Choppy Waters (UDP reaction)

Spectrum is a political commentary blog run by a Bahamian advertising student studying abroad. It looks at current events from “another angle”, analyzes the strategies Bahamian parties are using to appeal to the masses, and probes into the psychology of the political game.

First off, I apologize for the rather late commentary. Thanksgiving is really an amazing time to spend in America, and I’m glad I got to experience that to the fullest this year. I wanted to do this article earlier, but it is pretty difficult to make a rapid reaction post when you’re still recovering from several food comas.

So here goes my second Greg Moss-themed post in a row. It is great that we have finally been given some new details to chew on about his new organization after months of silence. Usually those few months would have been enough time for hype to grow about a new party, but I can’t say I’m shocked that the United Democratic Party has instead been met with scattered but polite applause. After all, the UDP’s name, logo and steering committee were all announced as unceremoniously as Moss’ exit from the PLP. Everyone knows that Moss hates the brand of ‘rum and rally’ politics that has dominated the political landscape post-independence, but was a launch event too much to ask for? The UDP chose to distribute a simple press release to announce their formation. Very humble, but it was far too quiet a method for an electorate used to fanfare. A press conference would have at least added a visual to the UDP. It has been a few weeks and we have yet to see the faces of the new organization standing on the same stage together. That really baffles me, especially as Moss continues to be battered by claims that he is a self-appointed leader. You would think that he would lunge at any opportunity to show the meat of his political baby, but instead, the UDP continues to be shrouded in secrecy. I argue that it is essential for Bahamians to be able to put multiple faces to party logos, unless you want risk your entire party’s brand image revolving around whoever has been designated as the head-honcho (looking at you, DNA.)

By the way, it’s impossible for me to type the letters “UDP” without being tempted to write “UBP” instead. From what I’ve seen, I wasn’t the only Bahamian who had to do a double-take when Moss announced his party’s name. That’s pretty careless to make your new party sound so similar to one every Bahamian knows existed before, and one that is remembered so bitterly even 40+ years later.Then there is the controversy around Moss’ new chairman C. Allen Johnson, or as he is known to most of us, ‘Critical Thinker’. Propagandists online were quick to slam him by re-sharing a video that he posted online a few years ago. In that video, Johnson made inappropriate sexual jeers against a well-known female he had been feuding with. It came back to bite him. Because of the absence of any kind of press conference, this was the first time most people had an opportunity to see and hear the UDP chairman. The backlash from the video was so bad that it spilled over into national newspapers. Talk about a bad first impression. All Moss could do was dismiss the commentary and stand by his chairman, but he can’t be happy with how his party is perceived. We will have to wait and see if the UDP will be able to smooth out the rough edges in time to mount a decent election campaign.

Even though I think Moss has already made a series of strategic errors, I have to give him credit for choosing the Blue Marlin, our national fish, as the symbol for the UDP. It’s not just original, it’s badass. The aquamarine, black and gold color scheme is also excellent – it made marketing easy for the NDP back in 2009. So far I have seen two versions of a UDP logo. My personal favorite features an abstract, multi-colored Marlin wrapping smoothly around the yellow orb (a sun?) My only criticism of the logo is the accents on said orb. I would ditch them, and fast. It looks far too much like it was lifted from Trinidad’s UNC and Jamaica’s PNP logos. I doubt it was intentional, but it was too obvious to me to say nothing. I’m interested in seeing see how the UDP will translate this complex logo onto a party T-shirt. Even though it looks cool, it can’t be classified as a well-designed logo unless it can be simplified to one or two colors.

All in all, I think the UDP is in need of some more polishing before they can command significant interest. They can only be afforded so many strategic missteps as a new party. They may have the advantage of being… well… new, but that also puts makes them vulnerable. I also don’t buy that Moss having a seat lends his group any significant strategic advantages. It should be noted that Moss’ announcement of the UDP’s formation was not enough to grant him a headline; it was only after the controversy with Johnson blew up that the UDP was the top story. I wrote previously that I think The Bahamas needs more political parties. I still believe that, as long as new groups come into the fray with strategic thinking and tangible goals. Not everyone can be the government, and I don’t think Bahamians should demand that every political party try to be. To me, there is no shame in localizing your party to a few constituencies to better address the needs of neglected parts of our archipelagic nation. I repeat my suggestion to Moss to run a Grand Bahama-only slate of candidates.

Though some other writers have already written off the UDP and projected that it will have a minimal impact on the next general election, I’m going to pass on doing the same. It’s too early to make predictions, and I’ve quickly learned that placing bets on the votes of The Bahamian people is the quickest way to lose all your money. If the UDP ever does gain traction, they will do so by exploiting political openings left only by the carelessness of both the Free National Movement and the Democratic National Alliance. Once those areas of weakness are fully exposed, you can expect the FNM and the DNA to ‘appropriate’ the best of the UDP’s strategies and incorporate them into their own election campaigns. The truth is when it comes to politics, few care about who did it first, but everyone cares about who does it best. For Moss’ sake, I hope the UDP is well equipped to be the best at whatever they offer to the Bahamian people. Anything less, and his party will suffocate.