The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement North Eleuthera candidate Howard “Rickey” Mackey yesterday said that in no way was he concerned by Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts’ threat to “drop some more bombshells” about him as the 2017 general election campaign season progresses.

Contacted yesterday by The Tribune, Mr Mackey said he did not know what Mr Roberts was talking about and that he had no fears that his campaign would be affected by the threats.

In a show of support for their candidate, FNM Chairman Sidney Collie fired back at Mr Roberts saying: “We got a bombshell of our own.”

He went on to defend the party’s vetting process amid criticisms from those who question how Mr Mackey was successfully ratified despite owing $9,500 to the Bahamas government for customs duties, which he committed in writing to pay.

It was Mr Roberts who first revealed this during a PLP event in Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera, last month that Mr Mackey had failed to settle the 15-year tax debt.

In response, Mr Mackey said he had “completely forgotten” about the settlement agreement and had since paid the money owed in full.

Still, at a rally in Grand Bahama over the weekend, Mr Roberts insisted that there was more to reveal concerning Mr Mackey and that once the candidate nominated to run, he would “drop some more bombshells.”

The government has ten days to confirm the date of nomination day now that the election date has been announced by Prime Minister Perry Christie, according to the Parliamentary Elections Act.

Asked about this, Mr Collie responded: “We got a bombshell of our own. We’ve got two bombshells (for that matter).

“So if he wants to expose, let him expose. The very thing that he wants to expose or is threatening our candidate with we have (on) two of their candidates and I’m going to hold that and he has to make the next move.”

Mr Collie would not further elaborate on what he was referring to, but he admitted that the investigation arm of the vetting process doesn’t turn up everything.

“Investigations are done, but investigations don’t turn up everything.”

He also said: “I know that Mr Mackey said that he forgot that he had the bill and when it was brought to his attention he went and paid it.

“When he was before the vetting committee he forgot. That doesn’t make the committee flawed.”

He said vetting in the party was “very transparent” and set up in a way that allows the committee to be as thorough in questioning as needed before choosing candidates.

“The candidate makes his interest known to the party, he makes his interest known to the constituency association (and) that starts the process,” Mr Collie said.

“Eventually the candidate sends in a letter of application with or without the written approval of the constituency association. That goes to a vetting committee with the resumé of the candidate and some references and he appears before a committee of five (including) C A Smith, Janet Bostwick, Mike Smith, Josh Sears and Dr Mildred Hall-Watson. They vet the candidate. Sometimes there are 15 (to) 20 applicants. They decide on the name they want to send forward, but all the names come to the candidates committee along with the one that they recommend.

“There is a vigorous debate at the candidates committee and the executive committee (stages). The candidates committee makes the final selection. It may or may not be the recommendation from the vetting committee. It goes to the central council (and) there is a vigorous debate in the Central Council and a vote is taken. When the vote is finished the candidate voted for is said to be ratified and the candidate is launched in the constituency.

“In that process the constituency sends in a letter sometimes with hundreds of names sometimes with the names of the executive committee.”

“A vetting is the applicant comes before the committee and they go through the resume and questions are put to the applicant and he/she answers all the question and that’s how the committee finds out. The committee can frankly ask as many questions as the committee deems necessary to find out and to determine whether there is anything in the candidate’s background of concern,” Mr Collie said.