The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell moved on Friday to cool internal tensions and reassert control of the party’s nomination process, dismissing recent flare-ups and criticism of constituency boundaries as routine political noise rather than signs of instability.

His comments came as the PLP faces interest and rivalry over new and existing nominations, and a public challenge from the Free National Movement over the long-awaited Constituencies Commission report tabled in Parliament last week.

Addressing tensions that followed a Southern Shores branch meeting earlier this week, Mr Mitchell played down the significance of the incident, in which rival supporters of Obie Roberts and Clint Watson had to be restrained as tempers rose outside party headquarters.

“I don't think these passions mean anything essential,” he said. “That's just the name of the process. Again, whatever happens in Southern Shores, the nominee will be the best individual that the party believes can represent our banner in that constituency.”

He said such moments were inevitable in competitive politics and should not be overstated.

“You don't get excited about these things. These are the normal passions, which come with political questions, and in their essence, they don't go to the fundamentals of whether people support the party or they don't.”

Mr Mitchell said Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis is expected to convene the party’s candidates committee later this month to address nominations across the country.

Those decisions are now unfolding against the backdrop of the Constituencies Commission report, which proposes the creation of two new seats — St James in western New Providence and a combined Bimini and Berry Islands constituency.

Mr Mitchell said there has been strong interest within the party in the newly created Bimini and Berry Islands seat but stressed that the nomination process remains ongoing.

“Suffice to say there's a high degree of interest in it, and the party has a process that it deals with in determining who should be its nominee,” he said.

“It's probably premature for me to try and prescribe that in any way right now, except to say that the process will be free and fair.”

The Tribune has previously reported that PLP Senator Randy Rolle, whose family roots trace back to Bimini, and former North Andros and Berry Islands MP Carlton Bowleg are among the names being discussed. Bimini resident Natasha Bullard Hamilton has also been mentioned as a possible contender.

At the branch level, however, preferences are already emerging. Kitty Saunders, PLP branch chairperson for Bimini, said the party is backing Senator Rolle, whom she described as the strongest choice to represent the island.

She said Bimini has long pushed for its own constituency and requires representation that understands the island’s people, culture and future direction.

“Senator Randy Rolle Jr is a true son of the soil, and he has stepped forward with courage and humility and genuine commitment to serve,” she told The Tribune.

Mr Bowleg, who has already been ratified for North Andros and the Berry Islands, has said he continues to work in the constituency and will be guided by God in deciding his next step.

Beyond internal jockeying, Mr Mitchell also pushed back firmly against criticism of the Constituencies Commission report from FNM leader Michael Pintard, arguing the opposition lacks credibility after formally endorsing the document.

“The opposition didn't file a Minority Report,” he said. “They signed the report, so they agreed with the report, so they can come afterwards and say whatever they wish. The fact is, on the record, they agreed with the report. If they didn't agree with the report, they didn't have to sign the report, but they've signed the report.”

Mr Pintard has argued the report fails to adequately address voter parity, particularly in Grand Bahama, and leaves wide disparities between constituencies nationally. Mr Mitchell said such criticism overlooks the legal framework guiding the commission’s work.

“You know, the law states what the position is with regard to the constituencies, so it says that you try, in the first instance, for constituencies to be more or less equal. So it doesn't have to be an exact science,” he said.

He noted that the law also allows the commission to consider geographic dispersion, pointing out that large and complex constituencies exist across the country, including in Andros.

Acknowledging the limits of boundary-drawing, Mr Mitchell said the exercise could never be purely mathematical.

“It's not an exact science. The commission has done the best it can,” he said.