Like their counterparts around the world, quite ordinary Bahamians go to the polls, vote and therefore sometimes vent their electoral wrath on this or that party or group long gone arrogant.

Some of these voters voted as they did for the Progressive Liberal Party because they were sick and tired of being taken for granted by Prime Minister Ingraham and his team.

Evidently, these people also found themselves suffering the brunt of whatever comes when projects turn out to be boondoggles as in the case of the Roads Project, or when the administration seems suddenly impotent in its so-called fight against crime.

These same people were promised better.

A situation now arises where very many of these people are just not impressed by some of what they are hearing from Deputy Prime Minister and minister of works, Philip Davis that the Government had no plans to halt the project, but was trying to see it completed in an “effective and manageable manner”.

The Inter-American Development Bank has said that, “…it was “in the best interest” of whichever government was elected at the upcoming general election to bring the New Providence Road Improvement Project “to a quick and efficient end”.

When they talk in terms of either ‘quick’ or ‘efficient’ they are using words precisely because they are so very elastic.

Quite ordinary Bahamians are not impressed; neither are we!

Indeed, quite ordinary Bahamians – in their vast majority went to the polls on May 7, 2012, they voted one party out and another in.

They voted as they did because they had grown sick and tired of a Free National Movement administration that had seemingly lost its way.

As this new administration does its best to put its own unique stamp on things political, their leader is apparently finding out that some things are more easily said than done.

In addition, some of these quite ordinary Bahamians are clearly not impressed with some of the antics of current Minister of
State for National Security Keith Bell who is on record with an accusation that charges that the former FNM government with “handing out envelopes of money” on election day.

In addition, the same minister is on record with an accusation that impugns the integrity of some of this nation’s serving officers of allowing themselves to be ‘used’ by the Free National Movement for what he indicates, “their own “selfish purposes.”

Mr. Bell is on record in the Senate with a claim that, “…on May 7 he witnessed first-hand, men in FNM T-shirts handing out money and giving bribes. He also said the men were being protected by members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

“On the day of election I would have witnessed persons adorned in the Free National Movement T-shirts and persons who are associated with the Free National Movement party, operatives of the FNM, giving out envelopes of money. But, Madame president, what was disheartening is that the former administration used the Royal Bahamas Police Force to guard these people and I am in possession of reports to that effect. I have asked the Commissioner of Police to carry out an investigation as to how that could happen. That ought not to have happened and I cry shame on the FNM.”

Whether Mr. Bell cries shame or cries otherwise is today irrelevant.

What matters are the names and ranks of the police he said that he saw doing what he alleged they did on May 7, 2012.

In the event that Mr. Bell is not in a position to sustain the charges he is making: he should be man enough to admit that he was in error and that he also misspoke when he made the charges he has publicly uttered.

Evidently, there is also a role that must be played by the nation’s new chief: That the truth is known, regardless the way the cookie crumbles or what the truth might do to this or that person’s ego.

In the ultimate analysis, it still matters what quite ordinary Bahamians think as they look in on what is happening or not at the pinnacle of power in this very small place.