The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

MARCO City MP Greg Moss yesterday said that the political fallout Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins has faced due to his criticism of Prime Minister Perry Christie is “undemocratic and silly”.

Mr Moss also told The Tribune he intends to run in the next general election regardless of whether the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) gives him a nomination.

Mr Moss said the suspension threat Dr Rollins faces is indicative of widespread misconceptions over the distribution of power in a democracy.

Pointing to voter trends, Mr Moss said it was also evident that persons were “grossly dissatisfied” with the state of this country’s democracy, which he likened to a “constitutional dictatorship”.

“When it comes to Dr Rollins,” he said, “my point is this, that we need to grow our democratic muscles.

“The idea that you may offend an individual, or you may comment upon an individual adversely and by doing so you may offend them, and in some way thereby

offend the party, and in some way thereby endanger your position as a member of parliament, has embedded in it this concept that the person is the party which is not true.”

He added: “To offend the prime minister is not to offend the party, because the prime minister is not the party. Secondly, even if you offended the prime minister or the party, that it is somehow a threat to your position in parliament is undemocratic, that is immature and that is silly.”

The PLP’s disciplinary committee, activated last year to decide the fate of Dr Rollins, recommended that the former Gaming Board chairman be suspended from the party for no less than six months. However, the final decision rests with the PLP’s leadership council, headed by Prime Minister Perry Christie, and the party’s National General Council.

The committee was activated in October after Dr Rollins several times publicly criticised Mr Christie, and later refused to apologise for his behaviour.

During a contribution in the House of Assembly in August, Dr Rollins said he was tired of hearing Mr Christie quote scripture and said it was evident that the country needed new leadership.

Days later, he was fired from his post as Gaming Board chairman by Acting Prime Minister Philip Davis. Mr Christie was out of the country at the time.

Then in October, Dr Rollins said that while the prime minister was due respect, he was “not a god” nor exempt from criticism.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Mr Moss said Bahamians were shocked by Dr Rollins’ statements because they were so accustomed to the “raw exercise of power” administered by successive governments.

“This is the challenge in this country, we actually believe he said something wrong. In other countries he would just be exercising his freedom of speech and that’s a political consequence if they want to make it a political consequence, but we cannot build a democracy while at the same time fostering and protecting this idea that there is some fear in speaking.

“No,” he said, “I disagree with this. If we get to the point where we continue to nurture these sentiments that we must be fearful of what we say, then we do not live in a democracy.”

This comes after Mr Moss announced last week that he would openly campaign against two constitutional reform bills.

When asked whether he felt his adversarial stance against the two bills put him in direct conflict with the government and his political party, Mr Moss replied that democracy was bigger than the perception that power should be concentrated in individuals and institutions.

“Ultimately I have made my determination as to my role in politics,” he said, “and my disposition towards political issues is a fundamental one wrapped up in a Christian concept. Basically you only can serve one master, to my mind you have at least four conflicting interests in parliament. You can serve a certain personality in parliament, the person that wields power from time to time, you can serve the party in parliament, you can serve yourself in parliament, or you can serve the people.

“My conviction is that I’m there to serve the people in parliament. So I don’t measure my words, I don’t guard my words by my concern about the impact it would have on me personally or by whom it may offend.”