Dr Duane Sands
DUANE SANDS announced last night that he will resign from the Senate if Dr Hubert Minnis wins the leadership contest at next month’s Free National Movement (FNM) convention.
Dr Sands - who was appointed to the Senate by the FNM’s leader only last month - has said he is running for the post of deputy leader on a ticket with Loretta Butler-Turner, who will vie for leader, when the party elections take place at the end of July. They are challenging the incumbent leadership team of Dr Minnis and K Peter Turnquest.
Last night, he told a radio talk show that if the present leaders were victorious at the convention he would step down from the Senate.
Dr Sands, who replaced Lanisha Rolle when she resigned her Senate seat in mid-May after becoming embroiled in controversy over criticising fellow FNM MPs, said that his push to be deputy leader was started with the aim of uniting the party and advancing the best possible platform ahead of the 2017 general election.
On Sunday, he told The Tribune he was “amazed and confused” to be told that former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham had said last week that he had recommended Dr Sands’ appointment for the past four years. Dr Sands said the delay to appoint him to the upper chamber, despite countless calls by “respected persons” within the party, shows that the organisation’s current leadership is not focused on putting the “best effort forward”.
Sources in the party have suggested that the move to name Dr Sands to the Senate had been “tossed about” but was delayed for some time out of fear that appointing the surgeon would give him a stronger platform to challenge the current leadership duo at the party’s upcoming convention.
One Central Council representative, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the internal belief for several months has been that the party was doing what it could to push people “all on board with (Dr) Minnis)” while “slowing the advancement of all those that aren’t a sure thing”.
When asked about this, Dr Sands told The Tribune: “It is time we get beyond this. We in the FNM have a job before us. We have a government doing very little to improve our country. You have to keep their feet to the fire. You have to put the right persons in place to ensure that we can emerge victorious come election time.
“We have to do what is necessary to work as a team and that has always been my point when I have had any discussion with any and everyone associated with this great party. Personally, I don’t have an issue with Dr Minnis or the Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest. From early on in this process I have held to the belief that skills - fundamentally sound individuals in specific areas - would have to play key roles in moving this party forward.
“If you look around, the bashing and criticising isn’t being encouraged by this side. Personally, I don’t think the FNM has had an effective team concept developed to this point. It could be because Dr Minnis sees some of us as challengers or however you describe it. But as a leader, it is your job to walk into the room and get everyone on the same page and moving in one direction.”
In an email chain that was leaked in early May, Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins urged Dr Minnis to remove Kwasi Thompson from the Senate and appoint Dr Sands in his place. According to the leaked emails, Long Island MP Mrs Butler-Turner, St Anne’s MP Hubert Chipman and Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn all backed Dr Rollins’ comments.
The FNM’s convention is scheduled for July 27 to 29.
Comments
Publius 7 years, 9 months ago
The FNM as we have known it is finished. This thing that exists now called the FNM is of no use to the Bahamian people whatsoever.
The_Oracle 7 years, 9 months ago
Please, in this one thing, please follow thru and resign, go back to surgery or whatever it is you do. Try take Loretta with you too, but be ready to duck the slap!
TalRussell 7 years, 9 months ago
by TalRussell
licks2 7 years, 9 months ago
What these people got up. . .all this cloak and dagger . . . ya mean they have to go through all this "cock-eye" dealings to beat Rocking Doc? Their actions speaks volumes for the leadership ability of doc! All of them gang-up on him in public. . .something you never do in a political party with internal information! Brent, Watson, the gang of six, the tribune, guardian, Scott and Daron Cash et al. Only papa keeping his head low. . .refusing to publically endorse LBT . . .what a crew. Doc Sands must learn to keep his mouth shut! LBT may slap the glad happy bags outta him!!
DEDDIE 7 years, 9 months ago
I am of the opinion that anyone who have a problem with Dr. Minnis leadership upon him winning should not seek to be lead by him going into the next general election. The honorable thing would be for them to fall on their sword. It would be foolish for Dr Minnis to keep a group of "Brutus" with swords as his rear guard.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 9 months ago
Freemason lodge brother Sands and LBT.... or corrupt incompetent Minnis. What kind of ridiculous choice is that? All three need to go....better still....let 'em all stay with the FNM party along with the ding bat FNM council members, and we the Bahamian people and voters will simply accept that the FNM party no longer exists .......which in reality has been the truth since Ingraham obliterated the party during his last term in office. Even the illegal Haitians voters who were wrongfully given Bahamian citizenship now say: "Papa ain't no Baby Doc and we ain't want no Papa Doc!"
John 7 years, 9 months ago
SP 7 years, 9 months ago
.................. DUANE SANDS is a genius unto himself and the Little Emperor .................
Driven By Hubert Ingraham, this man continuously overestimates his abilities.
Imagine Igraham as PM and Sands as DPM....These two dictators would finish destroying the country even faster than this current PLP group of clowns!
licks2 7 years, 9 months ago
Dr Sands just need to "hold his horse" . . .talk about doc roc not thinking on his feet. . .this man is worse. . .he seem to have serious problems with follow-through in thoughts! He started out speaking on one topic. . .directed by the reporter. . .did find as long as the reporter directed his thoughts! However, when left to free-flowing though processing skills. . .HE WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE STARTING ONE TOPIC. . .NOT FINISHING. . .STARTING ANOTHER. . .LEAVING IT INCOMPLETE BEFORE STARTING ANOTHER TOPIC! When he was done he did not realized that he did not answer the original topic and stated a solid conclusion. . .which I did not understand because I was processing through his thoughts as I was supposed to have done and was still on his original topic!! LBT tends to do that too. . .remove her beyond "prepackaged" sound bites. . .she is lost! She then resorts to speaks in huge generalities such as: "We need developments on out islands and a focused review of our governance in new providence". . .she says it well. . .but what the heck that means!
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