The Tribune

TO us, Dr Hubert Minnis as leader of the FNM is a mystery “wrapped up in an enigma”.

A successful doctor with aspirations to lead a country, but devoid of all natural leadership abilities, we were assured that given time he would learn. And it was time that we were prepared to give him.

However, from a strong, cohesive party, four years have passed. Dr Minnis now heads a party in conflict and confusion. Daily it is becoming more like Pindling’s racist PLP with an “all-for-me baby” attitude. All that the FNM stood for is slowly being eroded.

From the beginning, Dr Minnis has shown no ability to unite a group of intelligent people around a common cause — a cause that would strengthen and save a country that is quickly being destroyed by an inept government.

He started off on the wrong foot from the very beginning. When after 35 years as party leader Hubert Ingraham resigned from politics on the defeat of the FNM in 2012, the leadership mantle fell to Dr Minnis.

On assuming leadership of the party, one would have thought that he would have thanked Mr Ingraham for his many years of outstanding service to his country and party. But becoming known for not following the usual form, he gleefully announced: “The age of Ingraham is over!” Immediately, he alienated a group of his own party supporters.

Talk about having a bad case of “foot and mouth” disease — almost from the beginning he has shown that he is adept at putting his foot in his mouth. We understand that Mr Ingraham was his mentor, but Dr Minnis was so anxious to throw off the Ingraham mantle and be his own man that he displayed what can only be described as an inferiority complex. Even today, the only comment that Mr Ingraham has is that at one time he gave the good doctor advice, but he does not do so today.

There have been many minor incidents along the way that have shown that Dr Minnis does not have a leader’s natural ability to keep his party together.

Imagine if your ambition is to have a unified party that not only do you not inform your senior party members that two PLP dissidents are about to cross the floor of the House, but having welcomed them with open arms you give them important party positions a short time later.

Even Prime Minister Perry Christie smelled a rat. He accused Dr Minnis of only welcoming Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells and Ft Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins into his party to stave off a possible internal coup to rid him as FNM leader. At the time of floor crossing, Renward Wells still had an active question before the House regarding the controversial signing of a letter of intent in a government contract. That question still has not been adequately explained.

Although Dr Minnis in courting Dr Andre Rollins and Renward Wells to join the party swore that no incentives were offered, about a week later he shuffled his shadow cabinet and Dr Rollins was named Shadow Minister, Ministry of National Security, and Renward Wells Shadow Minister, Ministry of Tourism. We wonder how seasoned members of the FNM took that announcement.

Then there was the bungling of a Senate appointment when a competent woman senator was replaced with another of less experience. Dr Minnis has still not adequately explained that shuffle. And his newly-appointed Senator Latisha Rolle has caused him a great deal of embarrassment by taking to the airwaves to castigate five senior parliamentarians who she claimed did not support their leader. According to her, some sitting MPs were “jealous” of the favour which Dr Minnis has with the voters. She also said that Mrs Butler-Turner, who Dr Minnis defeated in a leadership contest in 2014, would not get support from the electorate to become a potential prime minister. Of course, this has split the party even further apart as the five offended parliamentarians have demanded a public apology that she has declined to give. Dr Minnis has made excuses for her behaviour, leaving the party in an uproar.

And now the latest. Tennyson Wells, a former FNM minister, who resigned from the party, and has bitterly opposed it ever since, has thrown his full support behind Dr Minnis, claiming that one of the five FNMs who was insulted by Senator Rolle was a racist. According to Mr Wells, he believes that Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn is racist. Richard Lightbourn of all people. If this were not so tragic, such a suggestion would be comical. And coming from a person like Tennyson Wells, no less, it is ridiculous. Brent Symonette, an original FNM, said that at no time in the FNM did FNMs divide themselves along racial lines.

“I am a white Bahamian,” retorted Mr Symonette, “I served under a black Bahamian – at no point did we operate as such. We always operated as a group of Bahamians dedicated to improving our society. That is the FNM way; that is what the FNM I knew was built on. This nonsense Tennyson Wells is speaking about, I have no idea where that is coming from.” Nor has anyone else — unless, of course, it is Dr Minnis.

Instead of castigating Mr Wells for further dividing his party, Dr Minnis does the unthinkable. He thanks Mr Wells for his support.

Speaking to Fox Hill constituents at a party meeting last night, party chairman Michael Pintard pleaded: “You were with us in 1997 and we want you back. Like the song says, ‘Oh baby give me one more chance. Give me one more chance to show you that I love you. I was blind to let you go, but now I can see.’ I see you in his arms but God says come back.”

Many have given that one more chance. There are no more chances to give. It is now urgent that this party get back on its feet — a united, strong opposition — because this country needs a change of government.

This means that the FNM must hold a convention within the month to sort out this crippling leadership crisis. November is far too late. The Bahamas and the future of the Bahamian people must take precedence over petty men’s inflated egos.