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DE RUEHBH #0414/01 0921124
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FM AMEMBASSY NASSAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4051
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L NASSAU 000414 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
WHA/CAR RBUDDEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SNAR EAIR BF
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION LEADER INGRAHAM SUPPORTS US ON AVIATION 
ISSUES, PLEDGES JUDICIAL REFORMS IF ELECTED 
 
REF: NASSAU 0032 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. D. BRENT HARDT, REASONS 1.4 (b) 
and (d) 
 
 ¶1. (C) Summary:  In a final courtesy call, Ambassador Rood 
and Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Hubert Ingraham 
discussed aviation issues, judicial reform, educational 
initiatives, bilateral cooperation and upcoming elections. 
Ingraham promised to work closely with the FAA on aviation 
issues if elected, stating he "knew where his bread was 
buttered."  He also lauded the excellent bilateral 
cooperation with the Coast Guard on drug and migrant issues. 
The Opposition Leader pledged that, if elected, he would make 
improvements in the Bahamian judiciary to speed up trials and 
get more criminals off the streets.  On education, he 
supports more Bahamians being able to attend Florida and 
other state universities at in-state tuition rates.  On 
investments, Ingraham believes that many of the government's 
new projects are poorly conceived and that others are 
unnecessarily delayed.  With elections looming, he predicted 
a short campaign period of 24 days, with elections to be held 
in early May.  He confidently predicted an FNM victory, and 
offered insights into constituencies he considered must wins 
for each side.  Despite prodding, Ingraham refused to divulge 
the FNM's campaign budget for upcoming elections.  End 
Summary. 
 
Ingraham Lauds Cooperation 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C)  As part of his round of final courtesy calls, 
Ambassador Rood met with the head of the Free National 
Movement (FNM) and Leader of the Opposition, former Prime 
Minister Hubert Ingraham on Tuesday, March 27.  Also 
attending the meeting in Ingraham's downtown office were FNM 
Party Chairman Desmond Bannister, DCM, and Pol Chief 
(notetaker).  Ingraham was in a good mood and seemed primed 
for the campaign ahead.  He lauded the excellent cooperation 
The Bahamas has with Federal Aviation Administration, the 
Coast Guard, DEA and US Customs and Border Protection.  He 
described the relationships with these agencies as "critical" 
to The Bahamas, and pledged that his government would not 
jeopardize cooperation with such things as "Cuba tours, 
unnecessary medical care and scholarships." 
 
FAA is the Only Way! 
------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador raised the issue of the airport 
security and safety problems with Ingraham, stating that he 
remained concerned by both security vulnerabilities and 
overall airport management.  He told Ingraham that he would 
support the imposition of a 90-day review period for the 
airport if no progress is made on addressing long-standing 
security concerns, though he acknowledged that the government 
did now appear to be giving the issue serious attention. 
Ingraham asked the Ambassador to elaborate on the problems. 
Not needing any further prodding, the Ambassador outlined 
several problems, including:  the aesthetic appearance of the 
facilities, the slow pace in processing passengers, radar 
problems, and endemic security concerns.  Ingraham stated 
that Minister of Transport and Aviation Hanna-Martin was "out 
of her depth" and that there is no direction being given to 
civil aviation.  Charges that his government had purchased a 
radar system that did not work -- the ASR-9 -- concerned 
Ingraham.  He noted that his government had purchased the 
system upon a U.S. recommendation.  He added that if he wins 
the elections, he will make changes at the airport, to 
include getting the new radar system repaired and on line. 
Ingraham also stated that he supports FAA running the Flight 
Information Region, observing that he had learned through 
hard experience that the it would be too risky to defy the 
U.S. on such a sensitive safety issue. 
 
Ambassador and Ingraham Spar Over Baggage Handlers 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶4. (C) The Ambassador and Ingraham sparred over the case of 
the five baggage handlers arrested in December (reftel). 
Ingraham made clear he believes the Nassau Flight Services 
baggage handlers were set up.  The Ambassador stated that the 
training was routine, as others went and came back, adding 
that if individuals who commit crimes against U.S. law come 
to the U.S., they will be arrested.  Ingraham stated that his 
sources at the airport indicated otherwise.  He further 
indicated that if he was Prime Minister, the arrests 
occurring in this manner would have caused a serious 
bilateral issue.  Stated Ingraham, "if they committed the 
crimes here, they should be tried here."  He did not dispute 
 
their guilt or the right of the United States to arrest them 
once they had entered US territory.  In the end, Ambassador 
and Ingraham agreed to disagree on the manner of the arrests. 
 
 
Judicial Shortcomings 
--------------------- 
 
¶5. (C)  The discussion of the baggage handlers arrest in the 
U.S. led to a broader discussion of the court system in The 
Bahamas.  The DCM, noting that other baggage handlers who did 
not travel to Florida in December have been picked up by the 
police but have not been charged, asked Ingraham how he would 
respond as Prime Minister if individuals engaged in such acts 
were unable to be prosecuted.  Ingraham acknowledged that the 
Bahamian courts were dysfunctional, and needed changes in 
leadership.  He said that cases move too slowly and many 
criminals are out on bail committing new offenses.  He also 
noted that Bahamian prosecutors are often wary of taking high 
profile cases to jury due to possible tampering, and that in 
non-jury trials the maximum sentence for a drug offense is 
five years.  He stated that many of the judges were simply 
not competent, having been appointed for political reasons. 
Ingraham said that he did not have a problem with extraditing 
major drug dealers such as Knowles or the Majors, but 
believed that small time drug dealers should be locally 
prosecuted. 
 
In-State Rates, Please 
---------------------- 
 
¶6. (C)  Ingraham expressed his interest in expanding 
opportunities for more Bahamian students to study more 
affordably in the U.S.  He would also welcome more resources 
for special education and vocational training.  The DCM noted 
that Bahamian students can now take advantage of in-state 
rates at the University of Rhode Island as a result of the 
Rhode Island National Guard State Partnership Program.  The 
Ambassador said that he intended to work with the new Florida 
governor Charlie Christ on such issues after he leaves the 
Bahamas.  Both Ingraham and Bannister said that The Bahamas 
needs more special education teachers and the capability to 
deal with children with autism and Attention Deficit 
Disorder.  The DCM noted that this had been a focus of 
discussion when Governor Bush had visited The Bahamas in 2006 
and that we needed to follow-up those initial discussions 
with the Florida Department of Education. 
 
Ingraham on Christie and the PLP 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Turning to the political scene, Ingraham observed that 
he would support Perry Christie -- who is his former law 
partner and good friend -- for many jobs, but Prime Minister 
was not one of them.  He described Christie as fatally 
disorganized and incapable of running a government. 
(Comment:  The day before the meeting the press widely quoted 
an exchange between Christie and Ingraham in which Ingraham 
referred to Christie as "impotent." Ingraham wryly noted that 
he was referring only to matters of governance.)  He said 
that in his view, the PLP believes it has "the right to 
govern" and that the FNM victories in 1992 and 1997 were 
accidents.  He expressed the view that some of the investment 
projects such as Bimini Bay were too large, and that the 
environmental bureaucracy was unworkable. 
 
Money and Politics 
------------------ 
 
¶8. (C) Despite prodding, neither Ingraham nor Bannister would 
reveal the FNM's budget for the upcoming election.  Parties 
are free to take money from any source, and Ingraham said 
that most of the money comes from businesses.  Persons 
outside the country can also contribute to parties, and he 
said that normally only outsiders with interests in The 
Bahamas do so.  He also said that he had enough money for the 
campaign, but not all that he could use.  Typically, money 
tends to flow in at the last minute when it is too late to 
deploy effectively, he pointed out.  Observing that the PLP 
was running many more radio advertisements than the FNM this 
early in the campaign, he suggested that this reflected their 
anxiety about the election.  Much of the money used for 
campaign paraphernalia is actually spent in the United States 
to buy T-shirts and hats, he noted. 
 
 
Races to Watch for Victory by Either Side 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (C)  The FNM leader said he expected a short campaign of 
 
24 days, with elections called soon after Easter.  Ingraham 
provided he Ambassador with a "scorecard" of key races to 
watch to determine the outcome of the next election.  In Fox 
Hill, he predicted that if the PLP wins that seat, they are 
going to probably win the election, but he also felt that 
Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell would be defeated by his 
candidate.  He also noted his surprise that Tourism Minister 
Wilchcombe may be in trouble in his own constituency.  On the 
other hand, if Housing Minister Neville Wisdom is reelected, 
that would be a sign the PLP was on its way to victory.  The 
FNM expects to win the Exuma seat being contested by former 
Bahamian Ambassador to the U.S. Joshua Sears.  Ingraham noted 
that the polls in 2002 were more accurate than often 
acknowledged, adding that the lesson from that campaign was 
that undecided voters usually broke against the government. 
Polls are now being taken on the larger islands, but Ingraham 
refused to divulge the results.  Ingraham said the PLP 
strategy was to increase the negative perceptions of him and 
make him a central election issue.  (Note:  Ingraham is a 
very polarizing figure and PLP ads are clearly targeting him 
personally.)  He alluded that many people are personally 
benefiting from the PLP government and do not want the gravy 
train to end with an FNM victory.  Ingraham dismissed the 
PLP's use of the race card, linking his party to the former 
colonial UPB party, stating that he had credibility on the 
issue and noted that Christie's own grandfather was white. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (C)  Always engaging and never at a loss for words, 
Ingraham seemed very comfortable on the issues and did not 
shy away from disagreeing with the Ambassador, as in the case 
of the airport arrests.  While he pledged cooperation on 
aviation issues and promised to make the judicial system work 
better, he also made clear he would not hesitate to disagree 
with the U.S. if he felt Bahamian interests were not being 
well served.  Ingraham conveyed the self-assurance of a 
leader who has been in charge before and believes he soon 
will be again.  From the United States perspective, an 
Ingraham-led government would likely abandon the PLP's 
sympathetic posture toward Cuba and might be less interested 
in engaging China.  Ingraham would also give us an 
interlocutor willing and able to make decisions and follow 
through on them.  His ten years as Prime Minister have given 
him a good understanding of the United States and how to work 
with us, and he certainly looks forward to maintaining our 
traditionally close relations. 
 
 
 
 
 
HARDT