By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
FORMER PLP Senator and MP Philip Galanis yesterday predicted that the newly formed United Democratic Party would not gain sufficient traction to be elected to Parliament, as he insisted that there is no room for third parties in the country.
Mr Galanis told The Tribune that the party, under the leadership of Marco City MP Greg Moss, would not run a campaign successful enough to attract the kind of votes that were cast in favour of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), another third party, in the 2012 general election.
He said while he respected Mr Moss for making public his dissenting views when he was a part of the governing Progressive Liberal Party, this would not be enough to see him or his party win any seats in the House of Assembly.
The Tribune spoke to Mr Galanis the day after Mr Moss announced to parliamentarians that he was elected as leader of the UDP on November 22.
“I think we are a two-party system,” Mr Galanis said, “over the years regardless of the number of parties that existed and contested the elections it has only been the PLP and the FNM that have provided longevity and sustainability on the political landscape.
“There is no room because Bahamians will vote for whom they believe will form the government. The DNA and this UDP, really in my view, will not be able to prove that they can attract sufficient support to get their deposits back in a general election.”
He continued: “While there has been considerable and extreme disappointment, I still believe that both the PLP and FNM enjoy a core base support of at least 30 per cent of the electorate and it will be incumbent on them to ensure that they improve the candidates over the next few months to ensure that the level of disaffection and dissatisfaction will be (outshined) by better candidates being offered to the public than they had in the last general.
“I don’t believe that Mr Moss will be successful if he chooses to run. He won’t get his deposit back nor will he be able to launch a successful campaign.”
Mr Galanis said the UDP must ensure there is at least one convention ahead of the 2017 election to ensure the party is seen to have satisfied the criteria of a political party.
According to the party’s statement released on Monday, the UDP has plans to hold a convention no later than July 31, 2016.
“What I like about Mr Moss is that he is an independent thinker and not afraid to put forward his position in Parliament even when it deviated from his former party,” Mr Galanis added.
“We do need as many dissenting voices as possible. That is really how the Westminster system should work. The back benchers are supposed to do that but we have corrupted and shaped it in a way that we don’t really do this because everyone has been given cushy appointments making them less likely to hold the government’s feet to the fire,” Mr Galanis said.
Mr Moss quit the PLP in June and remained an independent MP until becoming leader of the UDP.
Comments
TruePeople 8 years, 4 months ago
???? I'm guessing he'd be happy if it was just one party....................... right?
He went on to say: " we have corrupted and shaped it (HOA) in a way that we don’t really do this (what they should be doing) because everyone has been given cushy appointments making them less likely to hold the government’s feet to the fire"
... how would a PLP supporter interpret that statement in a positive light i wonder?
cmiller 8 years, 4 months ago
There is no place for the PLP in this country anymore!!!!!
SP 8 years, 4 months ago
............... For GODS sake, please STFU Philip Galanis! .......................
"There Is No Room For Third Parties" But unlimited space for corrupt incompetent parties!
Cornel 8 years, 4 months ago
Keep the DNA and UDP and get rid o the others. . . . . . . Change is needed!
sealice 8 years, 4 months ago
this 2 party system is anything but democratic
Honestman 8 years, 4 months ago
The PLP would like a one party state where no one asks questions and officials are totally unaccountable. Come to think of it, isn't that what we have now?
sealice 8 years, 4 months ago
THE PLP PRAYS FOR COMMUNISM WITH THEIR CHINGRO PEEPS
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 4 months ago
Galanis is notorious for exercising poor judgement, just ask any of his partners at E&Y at the relevant time who fired him as managing partner of that firm for breach of fiduciary duties involving financial accounts under the control of himself and another E&Y partner. Chippy, a sitting FNM MP, knows all there is to know about Galanis. The only other managing partner of a major accounting firm to be fired by his partners was that disgraceful tax dodger Ishmael Lightbourne who royally ripped off not only fiduciary clients of the Price Waterhouse firm but also the firm itself. Yep, Galanis and Lightbourne are very much like birds of a feather that flock together. Why The Tribune chooses to give Galanis the time of day is beyond comprehension!
sealice 8 years, 4 months ago
it takes a thief to love a thief?
Reality_Check 8 years, 4 months ago
The Tribune gives Galanis the time of day for the same reason they give that other scoundrel George Smith the time of day....to remind us that slime has no shame and will always try to slip back into our lives to cause more harm than good.
sheeprunner12 8 years, 4 months ago
Galanis should do the honorable thing ................. resign from the PLP and support Greg Moss ....... he is definitely not a supporter of Perry Christie's PLP anymore
SP 8 years, 4 months ago
............................ PLP and FNM share the corruption pie 50/50 ............................
Mr. Moss has a very strong argument!
The only way to begin fixing our country is to elect a 3rd party mandated to tackle decades of corruption shared by the PLP and FNM.
Regardless of four decades laden with scandals, any number of disappearing millions and MP's mysteriously becoming millionaires overnight, the incumbent PLP or FNM never seek to address corruption of the losing party which is undeniably evidence of collusion and endemic corruption across the board.
Unquestionably Bahamians should be seriously seeking alternatives to the PLP and FNM good old boys crew of pirates that have driven our country soundly into this huge ditch we now find ourselves in.
Be it DNA and UDP or whomever else comes, one thing for sure is the PLP and FNM group of pirates will NEVER be a consideration, and they will not see the X of my vote ever again!
The 2017 electoral race should be between DNA and UDP. OUT with the PLP and FNM!
TruePeople 8 years, 4 months ago
I agree we need new parties. But the New parties look like cast offs from them current parties, so not sure how different they will be in practice....
Bahamianpride 8 years, 4 months ago
Truepeople agreed, New party with same old politicians is like putting dirty water in a clean bottle and serving it to the public as enhanced water for consumption, what's needed in Bahamian politics is a purge..
The_Oracle 8 years, 4 months ago
And what decent law abiding non tiefin respectable citizen would get involved with either FNM, PLP or their spinoffs? Bahamian Politics attracts the most unscrupulous shameless bunch of individuals. 40+ years on and it is still a textbook example of self Governance gone wrong.
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