The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I would like to publicly express my gratitude for the very kind words and consideration shown by our Party Leader, Dr Hubert A Minnis, MP, last week in the House of Assembly regarding my effort and involvement in the recent by-election in North Abaco. It is most interesting because this letter speaks to that very recognition in terms of the effort that was made by so many persons and by the party under his leadership. Victories are not all measured by the number of votes cast in an election or a contest, sometimes they are measured by the effort made in the circumstances.

While the Free National Movement did not win the by-election in the North Abaco Constituency, there is no doubt that nothing short of a Herculean effort was made by the party; and there were victories, many, in fact. Our party began the process to put its campaign structure in place in North Abaco early on. That effort was led by the former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Member of Parliament for Golden Isles, Chairman of our party and dear friend, the late Charles Maynard. He was elected Chairman at our convention on the 26th May, 2012 and later chosen as the Campaign Co-ordinator. Our dear friend and colleague departed this world on the 14th August, 2012, just as the campaign he worked so hard to put in place, began in earnest. The party then chose former Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Member of Parliament for Garden Hills, Brensil Rolle, to continue the great work that Charlie began in North Abaco as the new Campaign Co-ordinator, and we did not skip a beat. Charlie, I am sure, would have been pleased with the transition as our campaign was very important to him. The party also asked Tommy Turnquest, former Minister of National Security, Member of Parliament for Mount Moriah and Party Leader to assist in the closing period of the campaign which he gladly agreed to do and he did a very effective job assisting Brensil Rolle.

Our Leader demonstrated good judgment when he recommended Charlie Maynard as the by-election Campaign Co-ordinator in the first instance and later Brensil Rolle. There is no question he had a vision for the campaign and one that was shared by both Campaign Co-ordinators. During the entire campaign, from day one, Dr Hubert A Minnis, Leader of the Official Opposition and Member of Parliament for Killarney, was not only actively involved in the campaign, he led the ground work, going door-to-door every weekend in the early days of the campaign and later, on an everyday basis, as he told the party he would.

The Rt Hon Hubert A Ingraham was involved initially in the campaign in a less than public way assisting, however he offered his best advice as to the conduct of the election. In fact, I vividly recall Charlie and I meeting him in his law office in Marsh Harbour discussing the campaign. As election day approached, he had a greater public presence. The FNM, as an opposition party, mounted a great campaign – we engaged the other side on the battlefield and we gave it our very best effort! That is what could and should be asked of us, to take on the battle, and we did, on every front. We should be ever mindful of the effort that was put forth by our party, in all the circumstances, and be grateful for the many sacrifices that were made by so many FNMs from New Providence (special mention for Yontalay Bowe), Grand Bahama (special mention for Peter Turnquest, Member of Parliament for East Grand Bahama and Cyril “Boxer” Minnis Teams) and most of all Abaconians, certainly North but also South. This effort speaks to the internal strength, depth and commitment to our party and country that ought to be celebrated by all FNMs and should cause us all to feel good about ourselves and our party. This is important because, it will propel us to victory in 2017 – it will bind us, not just together, but truly, all together. Our generals and supporters from South Abaco to Crown Haven in the north, including Grand Cay and Green Turtle Cay sacrificed tremendously. They put their jobs on the line for our party. They lost considerable personal income for our party. They faced intimidation and the fear of victimisation for our party but never retreating. One of our generals, a government employee, was called to Nassau to be interviewed by a very high government official and asked directly about the person’s political affiliation – the height of the PLP’s fear and intimidation tactics. One of our generals, did not go fishing for three weeks consecutively at the height of the crawfish season (when he makes most of his money) so that he could do all in his power to help his party in the campaign. And, there were many other similar cases, where people gave not only of their time, but also their personal funds and their talents to ensure that our party engaged the battle as best we could. We should celebrate them all now, today. Many of our generals and supporters cut short their vacations or trips abroad at significant personal sacrifice so that they could be home to vote. Likewise, many students travelled home to cast their vote, a few having to depart the very same day. Our National Headquarters staff and the many officers and supporters who assisted them did a great job supporting the campaign effort in North Abaco. Let me say, undeniably, the FNM has one of the strongest team of generals in the North Abaco Constituency as compared to any constituency in the country. The constituency stretches 60 miles with numerous settlements and Grand Cay and Green Turtle Cay, all of them, without exception, have serious and committed generals and supporters. It should warm the hearts of all of us and cause us to feel good about the future in the aftermath of the by-election. Every former Cabinet Minister and MP (special mention for former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Alvin Smith) without exception, was on the ground in North Abaco, and every current parliamentarian (special mention for Hubert Chipman, Member of Parliament for St Anne’s) was on the ground in North Abaco.

But most of all, our courageous young candidate and his family are deserving of the greatest credit, admiration and gratitude. Greg Gomez, as a first-time political candidate, certainly received a baptism of fire. He must have felt at times like Daniel in the lion’s den as the full force of the PLP government was unleashed against him, and as he felt the full brunt of their relentless personal attacks. He can hold his head high and his family, the party and, indeed, the nation can be proud of him.

On election day all of our polls were worked by former Cabinet Ministers and parliamentarians and current parliamentarians (including Deputy Leader and Member of Parliament for Long Island, Loretta Butler Turner) the entire day – it was a very impressive display of the effort the party made, on the battlefield. This demonstrated, Herculean effort and these many victories, bode well for the party leading up to 2017, but our focus must be the effort that was made and should be celebrated.

Finally, we acknowledge that nothing is achieved without the help of the almighty God and we thank him for the many blessings bestowed upon us.

MICHAEL A FOUKLES

Secretary General FNM,

Nassau,

October 30, 2012.