The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

FREE National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis has extended the olive branch to Loretta Butler-Turner and her large group of senior supporters as well as members of the media who have been busy undermining him over the last three plus years.

It remains to be seen if the group of FNM elitists who have been working behind the scenes to destroy Minnis will finally accept reality that he is going nowhere anytime soon.

If nothing else came out of the recent FNM convention, it is that politics is a cutthroat blood-sport. It was an embarrassing spectacle to watch Butler-Turner being ignored by FNM parliamentarians, including the other five members of the Gang of Six, after calling for them to join her on stage after her convention speech on Thursday night.

Only Dr Duane Sands had the courage to support her, even though it was evident to him at that point that Butler-Turner did not stand a snowball’s chance in hell of defeating Minnis based on the delegates’ constant heckling of Butler-Turner during her speech.

Obviously someone within the Butler-Turner camp has been giving her bad advice. They grossly misread the mood of FNM delegates, who they could have sworn wanted desperately to see the back of Minnis based on the newspaper write-ups of a small group of Butler-Turner supporters.

The following questions now beg an answer: Where was Neko Grant? Where was Dr Andre Rollins? Where was Richard Lightbourn? Where was Hubert Chipman? Where was Theo Neilly? Where was Monique Gomez? Where was Heather Hunt? Where was Lynn Holowesko? Where was Frank Watson? Where was Darron Cash? Where was Brensil Rolle? Where was Brent Symonette?

All of these prominent FNMs left Butler-Turner hanging high and dry on Thursday night. After all of the noise in the market from this group, not one of them had the testicular fortitude to go up on stage with their candidate in a show of solidarity.

With respect to the five members of the Gang of Six, their abandonment of Butler-Turner in her hour of greatest need may have stemmed from their sense of self preservation. They want to be renominated by the FNM, despite Rollins’ declaration that they should not seek renomination in the event Minnis wins.

How can MPs such as Grant and Rollins run on Minnis’ ticket after essentially calling him a lousy, incompetent leader? This was the same group which prodded Butler-Turner in forcing Minnis’ hand in calling for an early convention. This was the same group that did everything possible to embarrass and hurt Minnis in public.

Butler-Turner has been embarrassed on national TV and is now $100,000 out of pocket, thanks to her supporters. The least this group can do is to refund her the money she wasted on a failed venture.

THE MINNISITES

Nassau,

August 1, 2016