The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORT Charlotte MP Mark Humes interrupted Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ speech in the House of Assembly yesterday to urge the Killarney MP to treat him with more respect, saying he deserves it after he was “unceremoniously” dumped from the Free National Movement’s ticket for the next general election.

Dr Minnis was discussing his administration’s plans for Junkanoo when he referred to Drumeco Archer, the FNM’s candidate for Fort Charlotte.

“I call Drumeco Archer,” Dr Minnis said, “I call the next Member of Parliament, Drumeco Archer…”

Mr Humes, in a moment that caught many by surprise, then interrupted Dr Minnis to criticise his reference to Mr Archer and to suggest that he has not ruled out running in the next general election in some form despite being denied a nomination by the FNM.

“Typically, I’m very quiet here in the House and I listen quite intently to what’s taking place and for most of the last few months I’ve sort of kept graciously silent on most matters, actually for the last four years, on most matters that have taken place in Fort Charlotte,” Mr Humes said.

“And I think it’s better said publicly that I think it’s quite disrespectful that as I, the current Member of Parliament, sits here in the House of Assembly, the duly elected and unceremoniously deselected member of Parliament sits here, I think it’s quite disrespectful that my party would refer to (Mr Archer) as the next Member of Parliament.

“There’s no guarantee. The people still have a say in that matter, but I wouldn’t ask for it to be stricken from the record, I would just ask for more respect for the current sitting Member of Parliament until such time that I graciously decide that I’m going to move aside if that’s what I’m going to do. But until such time I would just ask my dear Prime Minister to just give me a little more respect.”

Dr Minnis responded: “I meant no disrespect or ill-intent to the sitting member for Fort Charlotte.”

Mr Humes is one of several sitting FNM MPs who have been denied a nomination in the next election. The others include Fox Hill MP Shonnell Ferguson, East Grand Bahama MP Peter Turnquest and Seabreeze MP Lanisha Rolle.

Pineridge MP Frederick McAlpine is widely expected to be denied a nomination as well.