The Tribune

By CELESTE NIXON

Tribune Staff Reporter

cnixon@tribunemedia.net

WITH the Free National Movement's convention days away, party insiders are urging young Bahamians to participate and throw their names into the hat for senior party positions.

Encouraging young FNM's to step up to the front lines, Attorney Donald Saunders, who will be vying for the FNM secretary general post, yesterday said a new generation of leaders needs to come forward in order to revitalise the party.

"Young FNMs," he said, "need to get involved in the political process not just nationally but from the party level. It is important we reorganise and re-energise our party and the best persons I think are some of the young professionals we have in the party now.

"I think the people of the Bahamas want to see some of our younger FNM's step up to the forefront and this is our opportunity to do so - given we are going to have a lot of incumbents who lost their seats vying for senior positions in the party, I want to encourage my young FNM colleagues not to be intimidated, not to be side tracked in their own personal and national ambitions."

Mr Saunders has been a member of the central council continuously since his return from university in 2001 as a council representative, elected party executive and deputy secretary general from 2007 to the present and was a FNM candidate in the 2007 general elections.

"I am going to go in with my best efforts, I hope people will see that I have remained committed to the party," said Mr Saunders.

"I want to continue in this national and political growth, I think that my experience, my commitment and my passion to see our party rebuild and re-ignite ourselves puts me in a good position to represent this office well."

Mr Saunders said he is prepared and ready to work and assist the chairman who will be selected this Saturday. He said he is throwing his full support behind FNM MP for Killarney and recently appointed leader of the Opposition Dr Hubert Minnis.

Proud of both the party's record and strong leadership of former prime minister Hubert Ingraham, Mr Saunders said while numerous factors contributed to the FNM's loss in the recent elections, he feels more could have been done to show voters that the party does put Bahamians first.

He said: "As a young FNM and Bahamian I am very proud of our record, our record I think should have propelled any incumbent government into office.

"There were some things I am sure if we could have done them differently or said some things differently, we would erase them from the record, but be that as it may I am proud of my Bahamian people that we were able to have a successful election and I think it speaks well to both parties and the future of politics in the Bahamas."

According to an FNM source the race for party chairman should be an interesting one, with unsuccessful FNM candidate for Golden Isles Charles Maynard, former Senator Anthony Musgrove, unsuccessful candidate for Elizabeth Dr Duane Sands and current chairman Carl Bethel vying for the position.

The FNM convention will be held on Saturday, May 26, at the Holy Trinity Activities Centre in Trinity Way north of McKinney Avenue, Stapledon Gardens.

Speaking in an earlier interview this week, FNM chairman Carl Bethel said the convention starts at 8am and outgoing leader, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, will give his farewell address during the opening ceremony, which begins at 9am. The public is invited to attend.

After the opening ceremony, Mr Bethel said the convention will go into closed sessions, during which there will be nominations of candidates to contest senior party offices.

Voting will then take place, followed by the adoption of proposed amendments to the party's constitution, followed by an awards and recognition ceremony.

The evening session of the convention, which is also open to the public, will begin at 7pm and will feature the official announcement of the new party leader, deputy leader and all other elected officials.

A closing address and charge to delegates will be given by the new party leader.