The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE Democratic National Alliance has no intention of absorbing any of the Free National Movement’s seven members of Parliament who revolted against Killarney MP Dr Hubert Minnis in the House of Assembly, according to DNA Deputy Leader Chris Mortimer yesterday.

However, if any of the seven “rebel” MPs express an interest in joining the party, Mr Mortimer said the DNA’s Candidates Committee, which is tasked with choosing representatives for the party, would make the decision.

This comes as questions continue to linger over the next move of Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner and her FNM counterparts who each face disciplinary action from their party. Since they ousted Dr Minnis as leader of the Official Opposition, the group has given no clear indication of what move will be next. However, DNA Leader Branville McCartney has previously said he has not “given any consideration” to public speculation that his party could be the destination for those seven parliamentarians.

The group unseated Dr Minnis as leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Assembly last month after they submitted a letter of no confidence in him to lead them in Parliament to Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling. They chose Mrs Butler-Turner to lead the group in Parliament moving forward.

Not long after she was sworn in as Dr Minnis’ replacement, Mrs Butler-Turner revealed that Mr McCartney was her pick to be the leader of opposition business in the Senate.

“Anyone who wants to be a part of the DNA can,” Mr Mortimer said during a press conference yesterday. “We have no intention of absorbing FNM candidates.

“We have an arrangement that we were trying to get across to the Bahamian people that we were going to do what was in the best interest of our country first and our people second, even if it means working across party lines to get our shared goal accomplished.

“Because at the end of the day a broken country doesn’t make a difference if you are FNM, PLP or DNA if we continue down the road where we are spending $300m more on fuel for electricity than we should. We all suffer because of that. “If we have poor governance in this country and it means that after the election, VAT goes to 10 per cent we all suffer because of that.

“So at the end of the day I think that we are trying to make a statement that we are all in this together and there are issues that cross party lines. We have a government that if you ask the person on the street if they are better now than they were four and half years ago, 95 per cent of the people will tell you ‘no’.

“We are a country that is in a poor state. Just look in the eyes of the young people, walk around the street, look them in the eye. We have soulless people walking around on the street. (These are) young people with no hope and this is going to be the first generation of young people that will accomplish less than their parents. The first in the history of our country and people want us to play politics. They want us to adhere to the gang culture of being this colour or that colour,” Mr Mortimer added.

“What we are saying is listen we’re going to play grown up politics now. We’re going to work on the things that matter. Even if it means we have to work across party lines,” Mr Mortimer said.

Before Mr Mortimer’s defence of the party’s decision to join forces with the seven MPs, Mr McCartney urged Bahamians to register to vote. He said the passion once felt by the electorate has been replaced with apathy. Bahamians no longer believe that their votes make a difference and this sentiment is as dangerous as it is pervasive, the former Cabinet minister said.

He said: “Despite the flaws in our politics, it must be noted that of all the rights afforded to us as citizens of this great country there is arguably none more important than the right to vote. For many years, Bahamians like you and me were unable to exercise that right. Just a generation ago, Bahamians like you and me were excluded from the process of governance and were subjected to the will and whim of a certain class of individuals.

“Even now, in this age of relative freedom, we must be mindful that thousands of men and women around the globe are still being denied their right to democratically elect their own governments. Here in the Bahamas, it took the courageous intervention of brave men and women to change that. As we approach another general election, it is vital that we not take their struggle for granted.

“For this reason I encourage my fellow Bahamians not to turn their backs on the political process, but to view every opportunity to vote as more than just a right, but an opportunity to honour the sacrifice of our fore-bearers, and to play an active role in securing a better way of life for all Bahamians. Voting is more than JUST your constitutional right it is also your responsibility. I encourage all persons who have not already done so, to register now. Your vote is your voice. Don’t be silent,” Mr McCartney said.

The DNA is expected to reveal a new group of election candidates soon.