COMMENTARY BY OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 15, 2020 – During my tenure as Editor of The Freeport News the second around from 2003 – 2009 — I previously was its editor for a year from 1993 – 1994) — Nevar Smith was a student at the then College of The Bahamas and I was tremendously impressed my his scholarly participation in the various matters that became fodder for public debate.
It was clear that he had his sights set on one day representing one of the constituencies in Grand Bahama in the House of Assembly, and he appears to be well positioned to do so at some point in the future. Indeed, as the operators of CHANCES Webshop in Freeport can attest, I am a betting man, and I will bet my last dollar that Nevar Smith will be a candidate in the next general election in The Bahamas.
As a keen observer of politics in The Bahamas over the years, based on Nevar’s posts on Facebook, he appears to be a supporter of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), and if he does decide to enter politics, he has a choice of any of the five Grand Bahama constituencies, given the fact that all five of the Grand Bahama House of Assembly seats are held by representatives of the governing Free National Movement (FNM).
Based on my observation of the current political landscape in Grand Bahama, there appears to be only two vulnerable FNM House of Assembly seats in Grand Bahama, considering the fact that the Hon. Peter Turnquest, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, is doing a commendable job representing his constituents in Far East Grand Bahama; the Hon. Michael Pintard, Minister of Agriculture ad Marine Resources, is likewise doing an excellent job in his Marco City constituency; and so is the Hon. Iram Lewis, Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, in his Central Grand Bahama constituency.
Of course, there has not been a sufficiently quantifying accounting in the media over the past three years on Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe’s performance, so it is difficult to gauge how well she is representing her West Grand Bahama and Bimini constituency. However, it is almost a certainty that the Rev. Frederick McAlpine, FNM MP for Pine Ridge, will not receive his party’s nomination to seek reelection. Rev. McAlpine, in keeping with his maverick political history, has been a thorn in the side of the government and has been strongly critical of Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis personally from early in the administration after he did not receive the political position he apparently expected after winning his seat.
So whatever House of Assembly seat Nevar Smith decides to pursue if he is a candidate in the next general election, it appears that he will have a difficult time unseating the incumbent in three of the seats in Grand Bahama. Nonetheless, whatever decision he reaches, if he indeed decides to run, he certainly is positioning himself to be a formidable candidate.
Consider for example his THE BOTTOM LINE show, which airs on Saturdays from 12 Noon to 1 PM. According to Nevar, the show’s objectives are to: “Build a support system around budding entrepreneurs and community leaders…Provide encouragement, inspiration and information that can help us grow…Highlight a wide variety of leaders/innovators who are interested in winning while seeing others win as well…Lend our voice to the process of creating change where ever we see it’s needed.”
Additionally, as he indicated with a photo posted recently on his Facebook page with his wife Marcia and their son Corey, he is a responsible, committed family man. The photo he posted was accompanied by the following caption: “Grand Bahama is still a great place to live and raise a family.”
Clearly, this young man has a bright future in politics should he decide to run.
THE BOTTOM LINE VIDEO: Lavardo Braynen and Auqa Quant were Nevar Smith’s guests on THE BOTTOM LINE on Saturday, August 15. They shared their views on the best way to move Grand Bahama forward now and in the future.
https://www.facebook.com/nevarlsmith/videos/616220732358599
