The Politically Immature and Thuggish Lincoln Bain

Mr. Lincoln Bain, Your childish apologies have become meaningless, weak, and lack substance

Mr Lincoln Bain, refrain from violence.  Focus on substance over spectacle, and let your vision for The Bahamas speak for itself

By Maria Russell
Freeport, G.B. Island, The Bahamas
In response to Tribune242 FaceBook Post,  Pintard Condems Lincoln Bain...

I'm not taking sides, but bullying, intimidation, and fear have no place in a democracy.  That was not the time and place.  It only takes away from the message of the protest.  These silly antics are a turn-off on all levels.  Mr. Pintard has nothing to prove.  He's already a Member of Parliament and the Official Opposition Leader by law as outlined in our constitution.

Mr. Bain, you, on the other hand, have a lot to prove to the Bahamian people, especially if you're serious and ready for mainstream politics.  To get into parliament, one would think that maturity, political sportsmanship, and a willingness to engage in respectful dialogue would be essential.  If you two have a personal beef, maybe it would be wise to settle it out of the political spectrum.

You don't want to be known more for your radicalism than your message.  Having the loudest mouth is unnecessary and a turn-off.  Your apologies will become meaningless, weak, and lack substance.  Antics and polarization won't get you elected.  Empathy and humility will.

Refrain from violence.  Focus on substance over spectacle, and let your vision for the country speak for itself.  If the populace is to take you seriously, you must demonstrate leadership worthy of representing the Bahamas both domestically and internationally.  Your actions will be scrutinized globally, so it's crucial to maintain a level of maturity and statesmanship.  Anything less, undermines your message and credibility.

Source / Comment

Democracy in Latin America: The left marches on?

By David Roberts


Latin America's democratic credentials go on display once again in October, with presidential and other elections taking place in three countries – Brazil on the 5th, Bolivia on the 12th and Uruguay on the 26th.

While no one would seriously question the strength of democracy in Brazil and Uruguay – despite all the institutional and governance issues, particularly in the former – the same cannot be said about Bolivia.  The country has enjoyed relative political stability since Evo Morales became president in 2006, and in recent years strong economic growth too, but democratic practices have lagged behind and his socialist party's stranglehold on the state apparatus is expected to give him a clear advantage in the polls.

What is more, some question whether Morales should be allowed to stand for a third term at all, as that is forbidden by the constitution.  Morales is managing to get round that minor inconvenience by maintaining that his first term didn't count as it was before the current constitution was introduced.

Even so, few would doubt the popularity of the incumbent and the voting process itself is expected to be clean.

Left-leaning candidates will also probably triumph in Brazil and Uruguay, although run-off elections are likely. In the former, the contest between leading candidates President Dilma Rousseff of the workers' party and Marina Silva of the "soft left" socialists is neck and neck, while in Uruguay former president Tabaré Vàsquez, who has the backing of current left-wing head of state José Mujica, is ahead in the polls.

So does this mean the shift to the left in Latin America continues unabated?  Maybe, but increasingly less so in the manner of a few years back when the Bolivarian Alba left-wing bloc of countries led by Venezuela's Hugo Chávez on the one hand and liberal pro-market nations on the other were seriously polarizing the continent.

In fact, Venezuela's influence in the region has waned, and was doing so even before Chávez's death in March last year.  With its own economy in disarray, and oil exports falling (at least according to independent accounts), Venezuela has become an increasingly less attractive model to follow.

At the same time, those governments on the left of the political spectrum that have emerged in recent years, from El Salvador to Uruguay, are a mixed bag where socialist ideology has taken a distinctly back seat role. What path Brazil chooses if Silva does win – she's expected to adopt a more liberal, outward-looking approach on issues such as trade – will perhaps be the key to how things develop in the continent in the years ahead.

In any case, this tendency to move away from polarization is to be welcomed, as is the current strength of democracy in the region, as evidenced by the upcoming elections.

September 23, 2014

BN Americas