The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday said he was unfazed by the public campaign of contender Loretta Butler-Turner as time draws nearer to the party’s convention.

Dr Minnis said he was confident that he would return to the helm of the political organisation on November 21, adding that he would rely on his sincerity and stated vision for the party and country.

He pledged to “remove the heart” of the Progressive Liberal Party through intensive focus on inner-city communities that have been neglected despite their role as political strongholds.

“The people will see the sincerity, and realise what I want to do and what I’ve done,” he said, during a walkabout in the Bain Town community.

“They would realise that I have a new vision for the country, for every Bahamian has an opportunity to excel and succeed. So that they do not grow up with an idea of you in their mind that only certain families have monopolies on this country.

“I will enforce in their minds and make them truly believe that each and everyone of them can succeed regardless of background, financial or social status. They have an opportunity to go to the top and beyond.”

Dr Minnis took The Tribune on a tour of the Bain and Grants Town area, where he lived and worked during his childhood.

The walkabout came after weekend reports that Mrs Butler-Turner, FNM deputy leader, was canvassing delegates in Grand Bahama will plans to travel next to the Family Islands.

So far, Mrs Butler-Turner is the only contender who has publicly stated her intent to challenge Dr Minnis for the party’s leadership; however, it is anticipated that more people will announce their intent in the coming weeks.

During his walkabout Dr Minnis said focus on the inner city is a core component of his campaign to be the country’s next prime minister.

“It’s very important because I’ve seen the inner-city totally neglected,” Dr Minnis said, “that is dear to me. My own area is neglected and those are the areas that have been loyal to the PLP. Those are the areas that I truly want to win, I will put all of my effort in winning those areas.”

Dr Minnis said: “I can identify with them and I have a plan for them to revamp these areas. It’s a strategic plan so that when you leave it can be a Bain and Grants Town you can be proud of, just like Cooper’s Town in Abaco. I would like them to be proud like that, the areas that I grew up in, I would like them to be very proud of what I did for them.”

The FNM leader led a team through Peters Street off Market Street, where he spent most of his childhood. He gave an account of his day-to-day life as a young boy from a low-income family, and reminisced about his time spent as a pump attendant at his father’s gas station.

Dr Minnis’ father Randolph told The Tribune that he never held political ambitions for his son, and was proudest of his ability to make a successful life for himself while fulfilling his role as a good citizen.

Mr Minnis, 82, said: “He (Dr Minnis) started from zero, with no education, and if he could become a good medical (doctor) then secondly the sky is the limit. The only thing I would say to him under any condition, not just one of my children for all, honesty is the best policy and without that don’t bring it to me.

“My ambition was not just simply for him in the political arena, but for him to be a good citizen in all capacities,” he said.

Over the weekend, Dr Minnis was busy campaigning in South Andros and Mangrove Cay.

He was accompanied by his wife, Patricia, and Carolyn Hanna, his spiritual advisor, among others.