Loretta Butler-Turner, leader of Opposition in the House of Assembly. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Deputy Chief Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
LONG Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner insisted yesterday that she was not “frightened” by a recently submitted petition rejecting her 2017 general election candidacy for her constituency while maintaining that she remains committed to the area.
She further expressed doubt that the petition reflected even half of the voter base in Long Island.
Mrs Butler-Turner, who was already ratified to run for the constituency, told The Tribune she was not afraid of competition when it came to contesting the seat, but would not yet reveal whether she intended to run as an independent candidate.
This, she said, would depend on what conclusion the Free National Movement comes to at the end of the disciplinary proceedings now underway against her and the six other FNM MPs who wrote to Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling expressing no confidence in FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis.
This led to his removal as leader of the Official Opposition. Mrs Butler-Turner was officially sworn in as his replacement on Sunday, but this has placed her candidacy with the party hanging in the balance.
“I am committed to Long Island,” Mrs Butler-Turner said. “Long Island has to determine whether I have been good for them or not. The proof is always in the election.
“Quite frankly elections are about getting the majority of the votes. You want to know if I am going to run in Long Island? I am not afraid of competition.”
Asked if she was going to run as an independent, she responded: “I am an FNM. Have they expelled me yet? I will deal with whatever is dealt to me. I am committed to Long Island.
“If the FNM decided to withdraw or rescind (the) ratification of me then I will have to know what I will do. If that is what the party wants to do I am not about to get into a rowing match with them. It is up to the people of Long Island to decide what they want to do.
“A petition… that doesn’t frighten me. I’ll guarantee you that it doesn’t have 40 per cent of the voter base.”
On Monday, Dr Minnis confirmed that the party started its search for a new candidate in Long Island.
FNM Chairman Sidney Collie added that the party received a petition from voters in Long Island who say they do not want Mrs Butler-Turner to represent them in 2017.
However, when he was contacted yesterday, he would not say how many signatories were on the petition. He has told The Tribune that the petition, along with the opinions of constituents, would play into whatever decision the Executive Committee makes.
On Monday, former FNM Cabinet minister Tennyson Wells weighed in on the situation predicting that Mrs Butler-Turner’s efforts were “going nowhere.”
At the time he said: “She wouldn’t even get her deposit back. Mark my words. Whoever controls the torch symbol, the name and the council will be the winner in this. At the end of the day, all of this will lead them nowhere.”
Meanwhile, Dillis Smith, former FNM Long Island Constituency Association chairperson, said the petition submitted to the party on Sunday night was formal notice that “Long Island don’t want lazy Loretta.”
According to Ms Smith, contention between certain constituents and the MP has been building since 2012. However, she said the “stunt” the MP pulled last week was all they could take.
Mrs Butler-Turner, Central Grand Bahama MP Neko Grant, St Anne’s MP Hubert Chipman, Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn, North Eleuthera MP Theo Neilly, Central and South Abaco MP Edison Key and Ft Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins each signed a letter of no confidence last Wednesday in Dr Minnis.
Comments
Regardless 7 years, 4 months ago
" Lazy Loretta " LOL....the only thing that is not lazy with the woman is her mouth.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 4 months ago
Rumours are running rampant that Bran has promised LBT she can run under the DNA banner in the Montagu constituency if she senses Long Islanders will not give her the support she believes she deserves and that this apparent fact has greatly offended and incensed the constantly yapping little white-haired poodle who has very foolishly and prematurely proclaimed his undying loyalty to the Dimwitted Doc Minnis.
Publius 7 years, 4 months ago
When did he do that?
Economist 7 years, 4 months ago
Long Islanders are acting precipitously. Someone has gone and wound up the hot heads. It is to be expected and plays into the hands of the old guard FNM Council.
They may very well remove her, indeed I expect the old idiots to do so. And Long Island will become the one we can look back to for destroying the FNM......sad.
Publius 7 years, 4 months ago
Are you serious. Hubert Minnis and Loretta Butler Turner both have their share of actions that have not served the party well though ofcourse Minnis gets the lion share, but it is the Bahamian people of Long Island - who had absolutely no say in any of the things Minnis or Loretta have done - that would have destroyed the FNM?
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 4 months ago
We agree on that. It's a far stretch to say the people of Long Island started this mess
TalRussell 7 years, 4 months ago
Comrade Loretta needs to redo the math from the 2012 General and then rethink why she is not afraid of candidacy rejection by the good people of Long Island.
Loretta should be afraid of a petition circulating around Long islanders cause it's a guarantee that it has garnered more than 40% "no more Loretta for Long Island" from her 2012 core voters base. Has Loretta forgotten that back in 2012, a stunning 46% of all Long Islanders who turned out to vote on election day, did not vote for her.
Loretta is the most likely of the Seven-Coup de théâtre MP's who will find themselves seat-less, once the 2017 General's bell get rungs.
Economist 7 years, 4 months ago
The only reason that this has occurred is that a group of very old men (Wells, CA, Moore, Thompson and Dupuch with some of the original fossils of the FNM) have hijacked the party. They have resisted, as much as they could, having young council members and, by and large, have kept the old and decrepit as a large majority of the Council.
If they had allowed and encouraged a younger council we would not be in a situation where half the FNM's traditional voters want nothing to do with the FNM.
I keep running into people who either are not going to vote or will vote DNA again to protest the FNM.
Some have said that if Sears were to win the PLP leadership they would consider voting for the PLP before they vote FNM.
Upvote0
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 4 months ago
Not true, there were rumours way back that long islanders were not happy with Loretta. I think these candidates overestimate their own worth, people are tied to the party not the individual, unfortunately. They "may" have voted for Loretta under the FNM banner or they "may" vote for Loretta under the DNA banner, but Loretta Independent could never win. This is what I saw as one of the fundamental flaws in her plan. She's damaged FNM goods and if she was gonna switch to DNA or start her own party, it should have been done. The fact that she hasn't tells me clearly there was no plan. Because this hanging on to the FNM with white knuckles isn't helping any of them.
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 4 months ago
The DNA miscalculated too. I don't believe they considered how many of their people would be upset over an alliance with Loretta
licks2 7 years, 4 months ago
Man I told ya. . .ya advised LBT wrongly. . .doc has the support of the people. . .since yinna did not send us yall Papa we will take yinna doc over LBT. . .it een about yall in the party. . .THIS THE PEOPLE'S TINGS. . .GEE WE WHO WE WANT OR GET THE HECK OUTTA WE WAY! Now let us decide who we ger take. . .PGC, MOSS OR DOC! Bran done gone a shoot himself in his foot. . .he like LBT are lying all over the place just to get power. . ."ween fer dat"! The PLP done lie to us enough. . .why will we pick two persons who will lie at the drop oof a hat just to get power?
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 4 months ago
"“Quite frankly elections are about getting the majority of the votes. You want to know if I am going to run in Long Island? I am not afraid of competition."
Amazing a"yes" or "no" question gets response "I am not afraid of competition". But maybe she is afraid of straight answers.
Bahamaland 7 years, 4 months ago
How quickly Bahamians forget Loretta was the first on the ground coordinating relief after Hurricane Joaquin, while Perry and Minnis was flying from island to island. The PLP has repeatedly said they will not do anything for Long Island because Loretta lambasted them in the last FNM administration. Please name one thing the PLP has done in any of the opposition constituencies worth mentioning.
Alex_Charles 7 years, 4 months ago
the failures of others does not give credence to another individual.
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 4 months ago
She was not the first. Head Knowles was the first. Anyway, Loretta's problem is Loretta. If she had not pulled the backstabbing stunt, people "would" probably be talking about her being the "first on the ground", instead they're talking about her being a back stabber.
TigerB 7 years, 4 months ago
Too much speculation, wait and see how it will play out with the FNM's disciplinary board. I am sure she is not stupid enough to not plan for the worst case sanerio, which is being dumped by the FNM.
licks2 7 years, 4 months ago
They will not dump her. . .they done most damage to her by just "kicking her out" from Long Island seat. . .she don't appear smart enough to see what has been done to her. . .I WILL NOT SAY WHAT I SEE COMING FOR HER NOW. . .ALL GUNS ARE POINTED AT HER ALONE!! ENOUGH SAID. . .LET HER CHAIRING SECTION ON THIS SITE "FIGURE OUT" WHAT THE NEXT SHOE IS LIKE. SHE DID THIS TO HERSELF. . .THE MONEY PEOPLE WILL BACK DOC. . .THEY HAVE THEIR GREED TOO YA KNOW. . .THEY WANT TO WIN. . .OR HERE COMES 5 MORE YEARS OF PGC!
screwedbahamian 7 years, 4 months ago
Mrs. Butler-Turner has the opinion that the Leader of the FNM is a weak leader and has taken the action to support her principles and vision for the Bahamas and Bahamians. Real born and raised Long Islanders have always supported individuals who are willing to take action to support their principles. Let be real, if a party (any party) nominate a candidate,who does not live in and among their constituency is really not interesting representing the people of that constituency but only in becoming a government. When you have a weak leader, you are always going to have an Individual or group of individuals that will try to seize leadership power. In a government it can only mean continued chaos and indecisions.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
As of today ........... If LBT runs as a "third party" candidate in Long Island in 2017, she will end up in last place ............. 1. FNM (800 votes) ..... 2. PLP (400 votes) ........... 3. LBT (100 votes) ............. 4. Unregistered/Non-voters 300
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