“Stare long enough into the abyss,” Nietzsche once warned, “and the abyss stares back.” But I fear Friedrich never anticipated the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) when he coined that phrase. Because if the PLP has been staring anywhere lately, it’s not into any abyss—it’s into the mirror, and even then, only to make sure their blindfold is on straight.

Yes, friends, the Free National Movement (FNM) has dared to do the unthinkable: ratify candidates for the next election. Scandalous, according to the PLP! The same PLP that reacts to FNM ratifications like Dracula to garlic—hissing, waving their hands, and desperately trying to explain why a candidate list from the Opposition is somehow an existential threat to democracy itself.

PLP political pundits have come out swinging, branding the FNM’s picks as “horrible.” To which I say: Good! Let them run the worst candidates imaginable! Isn’t that what you’d want your opponent to do? Or is it that deep down, somewhere in the darker corridors of the PLP’s political soul, they fear that these “horrors” from the FNM might actually be… appealing? Competent? A threat?

Enter the Nietzschean abyss.

Because while the PLP throws holy water at every FNM ratification, they seem awfully mum about the growing unease within their own flock. Take John Pinder, for example—Central and South Abaco MP—who is now publicly “undecided” about seeking renomination. And what a surprise: that indecision didn’t come out of nowhere. There have been whispers, then murmurs, now full-throated concerns from within the PLP itself about his performance. Constituents voicing dissatisfaction. Party members reportedly scouting replacements. And Pinder? Well, he’s currently in talks with his family, maybe his conscience, and possibly a career counselor.

But not a peep from PLP headquarters. Strange silence from the same party that seems to have a 24-hour news cycle dedicated to attacking the FNM’s choices.

And then—ah, Golden Isles. What a tragedy, what a farce. The people there have clearly expressed that their current MP, Vaughn Miller, may not be their top pick. Or second. Or third. And yet, PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell, in a statement that deserves to be carved into the granite wall of political arrogance, basically said: “Well, no one else wants it, so I guess he’s the guy.” Inspiring stuff, really.

Remember, this is the same party that once boasted they had so many people eager to run under the PLP banner that they practically had to build a second floor just to store all the applications. But when it comes to Golden Isles? Crickets. Ghost town. A political no-fly zone. Is it something in the water? Did someone curse the constituency office?

Or perhaps—and this is the real kicker—maybe the problem isn’t Golden Isles. Maybe the problem is the PLP itself. Because while they’re busy casting stones at the FNM’s house, their own roof is leaking, the floorboards are rotting, and Vaughn Miller is standing on the front porch holding a “For Sale” sign with a half-hearted shrug.

So here’s the central issue, wrapped in satirical ribbon and tied with hypocrisy string: The PLP demands transparency, accountability, and visionary leadership—but only from the FNM. Within their own party? They silence criticism, ignore constituents, and hand out renomination letters like raffle tickets at a church bazaar.

If Nietzsche were alive today, he’d probably revise his quote for Bahamian politics: “When you gaze long into the PLP, the PLP also gazes back—and tells you to hush up and vote Vaughn Miller again.”

Because in the end, the Progressive Liberal Party fails not because of outside forces, not because of boogeyman candidates from the FNM, but for one simple reason:
It is their nature.

END