By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday urged supporters to ramp up voter registration efforts as the path will be clear towards the next general elections once the party emerges from its national convention next week.
Mr Christie addressed scores of supporters on the grounds of the party’s headquarters, filled to capacity for the ratification of 16 candidates – the majority of whom were senior incumbent MPs, including himself.
The candidates ratified last night all pledged to uphold the party’s commitment to economic
advancement and youth empowerment, and expressed their full support of Mr Christie as party leader, and his return as Prime Minister for another term.
Discord within the Free National Movement, and the faction led by Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner, was a recurring talking point, with many candidates insisting that the protracted turmoil exposed the opposition party’s inability to lead the country effectively.
“You have to believe as PLP supporters that the worst day in the PLP is better than the best day of the FNM,” Mr Christie said.
“You must believe in your party...at the end of the day we depend on you.
He said: “We’re going to convention, we want you to come out in large numbers. We want every seat filled, we want standing room only and if it’s successful there will be no standing room. We want the people of the Bahamas to see how serious we are in support of our leaders because we know when we leave that convention the path is clear towards the next general election. So don’t take it lightly when you are asked to get registered, one of the most fundamental rights you have is the right to vote.
He continued: “Do not compromise on that right because if you do you weaken your party’s chances of becoming the next government.”
Incumbent MPs ratified last night include: Mr Christie, Centerville; Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis, Cat Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador; Dr Bernard Nottage, Bain and Grants Town; Obie Wilchcombe, West Grand Bahama and Bimini; V Alfred Gray, MICAL; Glenys Hanna-Martin, Englerston; Shane Gibson, Golden Gates; Dr Michael Darville, Pineridge; Dr Perry Gomez, North Andros; Khaalis Rolle, Pinewood and Picewell Forbes, South Andros.
National Deputy Chairman of the PLP Senator Alex Storr, who ran for Long Island in 2012 and lost to Loretta Butler-Turner, was ratified for Elizabeth.
The party welcomed real estate broker Reneika Knowles as its standard bearer for the Killarney constituency. Ms Knowles, 30, is a former executive in the party’s youth arm, the Progressive Young Liberals, and vowed that she would not play political games with the lives and welfare of the Bahamian people.
Rev Preston Cooper, an executive at Stat Oil South Riding Point, was ratified for East Grand Bahama. Mr Cooper has served as the pastor of Sr Cleveland Baptist Church for the past 11 years, and was formerly the PLP Branch Chairman for East Grand Bahama and served as campaign manager for Pleasant Bridgewater.
Veteran educator Norris Bain was ratified for the Marco City constituency, and fisherman Clay Sweeting was again given the nod for North Eleuthera. Mr Sweeting contested the seat in 2012, but was beaten by FNM MP Theo Neilly.
Comments
John 7 years, 2 months ago
This is shaping up to be one of the most strangest, weirdest, interesting but not yet exciting elections in recent times. The country is in economic shambles, the opposition is in disarray and not united, the electorate confused and not even interested in registering, making this one of the smallest percentage of eligible voters to register. Candidates are ratified and s drop out the race, while others switch parties like basketball players in the NBA. Some who try to register are being discouraged by the process and others are being turned for stupid if not idiotic reasons. The boundaries commission is overdue to meet and with four short months left for an election, one has to wonder what the heck is really going on. Yet in good faith one should make every effort to register to vote.
Cobalt 7 years, 2 months ago
What's going on is that the PLP is in power.
Whenever the PLP leads, national disaster follows.
Honestman 7 years, 2 months ago
One should register to vote only AFTER the boundaries have been confirmed.
Sickened 7 years, 2 months ago
A picture of fools and drunks! Instead of being embarrassed they are proud of their party. Ignorance at its best!
Is that you Kimika peaking out near the back?
sheeprunner12 7 years, 2 months ago
Many old corrupt, deadbeat faces were presented, the token whiteboy and several toothless "new generation" spitballs ................. Nothing worth talking about ......... Time to vote the PLP out for at least the next twenty years to allow all of the over 60 crowd to die out
SP 7 years, 2 months ago
..................................... Is The PLP Still A Criminal Gang? .....................................
http://www.thenassauguardian.com/news...">http://www.thenassauguardian.com/news...
TalRussell 7 years, 2 months ago
Comrades! How can you look at a picture of PLP supporters and without knowing anything about the people in the picture - you know what's in their hearts and their views are on anything?
You can't possibly be the same people begging for mercy from the destructive behavior of your own party's Rebel Seven Coup MP's - lead by Long Island's MP Reheasa?
banker 7 years, 2 months ago
The phrase "PLP Supporters" says it all. I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain this to you. I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
alfalfa 7 years, 2 months ago
Sheeprunner. I am over sixty, also a sheeprunner, and you will be too. We all will die out. This does not mean that the youth will be any better than we are. Your views on the PLP are the same as mine, but young politicians and supporters are not automatically superior to "over sixty politicians and supporters". What is amazing to me is that such revelry is going on in Farrington Road, while Kemp Road is on police lock down. Politicians are Politicians; promising anything to get elected, and then looking out for themselves and their lackies when elected, regardless of the situation of the country. I hope that we have a change of government, though Loretta et al have done the damnedest to ensure that the PLP remain the government, and I also hope that the new government is an improvement.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 2 months ago
There is nothing good in the black power-hungry PLP kleptocracy ......... they have become a mutant form of the Bay Street Boys of days gone by (you should know some of them) ........ We need new leaders of an under-60 generation to remove the SLOP mentality shackles (aka Roots)
Cobalt 7 years, 2 months ago
Jesus, lover of my soul. Just look at these pile of fools. I give up. My father always use to tell me, "the only thing you can do for a monkey is give him a banana."
Cobalt 7 years, 2 months ago
The PLP has ran the country aground.... our dollar is set to be devalued in April 2018.... unemployment has reached fever pitch... social and economic morale is low.... a communist nation has been allowed to amass more wealth than the citizens in their own country.... the government has placed and unjustified tax burden on the backs of its citizens..... illegal gambling operations and racketeering organizations have allowed to flourish despite objections from the people.... the country is rudderless, leaderless and has no compass in the right direction.... Perry Christie doesn't know his elbow from his ass..... And yet still these bunch of bad-breath bungling baboons are still endorsing the PLP for government. What a bunch of idiots! Anyway..... as the adage goes "people get the government they deserve."
BahamaPundit 7 years, 2 months ago
I will state that I have allegiance to no party, only to the Bahamas becoming great again. By far, one of the saddest things I have ever seen is Bahamians still supporting the PLP in mass. The PLP that disobeyed the gaming referedum and kept its people in the bondage of secrecy and zero transparency. The PLP in which corruption ran rife, and in which we were downgraded to junk bond status. How do they still do it? I will probably never understand. What I do know is their supporters must have questionable cognitive abilities. It is impossible for a normally educated person to look at this last five years and speak highly of the party that called the shots. What a mess of a people!!!!
sheeprunner12 7 years, 2 months ago
It tells us that the 60,000 people who vote for the PLP have no moral character ......... how can anyone support such a corrupt set of people?? You are what you support .......... the PLP leaders are crooks & gangsters
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