Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
OBIE Wilchcombe, West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP, has branded outspoken Fort Charlotte representative Dr Andre Rollins’ ongoing controversial comments in the House of Assembly as “political immaturity” in need of “reconciliation” from not only constituents but from the Progressive Liberal Party’s council.
Mr Wilchcombe told The Tribune yesterday that based on the former Gaming Board Chairman’s dissenting views and defensive stance, it would appear that he has forgotten it was Prime Minister Perry Christie who gave him the opportunity to ascend to public office.
For his actions, both Mr Wilchcombe and PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts agreed that it was likely for party members to take the floor in an upcoming council meeting scheduled for either Thursday or next week to voice their concerns.
“Dr Rollins doesn’t speak for everyone,” Mr Wilchcombe said. “I think Dr Rollins must reconcile with his constituency. He then has to talk to the Progressive Liberal Party and the council when he has dissenting views. You have an obligation to them and what you should do is make sure they understand your sentiments, when they differ from the official party line.
“Right now he is still a member of the PLP and that is why he hasn’t been severely ostracised. In our political maturity two wrongs don’t make a right. A time will come when he will arrive at a point when he realises that this is not how you behave as a politician.”
Dr Rollins told the NB12 television station on Friday that those who took exception to his vocal nature, one which he said echoed the sentiments of his constituents and citizens of the county, would simply just have to deal with it.
He added that if the PLP did not give him another nomination, then he would either choose not to run again, campaign as an independent candidate or opt to join another political party.
Asked if he was considering forming ties with another party, Dr Rollins said he was not thinking of doing so at this time but if placed in a situation where there was no alternative everyone would have to expect “that that is a possibility”.
Dr Rollins has also forecast that the PLP will not win the 2017 general election. He said their handling of the numbers industry would be the reason for the loss.
To that, Mr Wilchcombe said Dr Rollins was “completely wrong”.
He said: “We will win because we have sought to bring the country out of tremendous difficulty and put systems and paradigms in place that will have long lasting effects. We have certain difficulties – certainly crime is one of them – but like with everything else nothing happens overnight.
For several weeks, Dr Rollins has not only criticised Mr Christie’s leadership of the PLP, but also the direction of the government and its decision to regularise the numbers industry. He said he would not support the proposed Gaming Bill.
He has also expressed strong views about certain sections of the Equality Bills and does not support the second Bill, regarding a Bahamian woman who marries a foreign man to secure for him the same access to Bahamian citizenship that a Bahamian man has always enjoyed under the Constitution in relation to his foreign wife, or the fourth, which will end discrimination based on sex.
Comments
TalRussell 9 years, 7 months ago
Only by the divine intervention God himself should Dr. Andre risk his fate being "resurrected" by the entrenched council of PLP old-timers.
Comrade Minister Obie sounds like he's calling for one them African “reconciliations” to deal with what he sees as an urgent need to deal with the Dr. Andre's “political immaturity” from not only his Fort Charlotte constituents but from the Progressive Liberal Party’s council.
by TalRussell
jlcandu 9 years, 7 months ago
I'm sure that Dr. Rollins does express the sentiments of his constituents, unlike the rest of the idiots in the HOA (ie) referendum resulting in a "no" vote.
None of the PLP's expressed their constituents' sentiments when they voted "yes" to this piece of crap called the Gaming Bill. They are only expressing the party line as demanded from their leader, who has no credibility on this issue.
Mr. Wilchcombe has no business criticizing Dr. Rollins for expressing his opinion on this issue. At least he has one.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 7 months ago
Agree...Mr Wilchombe himself told us how he had to apologize for going AGAINST what we wanted. I suppose Dr Rollins just needs to speak his dissenting view then give an apology for going against everyone and all will be ok.
licks2 9 years, 7 months ago
That whole party is so damn corrupt. . .why waste time talking about them huh? We need to start praying fer some of them ta dead. . .nothing short of death can fix the dept of corruption in that bunch of teifs and cut throt them!!! THEY MUST GO. . .
Emac 9 years, 7 months ago
Harsh but true. Reality bites.
SP 9 years, 7 months ago
Dr. Rollins has every right to speak his mind. If something doesn't sit right with him in his party what is he supposed to do sit back and smile?
What happened to freedom of speech and Democracy in this country?
Definition of a parliament is a legislature. More generally, "parliament" may simply refer to a democratic government's legislature. The term is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler ("to speak"):
Little Willy is a brown nosing boot licking idiot that never spoke up for Bahamians.
Dr. Rollins needs to kick their ass's every time they do stupidness in the House. 41 years of bullshyt and corruption is enough.
Keep it up Dr. Rollins WE THE PEOPLE are behind you!
asiseeit 9 years, 7 months ago
The man is speaking the truth and it hurts the old guard to the core. Only the crony's that are on the political teat are happy with this government, that is a fact! The stink of corruption is ripe throughout The Bahamas as it always seems to be with The PLP. Rollings has it right and the old guard is wrong, history will not be kind to PGC and his band of misfits.
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 7 months ago
Mr. Wilchcombe, we are still waiting on you, as well as Mr. Gibson and Mr. Christie, to explain why National Insurance had to invest more than $30 million dollars in the Bank of The Bahamas (BOB) last year in order to keep it afloat as a result of the write-off by BOB of millions of dollars in loans to you and other politicians and their business cronies in the private sector. COME CLEAN WITH US ABOUT YOUR ROLE MR. WILCHCOMBE IN THE SQUANDERING OF THE PEOPLE'S FUNDS OR MOVE ON YOU BLITHERING DISGRACEFUL IDIOT!
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