The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The feuding among Free National Movement supporters of Leader Dr Hubert Minnis and Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner is becoming more and more like the standoff between the Hatfields and McCoys. The group backing Minnis is adamant that Butler-Turner should not be entrusted with the reins of leadership, as she has given ample demonstration of being way too outspoken, erratic and controversial. At the other end of the spectrum, Butler-Turner backers are as equally adamant, if not more, that Minnis should not be re-elected as leader, as he has failed to unite and inspire the base of the FNM, and has struggled to position the FNM to be a far more effective opposition to the Progressive Liberal Party administration.

The anti-Minnis faction within the FNM has been chipping away at Minnis’ leadership of the FNM since mid-2012. The relentless opposition Minnis is facing today from some FNMs is by no means a novelty. There is nothing unique regarding the barrage of anti-Minnis tirades which have surfaced in the press and social media in recent times. With a mere few weeks until the FNM convention, Minnis’ detractors have become ferociously aggressive in churning out anti-Minnis propaganda in a half-crazed effort to see him defeated at convention.

Hiding behind pseudonyms, these cowards attribute all of the FNM party’s failures to Minnis. They refuse to give him credit for at least keeping the FNM together, while many of its prominent members had abandoned ship after the devastating and humiliating election loss the party suffered in 2012. They refuse to credit him with winning one of the three seats the FNM managed to win in New Providence by arguing that Killarney is a safe seat for the party.

Those who argue along this line fail to mention that Butler-Turner was jettisoned to the FNM safe seat of Long Island from her former area of Montagu, which is now represented by Richard Lightbourn, who defeated his PLP challenger by 222 votes. Minnis defeated his PLP challenger by 787 votes. The other New Providence seat that the FNM has is St Anne’s. The PLP has 20 seats in the capital. It was speculated by some that Butler-Turner was moved from Montagu because FNM officials feared that she had lost plenty ground to the PLP. Whatever one makes of Minnis, at least he was able to hold his own in an island which is dominated politically by the PLP. If the FNM cannot win with Minnis, then it will not be able to win with Butler-Turner.

I am of the view that the Ingrahamite faction of the FNM will throw its weight behind Butler-Turner.

This group has never really forgiven Minnis for stating immediately after the North Abaco by-election in 2012 that the Ingraham era is over. It remains to be seen if the Ingrahamites will seek to manipulate the outcome of the leadership contest in favour of Butler-Turner.

I also believe that the media, which is purported to be slanted towards the FNM, is leaning heavily in the favour of Butler-Turner.

And so Minnis has an uphill battle to retain his post. He will have to put a successful fight against the Ingrahamites, the media and Butler-Turner faction. However, I believe he has the edge in this race, much to the chagrin of his detractors.

KEVIN EVANS

Nassau,

November 5, 2014.