The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

BAMBOO Town MP Renward Wells yesterday told reporters that he contemplated resigning from the Progressive Liberal Party as recently as last week while insisting that “all things were possible” regarding whether he would quit the party ahead of the 2017 general election.

Following an impassioned intervention in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr Wells was definite as he assured reporters that he would run in the upcoming election whether or not he is nominated by the PLP.

Mr Wells further suggested that officials in the party had threatened to refuse him a nomination because of his outspoken nature. He declined comment when asked if he remained supportive of PLP leader and Prime Minister Perry Christie, only saying that it “is a discussion for another day”.

This comes after Marco City MP Greg Moss’ resignation as a member of the party last week. Some observers speculated that Mr Wells and Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins would follow suit.

During an emotional speech in the House of Assembly, Mr Wells said he fully supports Mr Moss’ decision because it was a matter of conscience and personal conviction. He said the resignation signals the maturing of the country’s democracy.

“Let me just say that it (resigning) was something that I considered,” Mr Wells later explained outside of Parliament. “I considered it most of last week.

“ . . .You know it becomes an issue when you are constantly hearing the drum beat of certain things being said. But one does not resign because of what issues someone might say. You resign because fundamentally at this point and time in your political career you no longer believe that what is taking place ought to be taking place and there is no possible hope or future of things changing.

“So for me, I had to go through that machination in my mind. Like the scripture says, ‘let every man be convinced in his own mind’ and it was something that I was considering.”

He added: “Listen, my position has been made very clear. I will run in the 2017 general election whether I am nominated or not – plain and simple.

“I will say this. At the end of the day I am going to sit down and pray about what needs to happen. The general election is two years away (and) as I said earlier, in politics 24 hours is an eternity. Many things happen and at the end of the day, I believe that I am here because the good Lord wants me here (because) I have a contribution to make. It is the Bahamian people that will make a (determination on) whether or not I return to this place – no political party.”

After Mr Moss announced he was severing ties with the governing party, Valentine Grimes, a PLP stalwart councillor, hinted to The Tribune that Dr Rollins would not receive another nomination.

Asked if he had been threatened of receiving the same fate, Mr Wells said that this was the case. However, he would not say which party official had sent the harsh warning.

“They know (who they are). But at the end of the day you do have a member of the PLP who has been quoted, Mr Valentine Grimes, in saying Fort Charlotte will not receive a nomination and I mentioned that in the piece (during the House session).

“I will just say that there are conversations taking place among many and they could say whatever they want. As I said in here (the House of Assembly) no man or group of men is going to determine my fate… none.”

During his nearly hour long contribution to the 2015/2016 budget debate, Mr Wells laid out a laundry list of improvement to his constituency which included paving roads, improving the surroundings of an area park, drainage system repairs, and a youth programme among other things.

He was responding to criticism from political pundits that he had not been performing in his constituency.

“People have been saying that I have been quiet and that I haven’t been doing anything. I laid that out and made that quite clear. I also showed the Bahamian people that on matters of public policy there might be a convergence of conscience and thought between myself, Fort Charlotte and Marco City, but we act differently in those convictions. I laid that case out,” Mr Wells said.