The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A POSSIBLE bid for leadership of the Progressive Liberal Party by former Chairman Raynard Rigby has attracted the support of Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins.

Dr Rollins praised Mr Rigby in an interview with The Tribune yesterday while criticising PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts’ recent statements, which suggested that Mr Rigby is not qualified for the job.

“Mr Raynard Rigby is somebody whose integrity, intellect and love of this country I greatly admire and I support him in his desire to be a change agent in this country,” Dr Rollins said when contacted for comment.

“I think he has a tremendous amount to offer, tremendous potential in this country as far as political leadership is concerned and I’m hopeful that young men and women in the PLP would throw their support around Mr Rigby as far as encouraging him to pursue the leadership if he is so minded.”

Mr Rigby represented Dr Rollins as his attorney last year as members of the PLP’s council deliberated whether to discipline him for the highly critical statements he made about Prime Minister Perry Christie in the House of Assembly.

Dr Rollins resigned from the PLP in June after a heated session in the House of Assembly and months of critique levelled at the governing party.

While appearing on a Star FM radio show last week, Mr Rigby said Bahamians want “new, fresh leadership so I’m putting my name on the list.”

The next day, Mr Roberts said Mr Rigby “can’t be serious” about potentially running for party leadership and laughed off the lawyer’s ambitions.

Reacting to this yesterday, Dr Rollins said: “Nothing that the likes of Mr Bradley Roberts has said to disparage Mr Rigby professionally receives any legitimacy from me because I know that Mr Roberts’ sole purpose is to discredit the young within that organisation. As far as he is concerned, ‘the new generation’ is nothing but an empty political phrase that means absolutely nothing. Ironically, he isn’t prepared to demonstrate confidence in someone who was once voted chairman of the party. I hope the public realises we cannot build our country if we allow persons like Mr Roberts to discredit the youth of the country. It would be a tremendous disservice to the young generation to belittle and sell them short.”

The PLP’s convention is scheduled for the first week of November. It is unclear if Mr Christie, the party’s incumbent leader, will offer himself for re-election.

Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe and Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis have both expressed leadership aspirations, but indicated they would not challenge Mr Christie if he chose to run again.