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Sears bids for PLP leadership

Alfred Sears and Prime Minister Perry Christie.

Alfred Sears and Prime Minister Perry Christie.

As of Monday, August 8, 2016

Reader poll

Do you think Alfred Sears poses a serious challenge to Prime Minister Perry Christie's position as PLP leader?

  • Yes 57%
  • No 43%

205 total votes.

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Attorney General Alfred Sears yesterday announced his intention to challenge Prime Minister Perry Christie for leadership of the Progressive Liberal Party at the governing party’s national convention in November.

Mr Sears is the first to make such an intention known, ensuring that Mr Christie will face the first challenge to his leadership since the National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage and attorney Paul Moss faced him in 2009.

Mr Sears has been laying the groundwork for a leadership run for months, having released a list of proposals he intends to champion if he becomes leader of the PLP.

He spent recent months canvassing the country to make an assessment about whether it would be wise to run for leader. He pledged to run a “clean” race, one without personal attacks.

“The issues before us continue to be restoring our economy with specific focus on job creation, expanding entrepreneurial opportunities for Bahamians and ensuring economic diversification, instituting fiscal responsibility and prudence in governance, combatting crime within our borders and establishing a system of transparent and accountable governance among many other progressive reforms,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Mr Sears told The Tribune he notified Mr Christie and PLP chairman Bradley Roberts about his decision to contest the leadership of the party. He met with members of his constituency branch yesterday evening to discuss the matter with them.

He said he will present comprehensive plans for the country in the upcoming months and enhancing government transparency and accountability is expected to be one major plank of his agenda.

It is a potential sore spot for the Christie Administration, which has made no apparent progress towards creating campaign finance laws or addressing concerns about the transparency of the country’s contract procurement process, two matters that have long been a priority to stakeholders.

Mr Sears is also expected to argue strongly for greater devolution of the Prime Minister’s powers and for an expansion in the scope of local government.

“This campaign will present a transformative vision for the Progressive Liberal Party and the Bahamas,” he said in his statement yesterday. “The campaign will not make any personal and negative attacks on anyone.”

It is often said that the PLP’s election process is stacked in favour of the party’s leader. There are many stalwart councillors in the party who are of advanced age and have the ability to vote in the convention.

They are more likely to have had relationships with Mr Christie, who has been a parliamentarian for more than 40 years, than they are with Mr Sears, who has served in government for ten years.

Asked if he has concerns about the fairness of the PLP’s election process, Mr Sears said: “I, as well as every other candidate who will step forward, will be provided a level playing field and a fair process. Our great party should have the confidence to ensure that any contest for its leadership is fair and democratic. I’m confident that the delegates of the PLP are patriots of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and when they hear the manner that I want to take the country in they will support me.”

Mr Sears is a respected figure in the PLP and within the legal community. He was encouraged by the PLP constituency branch of Fort Charlotte to return to frontline politics last year after members grew frustrated with their representative, Dr Andre Rollins, who has since left the PLP.

If not for the prodding of the party, it is unclear if Mr Sears would have returned to frontline politics in 2017 and therefore challenge Mr Christie.

Mr Sears was Attorney General from 2002 to 2006 and Minister of Education from 2002 to 2007. He also served as Chairman of the Council of the College of the Bahamas between 2012 and 2016.

In his statement yesterday he said: “During my tenure as member of parliament, attorney general and minister of education, I learned the complexities of governance in our society, the challenges in addressing the concerns of working class Bahamians. Further, I gained a deep appreciation of the urgent need to reform our governance process, better incentivise Bahamian entrepreneurship and extend private public partnerships.”

Mr Sears is currently the managing partner of Sears & Co, the law firm he established in 1992. He told The Tribune yesterday that he anticipates receiving notable endorsements in the upcoming months.

Nonetheless, the PLP has not held a convention since 2009, despite the party’s constitutional mandate to hold one every year.

The last convention held in 2009 showed how deep support for Mr Christie runs in the party. He won 1,158 votes in a landslide victory over Dr Nottage, who received 204 votes. Mr Moss, an attorney viewed as an outsider, won 23 votes and later left the party.

Mr Christie stirred controversy recently when he said he seeks to remain leader of the PLP to provide stability to the party and because young members in government have urged him to continue on.

While it is unknown if others will step forward to challenge Mr Christie, Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis is often seen as another potential challenger.

Comments

Sickened 8 years, 4 months ago

Finally a man is stepping up to challenge for leadership. What happened to Phillip "Soft" Davis? We can't call him "Brave" anymore - that title has now been handed over to Sears.

alfalfa 8 years, 4 months ago

It is too early in the day to rule out other challengers for the leadership, and maybe Brave will do so. Mr. Sears is one of the better candidates the party has for leader. As an old schoolmate of his, I wish him well.

Victor 8 years, 4 months ago

The PLP would be a better party under Sears. They would have been a better party under Nottage. But it's not happening - those 'stale'wart counselors were trained by King Ping to be blindly loyal to their leader. Sears could win the vote of every elected delegate and not come close to winning the leadership race.

Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 4 months ago

Sears is a highly inappropriate and unsuitable contender. He worked against the will of the people as expressed in the referendum held on legalizing the gaming web shops and is a legal adviser and consultant to the numbers' bosses. Craig Flowers and Sebas Bastian would love nothing more than to see Sears become PM and they are no doubt willing to financially back him in a very big way. All kinds of gifts and favours will be showered by the numbers' bosses on every dishonest voter in the constituency that Sears will be running in (Fort Charlotte ?) Christie is unlikely to put up a serious fight because of his age and his unwillingness and inability to go against anything that the numbers' bosses want to happen on the political front. Sears becoming PM is tantamount to the Bahamian people putting the ruthless racketeering numbers' bosses like Craig Flowers and Sebas Bastian in charge of our country......and just when you think the Bahamas is already a haven for criminal activities.....with Sears as PM the global community would quickly declare the Bahamas a rogue criminal state. The U.S. would then take steps (as they did in Venezuela) to shut down our country and teach the Bahamian people a lesson they would never forget! Anyone but Sears would make a better PM, including Christie who has already sadly allowed himself to become beholden to many wishes of the numbers' bosses that run contrary to the interests of the Bahamian people! Remember: Sears was responsible for seeing to it that Craig Flowers' criminal record was expunged so that Flowers could receive a license to operate his existing network of gaming web shops in the Bahamas. It was Obie Wilchcombe who at Christie's request held off granting gaming web shop licenses to the other racketeering numbers' bosses until Sears and Allyson Maynard-Gibson had worked together to ensure Craig Flowers' past criminal record was expunged. Flowers had been found guilty by our courts of, among other things, conducting illegal gambling operations. Sears has disqualified himself from ever being PM - he is a total non-starter having allowed himself to participate in the ill-gotten riches of the corrupt racketeering numbers' bosses. He would be a puppet PM with all of his strings pulled by the numbers' bosses.

ThisIsOurs 8 years, 4 months ago

Completely agree. This would be worse than the current situation. I'm almost certain it would mean banking licenses for the gaming boys within the first year. A lot of people are clamoring for licenses to be granted because it looks attractive, but so did that gaming directorship which will become a mill around his neck.

SP 8 years, 4 months ago

........................ Alfred Sears, Different Pirate, Same Modus Operandi .............................

The PLP is inherently corrupt!

Anyone fielded by the PLP's "stacked deck" is totally laughable. They're attempting to cover their ass's by electing a crony to hide their dirt and protect them from prosecution.

Nobody with sense will trust Alfred Sears anymore than we trust Christie, Davis, Wilchcombe, Fitzgerald, Gray or anyone else in the PLP circle of friends, family and lovers.

The country desperately needs a forensic audit starting with the office of prime minister, down to ministry of environmental health.

Bahamas needs an investigation of four decades of blatant piracy, many criminal acts, embezzlement, fraud, misuse of public lands and funds leading to prosecution of many "leaders" and their cohorts that have destroyed our country and decimated our people!

We must vote the PLP and FNM both out of office, take stock of what they have done to our country and natural resources and reset a new direction that benefits ALL Bahamians.

Go to hell PLP!

Publius 8 years, 4 months ago

It truly is getting no better.

Economist 8 years, 4 months ago

I have had dealings with Mr. Sears and always found him to be a very honorable man.

Reality_Check 8 years, 4 months ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

Regardless 8 years, 4 months ago

....watching paint dry is more exciting than listening to Sears speak,

Stapedius 8 years, 4 months ago

I agree Sears is dry as toast. But we have to get rid of the current leadership. Plus, who says every leader has to be a bombastic, long winded speaker anyway. I don't give a rats how slow he speaks, as long as he's getting the job done. We have to get beyond the personality cults and elect people who can move us forward. I don't know Sears well enough to make a fair assessment but you must agree Perry needs to be relieved of duty. If Sears can hastily facilitate this then more power to him.

SP 8 years, 4 months ago

Changing The Sly Fox For A Sneaky Wolf To Guard The Hen House Is Insane!

Greentea 8 years, 4 months ago

Mmmmm. He isn't perfect but he is probably the best The PLP has. Quite bright. But I wonder if he has the will to cut heads off. Because Mr. Sears- you have to operate on your party and the increasingly undisciplined Bahamian people under the PLP. You might be too reasonable. 90 percent of the current PLP ministers need to go- just my opinion. Corrupt to the core, or useless and silent on issues. ZERO ideas on how to move this country forward. We require no such operatives or in-operatives during this crucial time. I am not holding his representation of Sebas and Flowers against him- despite the referendum. Sears is a lawyer and they required representation. He was doing his job openly. We need to worry about those who operate in the dark. We ask for transparency and then when people are open and transparent we say we don't like their decision. Fine- that is our right- but then we give the ones working in the dark the benefit of the doubt. Why be transparent in dealings when to be corrupt pays more and has no public price? Lets see who else finds some courage to come forward in the party and contest the leadership. This just got interesting.

Emac 8 years, 4 months ago

This man couldn't even manage his own constituency and now he wants to manage the ccountry????? The biggest joke of the year!!!. Sears, please go back to doing nothing and leave the country's business to new,younger leaders with valid and bright ideas!

Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 4 months ago

Not only did he do nothing for the constituents of Fort Charlotte, but he also performed dismally while serving as Attorney General and Minister of Education. In fact the numbers' bosses were the only ones that benefited from Sears' fervent support of their illegal web shop gaming operations when he previously sat in the House of Assembly. He spoke quite eloquently on behalf of the numbers' bosses in getting the gaming legislation approved notwithstanding the opposition to it expressed by the Bahamian people in a duly held national referendum that we, the people, paid for. You only have to look at the poor leadership Sears has since provided to the College of The Bahamas to appreciate that he has little in the way of management and leadership skills that would qualify him to serve as PM. We certainly don't need another PM as incompetent and talkative as Christie, i.e. someone who will talk us to sleep while our tax dollars are being robbed from us in every government corporation, department and agency!

MonkeeDoo 8 years, 4 months ago

I think that Christie has paid Brave off and that's why he went quiet. He's just murmuring every now and then.

birdiestrachan 8 years, 4 months ago

here we go brilliant and brilliant. two great men of Bahamian soil . It is good I am unable to vote for either of them I can't vote.charisma gone to bed, never mind persons who voted against the web shops they are the ones who gamble every day, Only grown ups are able to gamble it is their choice to do so. and they have being doing just that for to many years to count, it is the reality, accept it a move on.Strong Strong**

ThisIsOurs 8 years, 4 months ago

I always wonder when people make this argument if they truly realize how the gaming houses are slowly sucking the country dry. The out islands are the canary in the cold mine.

jusscool 8 years, 4 months ago

I still have'nt woke up from a speech Sears gave years ago. Boyyy!

killemwitdakno 8 years, 4 months ago

I understand the opposition having a convention it I don't get contending the PM. Like Obama didn't have to run with against any other democrats in 2012 when republicans put up Mitt Romney.

ThisIsOurs 8 years, 4 months ago

It's weird that with the real concerns expressed about campaign financing and the big Island Luck sign behind Mr Sears, the story never once mentioned that he's a director for a gaming house.

TalRussell 8 years, 4 months ago

Comrades let it not be lost that the only business in Bahamaland undergoing an expansion mode opening new locations not only in Nassau but in Grand Bahama and many of the Out Islands, just happens to be the numbers business and if any man's knows that best it has be the newly announced candidate for PM.
Would be be fair comment that we all knows that not only did the the candidate for PM have horses in the race but their names

Reality_Check 8 years, 4 months ago

Here's all you need to know about Sears and Maynard-Gibson being instrumental in helping Craig Flowers walk away from the overwhelming evidence warranting his imprisonment.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2015/jun…

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