By PAUL G TURNQUEST
Chief Reporter
pturnquest@tribunemedia.net
FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said the Free National Movement needs to take collective responsibility for its recent loss at the polls in the North Abaco by-election.
Refusing to take individual blame, Dr Minnis said he was “taken aback” when former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham gave what appeared to be a concession speech on national television following the PLP’s landslide victory.
“I think the press and everybody must realize that the former Prime Minister is no longer the leader (of the FNM). Dr Hubert Minnis is the leader, and therefore the former Prime Minister does not speak for the FNM.
“I speak for the FNM. The former Prime Minister was the leader. He is no longer the leader. When he speaks, he speaks as a citizen and gives his views but he does not speak, and nor should the public or anyone interpret that he is speaking for the FNM.
“He has a right to speak his views and when members of the press put a microphone in front of his face and he speaks they must realise that he is speaking as a citizen and not as the leader of the FNM. I speak as the leader of the FNM and I am the leader of the FNM,” Dr Minnis said.
With many political observers interpreting Dr Minnis’ public rebuke of the former Prime Minister as being an indication of a growing rift within the party, the FNM’s leader said that such assumptions were utter “nonsense.”
“There is no rift between us. The only thing I am pointing out is that I am the leader of the FNM,” he said.
However, numerous sources within the FNM have started to question Dr Minnis’ long-term viability as leader of the party and whether or not he should lead the party into the 2017 general election.
Having heard these and other concerns himself, Dr Minnis said that he is prepared for any challenge to his leadership.
“Every leader goes through that. There has always been resistance, and there will always be. That is human nature and that is the way of society,” he said.
“I thought we ran a good campaign. They had the wrath and the whip of the government.
“The party lost the election and the people spoke. It’s the party’s loss. No one man can fight any battle, certainly not me. The party gave all it could. We had challenges of persons being threatened to lose their jobs, their livelihood, etc. We thought Abaco was somewhat resilient to that, not solely dependent on government and therefore we would be able to overcome that.
“We also had the challenges of individuals receiving money for votes, light bills, etc, being paid. It is not democracy really, and we have to move away from that. That was not what our constitution wanted. Our constitution wanted freedom of speech in a democratic society where individuals can vote and express whether they are PLPs or FNMs without repercussions,” he said.
Adding that it is not even up for debate the fact that the PLP out spent his party during this campaign for North Abaco, Dr Minnis said he is going to focus his energies now on ensuring that the FNM becomes the government in 2017.
Comments
TalRussell 11 years, 6 months ago
If there is no rift within the leadership of the red shirts, then why Comrade Minnis Dingy Boat is a rocking?
Sorry, good Comrade, but all of Cooper's Town knows the truth that you had "NO" say in Gomez's Candidacy, all was orchestrated by that man holding that fish in dee picture.
Then he even be rude on ZNS TV when he said on by-election night that it was all "lies" that he had anything to do with trying to get he "Love Offerings" Gomez to replace him in da House?
it's simple Comrade Leader Minnis, if you don't admit to what you allowed him to do to you red shirts in Cooper's Town, again, he will "rightly" think he has a license to continue with his sickness of meddling crap?
by TalRussell
hnhanna 11 years, 6 months ago
Again the Press is not doing their job; they should ask the former prime Minister who he was speaking for. The Bahamian press needs to be more innovative in their reporting. The press of the Bahamas is becoming a big joke. Please do your job, be more investigating reporting and do not let persons hand you a piece of paper saying its news, Right now ZNS news a big joke.
bigdee 11 years, 6 months ago
the former prime minster hand the plp the the first election to his friend and buddy its like he wanted the fnm to lose the number one reasons was the roads he cost thousands thousands of business to closed down because of the roads plus crime no serious laws was passed there was no hanging no majior jobs created more persons are out of job no big majior investor came in bahamas becides baha but most of jobs go chenese he did some good but we all know as human beings bad always be ahead good out of 100 i gave the former primeminster 31 oercent i hope dr.minnis is reading this let the fromer prime minster go and he as leader needs to bring healing to the fnm and gear up for the next elections open all the fnm head quarters do that little thing now and you see results
John 11 years, 6 months ago
Some years ago, when the Federal Aviation Administration imposed a mandatory retirement age for jet captains, Delta realized it had many well trained pilots who would be forced to retire because of this law. So it came up with a plan to allow captains who reached the mandatory retirement age to stay on the job once they were willing to fly 'second-in-command' with younger pilots. The plan should have worked well, but Delta experienced situations where pilots actually came to blows in the cockpit as to who was in comand of the aircraft. Hence the plan had to be scrapped. Hubert Ingraham may no longer be the leader of the FNM but he is still driving the party from the back seat. At some point Minnis has to take full control else the party will have a serious crash You cant go nowhere when someone has their foot on the brkes while you are trying to press the gas pedal.
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