The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

Kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

MARCO City MP Greg Moss said he does not fear retribution from fellow House of Assembly representatives following his abrupt resignation as a member of the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).

In an interview with The Tribune, he said while no one enters frontline politics to create enemies, those who choose that path don’t enter to make friends either.

Mr Moss was resolute, saying he had no concerns with the PLP taking issue with his decision because the move was favourable in the eyes of the people. He has said he has the full support of his constituents.

“I have said it before and I think this is a central position to anyone who wants to be in public life,” Mr Moss explained. “We don’t come into public life to create enemies but nor do we come here to create friends. And for those who wish to personalise politics. I have made it a point all the years I have been here of not making it personal.

“My position is that I have always been in here to represent the people. I am still here to represent the people. I have always been very supportive of those things that I see in the interest of the people and very outspoken against those things that I see as not being in the best interest.

“This move will not be favourable in the eyes of the establishment but it will be very favourable in the eyes of the people and that is a huge distinction. It is one which cuts to the core of the challenges that we have in our political life in this country.

“For my part, I believe that the interest of the country overshadows any personal discomforts persons should experience in service at this level. We are privileged as 38 human beings from the entire country to sit in this House and to decide the fate of the entire country and that is something that I don’t take lightly. I obviously have fairly broad shoulders and that is because I know who I am outside of politics.”

Mr Moss spoke to The Tribune the day after he announced in the House of Assembly that he was resigning as a member of the PLP. The resignation took immediate effect on Tuesday.

In his resignation letter, Mr Moss voiced his displeasure with the PLP. He said when he first began to campaign in 2010, he set out with a goal to restore the vision of the PLP as a party to uplift all Bahamians.

He said: “Since being elected as member of Parliament for the Marco City constituency, I have repeatedly attempted to advance those goals through my firm opposition to any and every form of political corruption and my consistent call for the enactment of legislation to advance the interest of our people.

“After three years of championing and attempting to effect such reforms as a member of the Progressive Liberal Party, the fourth budget communication by the Prime Minister, which is presently being debated in the House, has confirmed to me that those goals are not shared by the present leadership of the Progressive Liberal Party as a government or as a party.”

Mr Christie was not in the House of Assembly when Mr Moss made his announcement. However, in an interview from Brussels, Belgium, with a ZNS reporter, he did not appear surprised by the departure. “I truly believed that Greg Moss was on a course that would take him outside of the PLP. I’ve been around long enough to see that,” the Prime Minister said.

“What the Bahamian people must know is that young men have their own aspirations, their own ambitions and sometimes it takes them outside of the mainstream of a political organisation where there is a series of compromises you have to make for the general good of the organisation. It’s called teamwork. I think the Progressive Liberal Party has done a remarkable job in using the resources available to us. I think it’s a damnable lie or misstatement to say that philosophically we are not acting in the best interests of the people of this country.”

The Prime Minister added that the party has dealt with defectors before and warned others who might be considering leaving the fold that the PLP will run candidates against them to win their seats.