NEWLY elected Free National Movement Deputy Leader K Peter Turnquest (left) with defeated candidate Dr Duane Sands. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune staff
By TANEKA THOMPSON
and KHRISNA VIRGIL
NEWLY elected Free National Movement (FNM) Deputy Leader K Peter Turnquest said last night he is confident the party’s new leadership team will be victorious in the next general election.
A jubilant Mr Turnquest was ushered into the Holy Trinity Activities Centre shortly before 8pm in a crowd of about a dozen supporters who cheered as he walked by. Mr Turnquest, East Grand Bahama MP, had a relatively short campaign having announced his intent to run on Tuesday.
He beat rivals former Senator Dr Duane Sands and former Chairman Darron Cash.
According to party insiders, Mr Turnquest received more than 250 votes, while Dr Sands received just over 100 votes. It was unclear how many votes Mr Cash received up to press time. Approximately 450 delegates were expected to vote last night.
“It’s a tremendous feeling of excitement for my team, an accomplishment, but I am just ready to go to work,” Mr Turnquest told The Big T.
He said he is hopeful that now that the party’s leadership issues have been put to rest, the FNM can move forward and “bring attention to the failures of this government.”
After his win was announced, he told party delegates that the FNM must “draw strength” from the outcome.
Party sources told The Big T that it was clear that Mr Turnquest, newly elected party chairman Michael Pintard and FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis, who faced a challenge from former Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner, had forged an alliance ahead of the convention.
The sources also maintain that the results were not a repudiation of the other candidates, but a “wholesale effort by Dr Minnis to eliminate his opposition.”
In spite of his defeat, Dr Sands remained upbeat. He congratulated his rival on his win and said he remains committed to moving the FNM forward.
“I am an FNM, I have always been an FNM and I will continue to be an FNM.”
When asked if he thought the loss would hurt his chances at a nomination for the next election, he said he is focused on the contribution he can make to his party. He added that he will accept the results and move on.
“I ran a clean campaign and I am happy with that,” he said.
Mr Cash, who was not present when the results came in, released a statement congratulating the winners.
“I extend congratulations to Peter on his election to the high office of deputy leader of the FNM,” Mr Cash said. “I give my heartfelt thanks to the delegates who voted for me as an acknowledgement and expression of appreciation for the service I have given to the party. I am grateful for their support.
“I also extend congratulations to Hubert Minnis on his election as FNM leader in his own right.
“The election results clearly demonstrate that Dr Minnis has been successful in ensuring the election of a team with which he feels most comfortable. He has been given a great mandate and I wish him and his new team every success in effectively spending the political capital they have won.
“I further extend my warmest congratulations to Loretta Butler Turner for the first-class campaign that she ran.
“While she was not successful, she has greatly advanced the cause of women in our country,” Mr Cash said.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 5 months ago
Poor Dr. Sands! He will forever go on paying the political price for telling far too many patients: "You need to pay me many thousands of dollars upfront before I will even consider performing the heart surgery I say you so desperately need!"
Baha10 9 years, 5 months ago
When you hold someone else's heart in your hands, it is somewhat understandable to compare yourself to God in determining life or death, but hopefully these continuous rebukes of self anointment will humble the Good Doctor's ego and help to re-set his moral and ethical compass.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 5 months ago
Popularity has gotten us forty years of criminals...Just because someone is popular doesn't mean they're best for the job...
Emac 9 years, 5 months ago
Can you expand on this? Are you saying that Turnquest or Minnis won because of being popular?
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 5 months ago
They got the popular vote. For whatever reason. It doesn't mean the best person won. Anyone who's listened to Dr Minnis over the past two years is shaking in their boots right now, (Ms Turner would have gotten a similar reaction btw)
We've had a whole slew of politicians over the past forty years that we knew nothing about really, no idea of their management skills, ethics, leadership skills, but they ran good campaigns. Look at the current crew, they are HORRIBLE. But their fancy posters with bright young faces and their Bahamians first slogan were winners. There was nothing behind it but modern day train robbers.
They spit in our faces every day, they sold the country to the gambling operation, we see and hear about the local operators but we don't really know how deep those ties go. We don't know who our leaders really answer to. The gaming operators bragged about being included in writing legislation. Can you imagine that? Getting known criminals to help you right how THEY WANT the industry regulated. Our national bank is in partnership with them, our NIB pension money is in that bank.
These are the people that won by a landslide. Popular vote doesn't "necessarily" mean the best person won, Does it mean that if someone lost they would have been a good leader? No. I am saying we need better techniques to weed out jokers. Where are our vetting strategies to examine their finances and character? How does the populace get a feel for who they really are and who they are aligned with? How could we elect someone with a DRUG DEALER as campaign general? How does that happen?. I am tired of people winning elections because they pay someone to put together a silly jingle or make a fool of themselves on stage with a nonsensical dance. I am tired of handing over my country to followers who think they will gain financially if they elect a crook, and from the evidence of the last election they're right.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 5 months ago
Getting known criminals to help you "write" how...
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 5 months ago
Disclaimer!! I was not referring to either of the candidates when I said, "how could we elect someone with a drug dealer as campaign general". As far as I know, Dr Minnis and Mr Turnquest are upstanding citizens!
Dr Minnis PLEASE hire better strategists if you want to run this country. not the same old tired people with the same old tired ideas. You need someone like Gowen Bowe, young intelligent, analytical, professional, hard working HONEST, VISIONARY etc etc.
countryfirst 9 years, 5 months ago
We know you are ready to go to work the question is for who? The Bahamian people or you and yours?We have a parliament full of guys working,just not for Bahamians or the Bahamas.
SP 9 years, 5 months ago
The Foreign National Movement has an unquestionably, clearly defined history of excluding Bahamians in favor of foreigners in every aspect imaginable.
P.M. Hubert Ingrahams .............."Bahamians need not apply" and multiple unnecessary foreign contracts for jobs Bahamians qualified for from the judiciary to infrastructural improvements are unforgivable and not to be forgotten less they be repeated.
M.P. Loretta Butler (BLT)..........further said on more than one occasion that "Bahamians were useless, unreliable people due to drug and alcohol dependency which justified the importation of blue collar foreign workers for jobs!" Again, unforgivable and not to be forgotten less they be repeated.
Did we hear any objections from Hubert Minnis, Peter Turnquest, Pintard or anyone else in whole FNM party?
Why the hell would we now suddenly be inclined to believe they now have a change in heart?
HELL NO !
I wouldn't trust the Foreign National Movement with my country and children's future.
They made their bed and showed their true colors for 5 solid years...........NOW LAY IN IT!
concernedcitizen 9 years, 5 months ago
You just make stuff up
concernedcitizen 9 years, 5 months ago
You just make things up
duppyVAT 9 years, 5 months ago
The FNM has replaced a good Long Island woman (Loretta Turner) with a good Long Island Man (Peter Turnquest). Its still all good!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peter has the perfect disposition to be the right hand man for HAM. He doesnt have to compete for the limelight ............. like Brave
We gat ur back Peter!!!!!!!!!!!!
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