By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
THE Free National Movement's staggering election defeat should not be interpreted as an outright rejection of its leader, says a former minister.
Outgoing ministers pointed to the depressed economy and the presence of the Democratic National Alliance as potential reasons for the party's sweeping loss at the polls on Monday.
In a move that symbolised for some a demand for a change in government, the Progressive Liberal Party secured 28 of 38 seats and five ministers were axed.
Outgoing Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest, Minister of Education Desmond Bannister, Minister of State for the Environment Phenton Neymour, Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Charles Maynard lost their seats.
Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly Kwasi Thompson, FNM Chairman Carl Bethel and former Blue Hills MP Sidney Collie also lost their seats.
Mr Bannister, who lost North Andros and Berry Islands, said: "Our message didn't resonate with them in this election sufficiently for us to win. I don't think that should be taken as an endorsement for the new government because in many constituencies the margin is so close. By no means is it a rejection of [Ingraham], when you look at the total popular vote it's amazing how close that is."
Mr Bannister lost to PLP candidate Dr Perry Gomez by 22 votes.
Elizabeth candidate Dr Duane Sands attributed the loss to several factors including: anti-incumbent sentiments, the 'distortion' of facts, and prevailing economic downturn. Dr Sands lost to the PLP's Ryan Pinder by 123 votes.
Dr Sands said: "Bahamians I think made some decisions for the short term as opposed to the long term. You have to respect the decision of the electorate regardless."
Highlighting that the country was still on the mend from the record global recession, Charles Maynard said the party now has to pick up the pieces and move on.
"The Bahamian people wanted change, and I guess make us pay for the recession. Like many other governments around the world, incumbents have lost and we were no different."
Mr Maynard said the DNA had 'tremendous' pull and split the vote in many constituencies.
The third party scored a significant and historic feat in the 2012 General Election with more than 10,000 votes.
The party's performance and impact at the polls was likened to the Coalition for Democratic Reform participation in the 2002 elections.
As a former CDR member, Mr Maynard said he warned party supporters not to experiment with the DNA as it would split the vote.
"I don't blame the DNA," Mr Maynard said.
"The Bahamian people wanted change whether they were in the race or not I believe we may not have won in any event. People wanted to try something different and I think that has everything to do with the recession that we are facing."
Yesterday, Mr Turnquest said it was too early to analyse the factors behind his loss to PLP candidate Arnold Forbes in Mt Moriah.
"[The DNA] aren't significant as a third party," Mr Turnquest said.
"But it was significant in the sense that in six or eight close seats you can look at the results. Some the persons didn't win by more than 50 votes."
Mr Turnquest added: "Go back to 2002, the CDR created the same effect in many constituencies, they are no longer around."
Comments
TalRussell 12 years, 6 months ago
Tommy you couldn’t even shoot straight when you were the leading failure sitting around the FNM regimes cabinet table. You couldn’t even wear PM Christie’s dirty socks much less define what this man’s stock is made from. If you Jokers couldn’t sign Tina Turner when you held the power of government, ya try getting her to be associated with you bunch of rejects reduced to fewer MP’s than the audience that turned out to see a Documentary on ya Papa Ingraham. You used up your full five years before you dared rang the bell and still the natives saw through the lies and kicked your backsides out of office, forever this time around. Comrades hopefully with the rejection of Ingraham's FNM regime the natives can worry less about their future The one-man campaign of attempting to destroy the credibility of his long time former, trusted law partner would come to be blindsided by the intelligence of the thousands of decent God fearing, but not Ingraham fearing, natives for exactly what is was, defying all common sense and decency, with but one objective in mind, to implant doubt in the minds of the natives about the honesty of PM Christie. No wonder this man does not want to sit in the House next to his “just about enough remaining FNM MP’s to fill a telephone booth” and have to look his former law partner in the eyes. Comrades for five long years they all sat muted while this one man’s actions grew stranger and stranger with each reckless outburst. History will teach future generations of how close our Bahamaland may have come to living under a governing regime fuelled by contemptible arrogance or the desires of a would-be dictator? If you compare the Christie of today to the man Ingraham defeated in 2007 you see a man who unlike Ingraham stuck it out with his party during and after the humiliation of defeat at the polls. How could you not admire a man who when he was far behind in the polls he stuck it out, always knowing that the race ahead to reclaim the confidence of the natives would be long and treacherous. When Christie was behind he stood tall as a man. Christie has never been about him. He never destroyed trusted friends and colleagues. Real men don’t behave that way.
Observer 12 years, 6 months ago
Update, correction or what ever, but the official seat count is 29 PLP and 9 FNM.
concernedcitizen 12 years, 6 months ago
tal russel i thought now the election is over maybe you would ease up ,no such luck !!!sir do you have a jod or a hobby ..ingraham is gone they lost its time you find a relavent target for your venom ... after your hero and the new minister of works ,land and oil are in a year lets have a discussion on a non political subject ,the murder count
TalRussell 12 years, 6 months ago
Dr Duane Sands what in the hell are you talking about. If ever there were a 'distortion' of twisting facts it was by your wretched FNM regime. Praise be to the Almighty that He saw to it that the lies that would defy common sense would not prevail. Face it, the natives saw through the lies to put your regime out of power like they put their garbage out at curbside on garbage collection day.
Philosopher_King 12 years, 6 months ago
Delusions and revisionist history abounds amongst the vanquished. Citizen HAI is totally and completely to blame for this lost. For he was merely aided in small part by his spineless minions who failed to listen in '07 when I and many others said digging up HAI from the political graveyard will only bring short term success that will lead to long term failure for the FNM in 5 years. Now you see what we were talking about.
John 12 years, 6 months ago
WHY THE FNM LOST:
IF it was because of the road project and crime in Nassau alone then why did the FNM lose so many Family island seats, some miserably?
Why did those persons that Hubert and the FNM attack the most in the PLP win by the most comfortable margin? IF lady Pindling was running, there would have been many 'zero votes' in the FNM column under her name.
Why did the FNM not remind the electorate of the condition of this country when they came to office? No traffic signals in the island of New Providence was working, BEC could not keep the lights on, water was being in short supply, the dump was on fire, tourism was at a low ebb, schools were in disrepair and the PLP seem unable to complete any project they started and the misery level was unbearable.
Of all the radio stations in the nation, many licensed under the FNM government, either they do not have talk shows, or their talk shows under the FNM were anti-government. In most of its term in office, the FNM chose to ignore the media, and go about the task of setting the country back on its legs and moving foward. Did the 'weak' FNM public relations against the army of anti-government radio stations have a greater impact than expected?
Did Huberts comments about voting for papa work against him and the FNM? Did he scare away the young PLP vote and the undecided voter when he wanted to act as step daddy, then turn around and cuss out Lady P. for no apparent reason. Did he not know grammy is the most sacred thing in any family?
What about the decision NOT to appoint a deputy leader of the FNM going into election?
Have you visited any government office lately? customs, BTC, B.E.C? why is there a great air of clelbration of the PLP's victory? These government workers were the least impacted by the recession and the 5 years of hardship it wreaked on the Bahamas, yet they celebrate at the FNM's defeat. They did not lose jobs, did not get lay off and were paid on time and every time!
What about the FNM cabinet? While they were hard working, did they do enough to be more likeable in the public? Zhivago Laing, Tommy Turnquest, Charles Maynard..did all work and no play cause the FNM to lose?
Are Bahamains somewhat facinated with scandals in government and attracted, like a magnet, to those who are scandal ridden? From the results seem like those the FNM tried to scandalize the most won by the greatest margins: the Leslie Millers, The Shane Gibsons, Fred Mitchell..
Did Bahamians grow compassion for Perry Christie at the (th hour being attacked on every front, by the FNM, and by forces within his own party. If the campaign had gone on another few days it seem like he wasn't going to make it
Philosopher_King 12 years, 6 months ago
Most of your analysis is so off base you shows how really as out of touch with the Bahamian people you are. You must have been advising Citizen Ingraham or one of his yes men flunkies blindly following him into the abyss. For a myriad of real tangible reasons a majority of the voters (PLP and DNA) rejected the all Hubert all the time FNM, and you'll probably never really understand; due to your purely tribal hatred of the PLP. Remember the discontent you heard on the radio for the past 4yrs aside from a few empty vessel chronic callers was more likely general discontent with Ingraham, and pleas for discourse on the issues. Dismissing it as nonsense will get you in the end as you can now see.
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