The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER senior Free National Movement figure crossed the political divide yesterday, ending a 33-year association with the FNM and declaring her support for Prime Minister Philip Davis and the Progressive Liberal Party ahead of the next general election.

Caron Shepherd, who previously served as the FNM’s Englerston candidate in 2012, president of the party’s Women’s Association for three terms and a party trustee, was formally welcomed into the PLP at a press conference at party headquarters on Farrington Road. She was presented with a PLP membership card and pin and posed for photographs with party chairman Fred Mitchell and other officials.

Ms Shepherd, the daughter of the late former PLP MP James Shepherd, said her decision to leave the FNM was rooted in concern that the party no longer reflected the principles championed by its founders.

“They have strayed from the goals our founding fathers set out to accomplish,” she said. “Their words are saying one thing, yet their actions show another. Our motto as the FNM used to be ‘all together,’ and today, the FNM is not all together.”

She said FNM leader Michael Pintard did not contact her after she made her resignation known, and described a party losing support among its base even as it focused on filling visible leadership roles.

While “the party was filling their spaces from the front,” she said, “the back is hemorrhaging.”

Ms Shepherd said her concerns grew while canvassing on behalf of the FNM and relaying feedback from dissatisfied supporters, only to find that party leaders were unwilling to listen or adjust course.

She framed her decision to join the PLP as one motivated by conscience rather than personal gain, saying she felt compelled to act in what she believes is the national interest.

“It was not an easy one, but it was one that took holy courage to be able to stand here today,” she said. “I don’t regret the decision that I have made. I’ve made my decision with a clear conscience.”

Ms Shepherd urged undecided FNM supporters to join her in backing Mr Davis for a second term in office, something no governing party has achieved since 1997.

“Join me on the winning team — a team focused on service to the Bahamian people,” she said.

“I pledge to work smart, hard, focused, and diligently to secure a second term for the PLP in service to our people. I am here to serve and to serve with purpose — for a better Bahamas. I have a heart for the people,” she added.

During her address, Ms Shepherd reflected at length on her father’s political legacy, describing her roots as “firmly grounded in the Progressive Liberal Party” and recalling his role in the labour unrest surrounding the general strike at the British Colonial Hotel and the 1967 general election. She cited the policies he championed, including price control, housing, inner-city renewal, strong immigration measures, reduced taxation for the poor, improved labour relations, agricultural support and national infrastructure development.

“My father won the great constituency of St Michael under the PLP banner in that historic election, becoming the first Whip in the House of Assembly — a symbol of a new generation with stamina, fortitude, and resilience,” she said, recalling his close association with the late Sir Lynden Pindling.

“Sir Lynden went, my father was by his side,” she said.

Ms Shepherd acknowledged progress under the Davis administration, while cautioning that significant work remains.

Welcoming her to the party, Mr Mitchell described the move as “a great day” for the PLP, suggesting she could play a role in the party’s general election campaign. PLP Women’s Branch chairwoman Calverna Small also welcomed Ms Shepherd, describing her as a formidable organiser who would strengthen the party’s efforts.