Prime Minister Arthur’s Bride

Dear Sir:

As a Bajan, I am very happy to see my prime minister’s wedding picture on the front page of your paper. I know there are people who are criticizing the man for taking such a young bride. But, such people must stop their foolishness. It is because they are jealous why they are criticizing the man. The old men are jealous because they can’t find a young woman to get married to, some of the women are jealous because they can’t get no man at all, and the old ones are jealous that the young girl get them out of the race.

I am proud of Prime Minister Arthur. I guess the critics would have also criticized him if he and his lady continued living together out of wedlock. Even now that he has gone ahead and done the right thing, he is still being criticized. I think all of you just need to leave the man alone.

A lot of Bajans here in Florida, in America and in Barbados are proud of you Mr. Arthur. You have taken a lovely bride and we wish you both lots of happiness, and welcome First Lady Julie. Just keep our prime minister happy and let him run the country well.

Jean Bascom, Melbourne

We don’t know the candidates

Dear Sir,

Over and over again I am hearing the complaint that Caribbean people are not voting in public elections held in Florida. This could be true and there is a reason for this. I am a registered voter since 1996, but I only voted in the 2004 elections for president. That was because there was much publicity about Mr. Kerry and Mr. Bush. I even went to a meeting that Mr. Kerry attended. I felt as if I knew the man. But all these other people running for all these other positions in Florida I hardly know anything about them.

How can a candidate expect to get votes when you do not know who the candidate is? jost of these candidates suddenly appear out of the blue two weeks before an election, and expect that you will know them good enough to vote for them. That makes no sense at all. A politician can’t expect to win by not reaching out to the voters well before the elections date. Some complain that they have no money to campaign. If there is no money don’t run then. I can’t imagine a candidate is running for office and being unable to find the money to even mail out a profile about himself or herself. Nonsense man!

If I don’t know about the candidate then I am not going to vote at all.

Gerry Martell, North Miami Beach