The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

TALL Pines MP Leslie Miller said the move by Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells and Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins to cross the floor and join the Free National Movement signifies “a dent in the armour of the PLP.”

Mr Miller yesterday implored Prime Minister Perry Christie to reflect on what has transpired between him and two of the parliamentarians he once promoted as the future of Bahamian politics, adding that their departure raises questions about the PLP.

According to the senior PLP member, the news is not surprising but it should prompt the “struggling (PLP) to self analyse and ask why would two men choose the FNM over us.”

Both Dr Rollins and Mr Wells asked to be re-seated in the House of Assembly after revealing that they had joined the Official Opposition. The move signified Mr Wells’ long-anticipated departure from the PLP, coming months after Dr Rollins quit the party in June.

While admitting that the political futures of both of the embattled parliamentarians were “bleak at best” with the PLP, Mr Miller said the reasons behind their disenchantment with the governing party should be investigated before closing the book on this matter.

He also said the PLP was not in the position to take the move lightly, saying a “new age of politics” was on the horizon.

When asked by reporters to clarify his statement, he indicated that in the past, voters placed heavy stock in parties and not representatives. Mr Miller explained that voters now demand more directly from members of Parliament, often times moreso than they do of the parties that those members represent.

“This is a new political realm we are in,” he said.

“This act isn’t new in Bahamian politics, but it is something never seen in this new political culture. We can’t just sit back and say this is okay, despite how we feel about those two members personally. I don’t know them personally - but, they both have a lot to offer and that is clear based on their election to the House.”

“I don’t know what this means for them or for us in this party, but I for one am not taking this lightly. We are shifting gears in the way our politics works here in the Bahamas, so it now has to be understood how these moves will be perceived and treated moving forward.”

Addressing specifically the departure of the more outspoken of the two defectors, Dr Rollins, Mr Miller said the Fort Charlotte MP has a lot to offer to the development of the Bahamas, adding that if placed in a better situation, he could make a major contribution to the nation.

“Whether you agree with their sentiments or not, they once formed their own political entity which they dismantled because they had faith in what the PLP was doing. Now they have stood up and declared that having faith in the PLP is not going to do the country good. The prime minister must address that,” Mr Miller said.

Mr Christie yesterday sidestepped questions on the situation following Wednesday’s House secession, referring reporters to comments he had made earlier in the House.

Shortly after Dr Rollins and Mr Wells crossed the floor of Parliament, Mr Christie declared that the political fate of the two would be decided not by the actions and words of the PLP or the FNM, but the Bahamian people’s faith in what the two organisations could offer moving forward.

Mr Christie labelled the PLP as a big tent with a revolving door, a door he said often swung in, and just as often swung out - hinting that both men were replaceable.

Responding to questions on whether the move boosted the FNM’s chances of winning the next general election, Mr Miller said that while their ability to effect change within the PLP was hampered by clashes with the party’s leadership, the talents exhibited by both men could not be denied.

“Anytime you can take away from the side opposite and add to your party it should be considered an asset, in fact, a treasured asset in terms of politics,” Mr Miller said. “I have tremendous respect for both of the members and value what they brought to the table, so with that said you have to say that the FNM made a good move in bringing them in. They now have two more voices to argue on their behalf, two more voices to echo their concerns in the House.”