Wayne Munroe
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
DESPITE running in the 2012 general election as a Democratic National Alliance candidate, attorney Wayne Munroe, QC, yesterday said he never believed the third party would have been elected to govern this country.
The now PLP member told The Tribune that although he has crossed over to the governing party, he has not been in talks with anyone regarding contesting any executive position in the PLP.
And neither is his focus at this time on becoming prime minister, Mr Munroe insisted.
During a candid interview with this newspaper, Mr Munroe said back in 2011 he agreed to run as the DNA’s Mt Moriah candidate as a favour to the party’s leader, Branville McCartney, who was his childhood friend.
Mr McCartney, he said, was at the time attempting “something laudable” so he had no problem helping his friend make a contribution to advancing democracy, adding that he was not surprised by the outcome of the 2012 election.
Mr Munroe added that he does not care if this decision causes critics to view him as a turncoat.
On Tuesday, the PLP announced that Mr Munroe joined the party on September 7. The move came without notice and as a surprise to Mr McCartney.
“When the DNA was announcing its candidates, the late Kurt McCartney, who along with his brother Bran McCartney and I who have been friends since I was eight years old, approached me about assisting by offering for the DNA and I agreed,” Mr Munroe said.
“Basically (it was helping a friend) and it is something where what was being attempted, one would say on the face of it is laudable because that is a means by which clearly Bran sought to make his contribution. I had no difficulties assisting him.
“Persons say, well that means you think he should have been prime minister. I am a practical person. Practically in my judgment, it was unlikely that the DNA would be elected (as the) government and to put it in a neutral way, I wasn’t surprised at the outcome of the general election.
“And since the general election I have not participated with the DNA nor have I been asked to participate with the DNA.”
He continued: “I went to help a friend. If I felt the DNA could win I wouldn’t have been necessary and if I felt that the DNA could have won, I would have had to reflect differently at that point.
“If somebody wants to negatively assess me because I chose to help my friend that is their business. I don’t care.”
When asked about aspirations about becoming this country’s prime minister, Mr Munroe said there are too many people that enter politics without regard for making a notable contribution to society.
“Left to their devices, you would have all chiefs and no Indians. Everybody wants to be prime minister it would appear. I don’t think that is the correct way of approaching it.
“I don’t think that you go about demanding things. What you ought to do is seek to make your contribution. If it is felt that you are the proper person then that is the direction it would take you. Without getting over spiritual about it, you do what you have to do and what is due to you will come to you.
“Right now I have joined a political party and right now the goal is to make my contribution because I do agree that we are at somewhat of a crossroads and I am not sure that the persons of my generation are approaching things correctly.
“A lot of persons in my generation are just obsessed with just that ‘I want to be prime minister’ ‘I want to be a Cabinet minister’ (line of thinking).
“Because of that you start to focus on you what you ought to do and not what you are supposed to be doing.”
Asked if he was of the view that Prime Minister Christie should not seek re-election as the PLP’s leader, Mr Munroe said he was not focused on personalities. Instead he suggested that the party’s leadership needed a change of mindset.
Comments
cmiller 9 years, 1 month ago
Yeah.........he fits right into the PLP!!! I understand now!
cmiller 9 years, 1 month ago
Mark my words.....the poor PLP will have far more problems with him than they had with Moss.
EasternGate 9 years, 1 month ago
Munroe was bound to end up with the PLP. He's not only full of himself, but full of chit!
birdiestrachan 9 years, 1 month ago
I wish Mr: Monroe all the best . He is already a successful lawyer. So he will go from strength to strength. The man wants to serve his country What is wrong with that.? He is a very intelligent man. And the Bahamas and the people of the Bahamas needs him.
sheeprunner12 9 years, 1 month ago
And that (Wayne Munroe) is what many Bahamians will have to vote for again next election ....... this is a prime example of the calibre of politicians we have .................... "all for me, baby"
TalRussell 9 years, 1 month ago
You Red Comrades never stop entertaining Tribune readers. Only days ago, whilst Wayne was still in your subsidiary DNA party, not a negative word spoken against this outstanding son of Bahamaland.
Wayne knows the DNA did not result in the red party being demoted to the opposition benches. You reds will never admit to who the real culprit was to blame.
DEDDIE 9 years, 1 month ago
I don't see why anyone is surprise. He is a lawyer after all.
ohdrap4 9 years, 1 month ago
as erma bombeck used to say:
Lawyer: the second oldest profession
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 1 month ago
I don't get Mr Munroe, I respect his ability as a lawyer, but his statements are really Weird. He only joined the DNA as a favour to Bran...so he perpetrated some joke on the DNA followers who campaigned for him and believed in him? All the while knowing "they wouldn't win" he allowed these people to give their all? What about the people in the constituency that he visited? Did he let them know he didn't think the DNA would win and he was only doing Bran a favour? It's VERY WEIRD.
Emac 9 years, 1 month ago
Excellent point! I wouldn't describe this as weird, it is simply a 'cut throat' move-And this is why lawyers make horrible leaders.
Cobalt 9 years, 1 month ago
Bingo! He absolutley deceive both the DNA and the citizens living in his constituency. And while the DNA may have deserved it (seeing that they were so short sighted) the people that he cunningly outwitted, did not.
But like Emac just stated.... what else should we have really expected from a drug lawyer.
banker 9 years, 1 month ago
The weirdest thing about this, is that he so valued his friendship with the Bran & his assassinated brother, that he ran publicly for their party. But by the same token, the depth of his very valued friendship from boyhood, wasn't deep enough to inform his close friends that he was tattooing new stripes on himself in a different political party. Boy, he will fit right into the PLP. No moral decency and no respect for altruistic human values -- these are the hallmarks of the PLP. Yep the PLP caught theyselves a grouper according to "Jerry Roker" in the guttersnipe online press.
Looking in Wikipedia, I noticed that groupers are also called gropers, which is also applicable to the PLP. Going back to wiki: Groupers typically have a stout body and a large mouth. They are not built for long-distance. They swallow prey rather than biting pieces off it. They have heavy crushing tooth plates. Again, a real accurate portrait of the PLP. It is uncanny. Here is the most telling feature of a PLP groper: They are indiscriminately male and or female as adolescents and when they pass a certain point in maturity, they become female. Yep, the PLP caught theyseffs a real groper.
Emac 9 years, 1 month ago
"They are indiscriminately male and or female as adolescents and when they pass a certain point in maturity, they become female" Haaaaaaaaaaa....I ain't had a good laugh like this in a long time..KML
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 1 month ago
Lol
Observer 9 years, 1 month ago
Are these sour critics BAHAMIANs or what? Any man can take whatever political position that he wishes. Who are we to berate another person's political philosophy? Why do you think that yours is superior? Please, empty the trash thoughts.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 1 month ago
No. Not sour. I'm genuinely surprised by his comments. They don't make sense. So I'd tend to think they're not the real reasons he joined. It scarier to think they are the reasons, because this gentleman just told us he doesnt give a lick about Bahamians, he just wants to be on the winning team. I've never heard anything like it. Usually people talk about how they want to help the people they're campaigning to represent, but he just wanted to help his rich friend...
Emac 9 years, 1 month ago
Any one who enters the political arena is susceptible to criticism. And you bet ya bottom dollar I will have as much to say as I wish about those who wanna manage the country where I have to live. Besides, no matter how you put it, the PLP=Political Gansterism. Therefore, those that join this party do it either because they are looking for an easy way to become rich, or they are looking for an easy way to expand their dollars through some crooked business venture and they know this garbage party will allow them to do just that. So let's not pretend. No one joins this party with the country's best interest at heart. So stop the bullshitting!
Wideawake 9 years, 1 month ago
The PLP have changed. In the sixties thay had a vision and a mission statement that aligned with righteousness, truth and lofty ideals. Not so today. They have degenerated. They have foundered on the rocks of greed, corruption and self interest.
They have outlived their usefulness and no longer adhere to the principles and ideals that once made them great. They are no longer appropriate or needed for a modern evolving Bahamaland.
They should be dismissed, banished and dispensed with... this time permanently, before their rottenness irrevocably stunts and mires our once proud heritage.
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