The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson has asserted that former opposition Senator Lanisha Rolle’s actions as a “self-proclaimed official party ambassador” is a reflection of the “level” of leadership now at the helm of the Free National Movement. While lamenting the situation, Mr Watson yesterday told The Tribune “it was just one of those things we will have to work through”.

Meanwhile, Brent Symonette, who also served under a previous Ingraham administration as this country’s deputy prime minister, said he believed Mrs Rolle did the right thing in

resigning from the upper chamber.

However, he said he was not of the view that it placed the party in a precarious position as has been asserted by critics.

“It’s sad,” Mr Watson said when he was contacted. “She’s not a dumb girl but she was just so up in people’s faces.

“But you really got to look at what caused her to get there like she was a self proclaimed party ambassador acting on behalf of the party. In my view it goes back to the leadership. I wish it didn’t happen but it’s just one of those things that we will have to work through.”

On Friday, Mrs Rolle resigned from the Senate citing a “need to focus on a few personal matters.” Dr Duane Sands, the party’s Elizabeth constituency hopeful and a former senator, will replace her.

It came after this newspaper published exclusively stories about an audio recording in which she made disparaging comments about several FNM MPs, including Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner, during a conversation with political hopeful Lincoln Bain.

Despite the new round of criticism that this matter has brought, Mr Symonette insisted the party is not falling apart.

He said: “I haven’t heard the tape personally. I have heard what other people have said the tape contains so I can’t comment directly to it, but I think she did the right thing to resign.

“I don’t think it puts the party in any different position. She made comments and resigned and the leader accepted and appointed someone else. Dr Duane Sands is well known and has been given the nod for the Elizabeth constituency. He has also been very forthcoming when it comes to the government and National Health Insurance (NHI) so it works well.”

In the purported recording of her conversation with Mr Bain, Mrs Rolle spoke at length about the political future of several members of the party with whom she was dissatisfied.

She also used the discussion to inform Mr Bain that the FNM had reportedly made a decision not to offer him a nomination for the Pinewood Gardens constituency ahead of the 2017 general election.

The comments led several FNMs to anonymously call for her to resign as they also castigated FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis saying her appointment to the Senate highlighted his poor leadership ability.

Mrs Rolle faced backlash in January when she criticised Mrs Butler-Turner during a call in to a radio talk show.

She said the country would not support the Long Island MP as leader, adding that some MPs are “jealous” of Dr Minnis.

Her statements prompted several sitting MPs to demand that she apologise, which she eventually did.

Mr Watson at the time of the earlier controversy said Mrs Rolle had “no sense”, calling her one of Dr Minnis’ “tragic mistakes.”

The incident was seen as a flashpoint in the FNM that highlighted the degree of dissension surrounding Dr Minnis’ leadership.