FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis.
By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@
tribunemedia.net
SUPPORTERS of Free National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday expressed confidence that there will be no internal challenges to his leadership as the party prepares for the next general election.
Dr Minnis reportedly solidified his intention to lead the party to the polls at last month’s FNM Central Council meeting, where he openly challenged those attending to state whether or not they supported him.
At that meeting, former FNM Deputy Leader and Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner pledged her support for the leader and said she would not contest his leadership if the party held a national convention, according to those who attended.
According to party sources, former Deputy Chairman Dr Duane Sands also explained that his public calls for the party to hold a convention this year was not a bid to challenge the leader.
One FNM council member said: “There was never any real threat. The statements in the press were an attempt to muddy the water in hopes that members of the party would, over time, come to a point and say, ‘well maybe we do need to take a second look at this.’
“Or more specifically to create a space for some from outside the party to come in on the track of ‘oh I had to come in and rescue the team’. It was all about creating a pretext for something else.”
The council member added: “There was no mature discussion, and no attempt to speak with persons who had any authority to sway the council to initiate such a discussion. It was purely a media agenda.”
While it is believed that discord concerning the party’s leadership had been quieted, several council members predicted there would be renewed controversy over candidate nominations.
The party plans to ratify the bulk of its 2017 general election candidates this month, withholding sensitive seats to mitigate the impact of backlash from disaffected hopefuls.
According to insiders, there is also a brewing tension between the conservative and liberal wings of the party over its campaign strategy, with some members disapproving of the increased responsibility given to the party’s younger, “under 40” faction.
“We’re slow to respond,” said another council member. “We’re not agile, and the conservative wing has a fair amount of influence and has decided they want to do politics a certain way. The conservative wing of the party has sought to convince the leader that aggressive things are not required to win the next general election, so there is a movement between two wings of the party.”
Dr Minnis retained his position as leader of the FNM at the party’s convention last November, beating his rival Mrs Butler-Turner by a sizeable margin.
Since his win, however, there have been repeated reports that many in his party are not happy with his performance.
In June, FNM legal advisor Michael Scott confirmed that there were “leadership issues” within the party as he expressed hope that another convention will be held by the end of the year to put an end to the party’s internal struggles.
However Dr Minnis has said there is no need for the party to have a convention this year, because one was held in 2014.
The party’s constitution mandates that it have a convention at least once every two years.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 2 months ago
There will never be a government of the Bahamas led by Minnis. Most of us, as much as we despise the corrupt Christie-led PLP government under which we currently suffer greatly, and as much as we have no confidence in the DNA to govern, will vote for the PLP or DNA candidate in our constituency come the next general election rather than risk any possibility of Minnis becoming PM. By retaining Minnis as its leader, or appointing LBT in his place, the FNM party will not receive the financial backing it needs to run a successful general election campaign - it's as simple as that! There are too many Bahamians who know Minnis for what he is, and their repulsion of him has been greatly under estimated by the governing apparatus of the FNM party. The last person we need as PM is a slow thinker who has plenty of difficulty standing on his own two feet and who is well known to be a _ _ _ _ _ _ !
Wideawake 9 years, 2 months ago
a------ what?
MonkeeDoo 9 years, 2 months ago
Spot on ! The hierarchy know the problem but seem impotent to change anything. The FNM may as well dissolve now.
proudloudandfnm 9 years, 2 months ago
FNM better get real and they better do it quick. Minnis is no leader. We cannot expect to win in 2017 with him at the helm. Wake up.....
Honestman 9 years, 2 months ago
Regardless of who leads the FNM into the next election, if the people of this country vote in sufficient numbers to allow the PLP another five year term then they will deserve EVERYTHING that will come their way. For my part, if that's the way it goes, I will offer no sympathy. This administration has taken the country to the edge of financial ruin and it beggars belief that we are even having a conversation about the possibility of Bahamians casting their votes for these jokers. I must be existing in a parallel universe!!
Reality_Check 9 years, 2 months ago
Honestman, you don't seem to know what many of us already know about Minnis and why he can never be allowed to become PM, even it it means letting the corrupt Christie-led PLP government have another 5 or 10 years to flush our country right down the toilet forevermore. Most of can manage swimming around in raw sewerage for the rest of our lives, if need be, but under no circumstance can we accept Minnis ever becoming our PM, if only for one split milli-second!!
Wideawake 9 years, 2 months ago
Tell us why he can never be PM.
sheeprunner12 9 years, 2 months ago
Come on RealityCheck (is this Krissy Love????) ....... tell us why HAM does not qualify to be leader of the FNM and a prospective PM candidate ...... is it skeletons in the closet or is it physical deficiencies (like HAI)....... or????
PKMShack 9 years, 2 months ago
No matter who leads the FNM it has to be better than who's in charge now. A Vote against Minnis is a vote against the possibility of some sort of change for this country. You know what you have now and what they offer the Bahamas. Minnis has never been PM so you don't know what you get you only can assume.
TalRussell 9 years, 2 months ago
Comrades, we's goin flashbacks all the way to October 19, 2012, when Sister Loretta, first publicly and strongly denied reports circulating that there existed a Minnis leadership friction within the FNM.
Oh yes, so many other times Loretta went before the media to deny such a leadership rift with protective statements such as, we red shirts now have Dr Hubert Minnis as our one and only red leader.
Comrades, you alone's must be da judge of anything Loretta has to say about there being no "rift" with Minnis's leadership?
Some things just ain't neither lookin, soundin or shaping-up's be's da real truth, and you'd have to be a red shirts, living under a Cooper's Town rock, not want to admit to it.
Emac 9 years, 2 months ago
Well that's too bad for the FNM. I voted for the Free National Movement consistently since Sir Wallace Whitfield was leader. However, it seems that this once great party has been watered down to a bunch of spineless people that are disconnected from the Bahamian people and their wishes. If the FNM body is too weak to rid their party of an ineffective leader, then it shows me that they are too weak to lead this country. Our country is in a very, very sad state. This is certainly not the time for Bahamians in key position to be afraid to demand changes, especially when it is for the betterment of the Bahamas. I say out with old and in with the new!
Wideawake 9 years, 2 months ago
Emac, I agree completely with your comments! Voters are tired of the old-style politics from both the PLP and the FNM. Unless the FNM replaces it's leader and presents a slate of exciting new candidates, many former FNM voters may choose the DNA in an act of desperation.
Publius 9 years, 2 months ago
1000% agree with you Emac
sheeprunner12 9 years, 2 months ago
Well FNMs better get on board with Minnis because he is not going anywhere ....... you have a choice......... Perry and the PLP or Minnis and the FNM ........ take your pick (DNA ???)
What is so wrong with Hubert Minnis ????? .........a self made man who does not do traditional politics like SLOP, HAI or Perry .............. is that the biggest fear of FNMs????
Emac 9 years, 2 months ago
NO. I think the biggest fear is right thinking Bahamians know that it's gonna take a Maximus like leader to take us through this present mess as Moses did with the Israelites. Minnis ain't dat! The next leader of this country has to have a firm grip on crime, immigration and education-Minnis has not revealed a master plan to combat any of these problems. Sorry but the DNA is the best of the three horrible parties right now. Yeah, Branville may be a self appointed leader, but hopefully that will all change during the DNA's next convention. I have seen Branville fired or demoted many crooked officials. That is what we need, someone who is not afraid to weed out the corrupt. When you look at the bigger picture, corruption is the Bahamas' #1 problem. RBPF, RBDF, Bahamas Immigration, Bahamas Customs, Ministry of Education all are dysfunctional ministries because of corruption. Clean those up and we would have a shot of becoming a country again. Minnis is stuck with the same old style of governing, he is incapable of undoing this mess. Besides, both the FNM and PLP owe too many people favors, they will always be interfering with government departments.
Wideawake 9 years, 2 months ago
If corruption is to be one of the main talking points during the next election, each and everyone running for the FNM MUST be squeaky clean! Has the missing $10 million from the hospital been addressed yet? What does Hubert Minnis have to say about that? Didn't that happen on his watch as Minister of Health? Have all of our FNM Members of Parliament made their financial declarations yet? Some were singled out as being tardy in this regard. There cannot be a single weak link in the FNM chain!!
licks2 9 years, 2 months ago
Bouy yinna bitter bad nah. . .coming here "beating yinna dirty clothes dem in da public"!!! Yall FNMs dem never learn aye. . .we don't want to hear yall "beef" with yall leader the good Doc.
Yall forget one thing. . .YINNA THEM DONT WIN OR LOOSE GOVERNMENTS. . .WE THE PEOPLE DO!!! AND REGARDLESS TO WHAT YALL SAY AGAINST YINNA LEADER. . .OR LACK THEREOF. . .YALL SIT SMALL UNTIL WE CALL IN ABOUT ONE YEAR!! We don't want to hear yall "in-house" party problems!
For example, yinna say we need a good talker and thinker on he foots them! That's his crime. . .he is a "verbal abuser". . .he does broke up we ear drums them!!
Chile we got one good talker nah. . .AND YOU ALL KNOW HOW THAT ONE PLAYIN OUT. Maybe we do need a "DOER" or a strong organizer or a "WHEELER-DEALER" than a "slick talker".
I am a swing-voter and I now taking "another" look at the Doc for the very reason that he build back yall party after a major defeat like non-other since Hubert Ingraham!!
He remained steadfast and resolute and got all yinna in the FNM to walk "lock-step" behind him. . .to the place where non of yall had the brass to publically not support him at that lil Council Meeting yinna had the other night!!!
From the public view. . .THE DOC DONE WHIPPED ALL YINNA INTO SHAPE ON HE SHIP. . .HE IS THE CAPTIAN OVER THERE!!!
SO YALL BETTER SHUT-UP AND HELP LEARN YINNA CAPTIAN TO SPEAK. . .BUT LEARNING HIM TO THINK ON HE FOOTS THEM MAYBE ANOTHER STORY!!
I CAN GUESS THAT THE PLP THEM "FRAID" OF HIM. . .THAT WHY THEY TRY TO FOOL WE BY SAYING THAT THEY WANT HIM BE THE FNM LEADER!!!
I THINK WE ARE SAFE TO SAY THAT WHATEVER THE PLP SAYS IS VERY LIKELY A LIE.
The common consensus from yall is that "I will let the PLP win again and we all catch hell for five more years than to vote for the Doc. . .sink the whole nation that to vote for him!! No wonder the good Doc "fling" yinna behinds over board. . .YALL SOUND JUST LIKE YALL MAD BECAUSE HE WILL NOT LET YINNA DO WHAT YA FEEL LIKE ON HIS SHIP.T
The tones of yall voices tell a clear story why the good Doc will not trust or listen to anything from yinna!! Yinna sound "spoilt" and "entitled" persons who think that this "our" thing belong to yinna".
The good Doc is getting a second look from me because of his focus, steadfastness, not easy thrown off course, organization skills, ability to play politics, beat yinna FNMs them into line, tell PAPA get lost and go back fishing and "out smart" all threats to his leadership!!
So. . .yinna just learn him to speak and there is yinna ticket to the next government. . .not coming around here to try and make us think that he is not goog because he speaks like paint drying on a cement wall!! Blah! Lol!
Wideawake 9 years, 2 months ago
Mr.Minnis receives repeated criticism both from within the FNM and from presently undecided voters and I have heard very few strong endorsements of his character, or positive comments regarding his capability. His lack-luster "My Fellow Bahamians" address on Baha Mar was dreadful!!!
Exactly how does he still manage to control his party, and exactly why is he still the Leader of the FNM??
Does the FNM Council really think that they can win the next election with Mr. Minnis as their leader?
sheeprunner12 9 years, 2 months ago
I am no insider but the FNM Council and the 300 Nov 2014 delegates must have had a damn good reason to re-elect him as leader ........ and the FNM leader cannot stack the deck for votes like the PLP ...... so ask those 300 delegates why they voted for HAM over Loretta ..... and don't use "sex" as a good reason for voting for HAM ........ some of them comment right here on the Tribune
Emac 9 years, 2 months ago
Well some of them need to be reading the comments about HAM...So far I have not seen anything positive. Remember the ones that comment here are voters too ya know.
licks2 9 years, 2 months ago
You have not seen anything positive about yinna leader? Did you read my reply above. . .there are some good in the fellow!!
Anyway. . .yinna just keep him from making any more er them "my fellow Bahamian" talks and we may continue looking at PC and how they are jacking up errything if seems!!! He is getting a second look from plenty of us. . .because if he can keep yinna FNMs them in check for so long, man he mussie good for something. . .or more like Papa than any of yinna!!
But otherwise, learn him ta speak. . .he he he he he he!
Publius 9 years, 2 months ago
Yes an FNM leader can stack the deck, and has done so.
Wideawake 9 years, 2 months ago
Sheeps, I suspect that the FNM Council is filled with conservative " warmed-over" political operatives who have been a part of the FNM since day 1. Trouble is they may have passed their "best used by date" and are stuck in the "old-style Bahamian politics mode" that many younger Bahamians want no part of.
licks2 9 years, 2 months ago
BOYA!!!!. . . .my feelings too there Sir Good Knight!! They don't know how they sound. . ."them taking we old party and making changes them that we don't like"! Its called progress there fellas. . .just imitate ya leader and you will see how that new thing called "change" feels! He he he he he!!!
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