The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

A day after identifying himself as one of the “new generational leaders” petitioning Prime Minister Perry Christie to stay on as PLP Leader ahead of the 2017 general election, Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald said the FNM’s recent convention inspired him to come forward.

Mr Fitzgerald said after witnessing the way the Official Opposition’s convention transpired, he was certain that it would not be a “good idea” to put the PLP “through that type of ordeal”.

In a letter to the media on Monday, the Marathon MP detailed five reasons why he and several of his Parliamentary colleagues implored Mr Christie to stay on as leader.

Mr Fitzgerald in the letter claimed the PLP needed “certainty” if it intended to offer the country “continued political stability.”

He suggested that the party didn’t need the “distraction” of a leadership challenge as it works to state its claim as the best political option for voters.

Mr Fitzgerald also argued that the country had just gone through a rough economic period and that it would be “unwise” for any “political unrest or uncertainty over the leadership of the governing party” to ensue.

Mr Fitzgerald indicated that the political will shown by Mr Christie when the party implemented value added tax (VAT), illustrated that “tough” decision making needed to lead the country moving forward.

He further claimed that as Prime Minister, Mr Christie has “guided, advised and supported” all the PLP’s new generational Cabinet Ministers.

Attempting to clarify these claims, Mr Fitzgerald on Tuesday stated: “Those are my reasons, there are those who will agree and those who will disagree with me; but as you can see my comments and conversations were well thought out; I didn’t just come to that conclusion and I wanted to share my reasons so that those who would hear it would have an understanding of how I came to that conclusion and make what they want of it.”

He continued: “Again, witnessing what happened last week, it is just not something I think a governing party should be embroiled in at this point in time; that was my only point and then I gave other reasons as to why I thought it would (not) be a good idea to put the Progressive Liberal Party through that type of ordeal.”

“I made (these points) primarily because there was a lot of talk about (who supported Mr Christie) and no one had actually spoken to me with regard to it, so I thought it was important, once the statement was made, that I make a statement to identify myself as one of those persons and given the reason why and I did,” he said.

“I am never one to run way from what I say and what my views are, and those are my views; and so I have no problems sharing them.”

In mid-July, Mr Christie said he would seek to continue leading the Progressive Liberal Party because several young members of his government had urged him to do so.

He also suggested that instability would arise in the party if he were no longer leader, similar to what is occurring in the Official Opposition.

Despite his stance, however, Mr Christie received harsh criticism for his refusal to step away from the reigns of leadership.

Former PLP MP Philip Galanis chastised the Centreville MP, saying Mr Christie’s claims were at the “height of nonsense” and bordered on “delusional”.

Mr Galanis insisted that there were many people in the party capable and able to lead the party.

Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis also rejected the idea that the PLP would become unstable if Mr Christie, 72, retired.

To date, Mr Fitzgerald has been the only PLP parliamentarian to come forward to support Mr Christie’s claims.