PM: Ingraham Will Fail:
By Candia Dames -
Nassau, Bahamas:

Prime Minister Perry Christie declared on Wednesday that he’s politically stronger than ever and he said there is "absolutely no doubt" that FNM Leader Hubert Ingraham is going to lose the next election.

"Quite frankly, this is going to be a referendum on Ingraham’s style and my style and our personal popularities," said Prime Minister Christie, who spoke during an interview with The Bahama Journal.

Asked how he could be so sure that Mr. Ingraham would lose, Mr. Christie said, "I think it’s all about God."

He added, "In my case, you make the very best effort you can to convince people of the sincerity of your purpose and then you start to read the signs. I read the people like Arthur Foulkes (the Tribune columnist). In their commentary they’re unable to say anything substantive about me, so they speak about leadership and not controlling [my] Cabinet and anyone knows that I’m in charge of my Cabinet and I’m in charge of the policy of this country and all of the initiatives being taken."

The prime minister, who said he’s in good health, added that his energy level is extremely high and he remains highly confident heading into the next election.

"I’ve been confident all my life with respect to public life because I give and I give and I give and I think people understand that and they believe in that. Also, my success is unparalleled. The success of my government is unparalleled," he said.

"What we have to do now is to ensure that we have a social balance to the initiatives we are taking because the economy is beyond question, and we now have to ensure that issues like crime and illegal immigration [are adequately addressed]."

The prime minister also confirmed that the governing PLP has put off a convention it had planned for February, but he said a new date had not been set. Mr. Christie told the Journal that the plan was to announce his party’s candidates during the February convention.

The prime minister has said the next general election will be on or before May 2.

Calling the present political climate "the calm before the storm", Mr. Christie said individual candidates are already campaigning quietly in the various constituencies.

"Most certainly, I anticipate that we’re going to name our candidates before the convention, and so people, by and large, know that most of the people who are with us now are going to be candidates. I suppose there’s some curiosity as to who will not be running with us," he said.

Asked what will be the key message of the PLP’s re-election campaign, the prime minister said, "The key message in the campaign is that we have secured the future of The Bahamas and the opportunities are now available for Bahamians to take advantage of."

Mr. Ingraham, the country’s former prime minister, has been taking the Christie government to task at his recent rallies, accusing the government of breaking key promises to the Bahamian people.

"They have not only neglected to keep those promises, they have squandered their time in office and betrayed the people’s trust," he said at a rally in Fox Hill last Thursday night.

"…I say, one bad term in office does not deserve another. Trust me, they don’t deserve another term. We have a proven record. You know our record. You can count on us. But we don’t just offer a record, we offer a new agenda to renew your trust."

But on Wednesday, the prime minister dismissed Mr. Ingraham’s rally talk.

"I think Mr. Ingraham needs to get a lot of air time and press time. I think we have not as smartly as we should responded to some of the comments that he’s making and we’re obviously trying to do something about that, but it’s for him to have the Bahamian people placed in a position to determine whether they will choose his side over my side," Mr. Christie told The Journal.

"My side actually happens to be in a very dynamic position where we’re doing things and you judge us by what we’re doing or what we’re not doing. One of the ways to do that is to look at what Ingraham has done before with his government and also to see what his promises are."

The prime minister said he’s amused that Mr. Ingraham often tries to paint a picture of the present government being ineffective "when all around him he (Mr. Ingraham) can see the signs of effectiveness."

"How do you attack Christie and a Christie-led government? You have to have these vague sort of positions that you take about leadership," the prime minister said. "First it was consultation, not being able to make decisions, procrastination, those are these vague terms they use to try to create a picture of me, but I’m trying to show them energy and synergy and Ingraham is going to have to be able to keep up."

He said Mr. Ingraham was doing the best that he can with all that he can, but it’s not going to be good enough.

"Ingraham will fail in this effort, and that’s how it’s going to be," the prime minister predicted.

25 January 2006

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