The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie confirmed that his family was near a park where a man was shot last weekend, as he spoke out against “vitriol” and “bitterness” this election season.

Mr Christie told the media that he saw a post where a woman said she hoped members of his family would have been killed by shots fired during the incident. He did not specify where he saw this post.

The prime minister spoke of the ordeal when he was asked to shed light on his position regarding major revelations involving incumbent Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald and Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson.

But just as he has done for the last several weeks, Mr Christie did not answer the question, but skirted around it, ultimately going on to chastise the Free National Movement suggesting the party has told an “extraordinary amount of lies” and “misstatements”.

He added that the organisation had also demonstrated a lack of confidence in its leader by ratifying former Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette to run for the St Anne’s constituency and for having former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham appear at rallies.

He made the comments during an interview with the press just after voting in Wednesday’s chaotic advance poll at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium where thousands stood in long lines in the blistering sun to cast ballots. The voting got off to a late start after ballot boxes were late in getting to the polling station and confusion was widespread after a second voting location, the National Stadium, was eliminated from use.

Asked about Mr Fitzgerald’s solicitation of lucrative contracts from Baha Mar from as early as 2013 and allegations that Mrs Maynard-Gibson was alleged to have forged a “sweetheart” deal connected to the mega resort, Mr Christie said: “I told you before I am speaking from the platform of politics. I think we have had an extraordinary amount of lies and misstatements and what not. I think the FNM has clearly demonstrated that they don’t have the confidence in their leader (that) they’ve have had to go back now and bring back the former deputy prime minister and former prime minister to bolster their efforts in an election and that is because of the glaring inadequacies of leadership in their party.

“And so they have also followed what they’ve seen happen in the United Stated of America - say what you want to say about anybody at any time all the time, etc. I have said over and over two can play that game, but it doesn’t help our democracy.

“I said from the political platform (that) I saw a posting where a woman said she had hoped members of my family would have been killed by shots fired when they were on a park. When you reach certain demonic procedures in a country you have to be very careful. And I have been in politics for a long time and I have been able to have a civilised relationship with leaders of political parties for that length of time.”

On Sunday, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said Mr Christie’s wife Bernadette and daughter Alexandria were campaigning several streets away from an incident where a man was shot as he was walking through Mason’s Addition on Saturday night.

Senior ACP Dean told The Tribune that the prime minister’s family members were not in any danger because they were not in the immediate vicinity where the incident occurred.

However, there was some confusion over this situation as a well-placed source within the Progressive Liberal Party told The Tribune that the incident happened “right across from” where the prime minister’s wife and daughter had been campaigning.

On Wednesday, Mr Christie also said: “But we are going to a point now where even after an election the bitterness and the vitriolic commentary that goes deep into families is not going to end and not going to be seen as an election thing and that’s what I am concerned about. Then all of a sudden we have some real problems that affect our country in terms of the confidence that you have and so there are concerns that we have to somehow be careful with how we do our politics here. So there is no difficulty in my being confronted by people shouting and people for and against and that’s a wonderful thing and actually have fun doing it. But when they start shooting and saying things that are of a violent nature. Then we have to be concerned and I am telling you that is concerning.

“I have the responsibility of being leader of my party in trying to keep a semblance of order in my party with respect to our campaign. I try to utter from the political podium my concerns about it. I have spoken openly about it and again it is something for our country to take note of.”

“My apprehension may not be shared by many. They might think that this is just an ordinary day in the life of politics in our democracy. I have been around a long time and I have started to see deep-set feelings that do not stop when an election is finished. What I want to see is whether my side wins or loses I want to see a peaceful transition where a new government will come in whether formed by me or others and we can resume our democracy having demonstrated yet again that we are able to have wonderful elections and peaceful transitions into new governance and the country goes on. That’s what I am hoping and that is what I would like to believe will take place here,” Mr Christie said.