The FNM and the Politics of Grief
ABAGAIL CARTWRIGHT DEAN’S BLUE HOLE
Since May 12, I have been closely observing the political climate in The Bahamas, and one conclusion continues to stand out: the FNM has not yet come to terms with its electoral defeat.
To understand what we are witnessing, it may be helpful to revisit the work of Swiss-American psychiatrist Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, who introduced the five stages of grief in 1969: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
While originally developed to explain how people process loss, the model has since been applied to organizations, institutions, and even political movements facing significant setbacks.
Importantly, the stages of grief are not linear. People move between stages, often revisiting emotions before ultimately arriving at acceptance.
Over the past several weeks, the FNM appears stuck somewhere between denial and anger.
Consider a few examples:
- A social media post recently featured a young woman identifying herself as “Victim Number One” of the new PLP administration, despite the government barely being out of the starting blocks.
- Several FNM-aligned radio personalities continue to devote hours of passionate, hate-filled, angry outrage, unsubstantiated accusations, and campaign-style attacks, recycling narratives that voters clearly rejected at the polls.
- Another FNM commentator attempted to argue that the PLP is somehow a “minority government” because of voter turnout figures, suggesting that electoral victory does not equate to a legitimate governing mandate. (Clearly, they don’t understand, or don’t want to accept, how we are affected by the continuous voter register).
These arguments may energize a disappointed base, but they do little to explain why voters delivered such a decisive verdict – a sound rejection of the FNM.
More importantly, they distract from the serious reflection required after any electoral loss.
The healthiest political organizations eventually move beyond grief and toward introspection. The FNM may wish to consider that step soon.
Until then, perhaps the party should explore a national group discount on grief counseling. Because judging by the public commentary, acceptance remains a long way off.
-Abigail Cartwright