October 22, 2003

The Nassau Guardian - Editorial - Some weeks ago during the passage of a Category 5 hurricane, it was announced by the American Embassy in this country that its Pre-clearance facilities in New Providence and Grand Bahama would be closed for an indefinite period. The lame excuse given for the indefinite closure was the hurricane. Over the years, prior to 2003, there were many dangerous hurricanes, but never once were these facilities closed. They resumed operations after a strong protest was registered by the relevant arm of the Bahamas Government.

Shortly after this episode it was announced that the Hon. Perry Christie, along with a number of Caribbean Prime Ministers were invited to a business breakfast in New York by the U.S. president, George Bush, to discuss a number of issues, among which was Cuba and Haiti. Certain Prime Ministers were not invited, and Jamaica declined the invitation. At that meeting the stand taken by the Hon. Perry Christie re Cuba must have been a terrible shock for one George W. Bush, President of the great U.S.A. Clearly the advanced intimidating tactic did not work and must have proven a bit disappointing and embarrassing to the most powerful man on earth now.

After giving the Bahamas what seemed to be sufficient time to gloat over the manly stand taken by our P.M., silently like the stealth of a stalking jaguar one of the tentacles of our friend and great neighbour to the north struck without warning; but in a firm, intimidating and embarrassing fashion, in the humiliating search of our G-G and her spouse at the Miami International Airport. To say that the persons responsible were unaware of Their Excellencies' identity would not only be absurd but blatantly dishonest, as they were provided - according to press reports - with an over abundance of proof.

Her Excellency, Dame Ivy Dumont as Governor General of this small but sovereign nation, is the personal representative of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second of Great Britain, who is the titular head of the Commonwealth of Nations of which the Bahamas is an integral part. Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain stood shoulder to shoulder with one George W. Bush in his diabolical and relentless pursuit of Saddam Hussein and the oil in Iraq against the will and wishes of members of his Government, his party and the majority of the citizens of Great Britain; in fact, Blair went as far as defending Bush's action in the Congress of the U. S. - to his own detriment.

I am willing to bet a thousand dollars against a nickel that Tony Blair's stand in supporting President Bush in the Iraqi incident has written la fin to his political career. When Dame Ivy was searched, the embarrassment was not really hers but H. M. Queen Elizabeth II and the Government of the Bahamas. One can only assume that America, because of her wealth and might, believes that the rest of the world's nations is a carpet on which it can trample at will. When one considers the undiplomatic, uncouth and crude manner in which one J Richard Blankenship, former Ambassador to the Bahamas, conducted his diplomatic functions, then coming to such a conclusion is relatively easy. The threats thrown out to us by Mr. Blankenship, not so long ago, should still be fresh in the minds of many of us, and I have said on numerous occasions, we should take seriously, bearing in mind, that as the personal representative of the President, he (Blankenship) was speaking with presidential authority and/or approval.

What we are now receiving are subtle but stern warnings that if the Bahamas Government does not conform to the wishes of the U.S. then the wrath of that great distributor of threats, violence, corruption, intimidation, victimization, embargoes, invasions and destabilization of governments world-wide, would deal with this nation in a manner and fashion as they may deem fit. As a people we cannot and must not stand idly by and give no heed to these warning signals, for if we do, we may one day regret the apathy and complacency in which these signals were treated.

We can never be really sure from which angle our neighbour will strike; therefore we must be prepared for the unexpected. We must do all we can to become less dependent on our neighbour. We must strive to become more productive and buy more native products; support our entrepreneurs and reduce our spending abroad; support our Family of Islands by going to one of them each year on our vacation; join in the Government's quest to become self-sufficient in certain areas; and we ought to support our education institutions by sending our children to local colleges.

If there ever was a time for unity of Bahamians it is now. We MUST all be proud of our country and show our national pride by supporting and buying that which is Bahamian. When we can do that, then we can say with pride, "I am proud to be a Bahamian."