The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

TALL Pines MP Leslie Miller and former Cabinet minister George Smith want the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) to hold a convention in September instead of November, arguing that sooner rather than later the party needs to organise itself and excite its base in preparation for the next general election.

“Politics is a funny game,” Mr Miller told The Tribune yesterday. “The longer the convention goes on and the decision is made to have it in November, it is telling us in Parliament and other PLPs around the country that they are trying to avert anyone standing for any of the positions that could be vacant. I don’t think that should be said to people. It would really be a slap in the face not to call a convention earlier than November.”

Mr Miller said he fears PLP members are complacent in the face of the Free National Movement (FNM) leadership fight that has grabbed headlines and that brought hundreds of FNM supporters out last week to separate events in a show of support for their preferred leader between Dr Hubert Minnis and Loretta Butler-Turner.

“I think many politicians who just reach believe that because of the infighting in the opposition, this makes it easier for the PLP,” he said. “It would be a drastic mistake for anyone to make. Bahamians don’t vote for the opposition. They vote against governments.”

The need for an earlier convention, Mr Miller said, is highlighted by the fact that the governing party is disconnected from everyday Bahamians amid persistent crime and high rates of poverty and unemployment.

“Bahamians are funny people, they want to be able to feel you,” the former minister of trade and industry said. “People are saying from time to time they don’t feel the government. Baha Mar has been such a drag on the psyche of the average Bahamian, for instance. If that could get back on track, that would take the burden off the government.”

For his part, Mr Smith, a former member of Parliament for Exuma, said an early convention would show the PLP is in touch with the grassroots.

“The FNM is going through their convention later this month,” he said. “I’m not a believer in a party copying another but I do believe the PLP should have a convention earlier than November. There is no doubt that the Prime Minister is going through a rough period in terms of government performance.

“There are challenges, challenges that I hope the government overcomes. But the fact is, since we haven’t had a convention since 2009, it’s questionable whether the present holders of the office in the PLP have positions that are constitutional.

“We need to look to try to embrace new, vibrant candidates and to re-examine every candidacy particularly in areas where we know the incumbent has problems. We should make a noble effort to try to make sure that the candidates have the aptitude, motive, conviction and intelligence to be able to address the problems facing the Bahamas.”

Mr Smith said he hopes changes take place at the next PLP convention. For instance, he said he hopes someone replaces PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts.

“I hope that a new chairman will emerge,” he said. “I have nothing against the incumbent but I hope for a chairman who is more conciliatory, more a soft-sell and one particularly capable of embracing people will emerge.”

However, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe disagrees, telling The Tribune yesterday that not only would a September convention pose logistical challenges given that students go back to school then, but the PLP’s constitution mandates that a convention be held in October or November.

Mr Wilchcombe - who has expressed his willingness to challenge for the leadership of the PLP if Prime Minister Perry Christie chooses not to - said the party should follow the precepts of its constitution when it comes to the issue of convention.

“I take grave exception to the fact that we haven’t had convention for a while,” Mr Wilchcombe said, noting the PLP’s constitution calls for a convention to be held every year.

“We must always respect the articles in the constitution. That’s how you send the right messages. We must return to a constitution that works. Furthermore, September would be a period of time for back to school. How will delegates get back to the capital? We would want delegates from all over the country and that’s a slow period all over the world because of that factor.”

Initially, the convention was planned for November 2015 but was rescheduled for April 2016 because of the devastation left by Hurricane Joaquin in the Family Islands and recovery efforts, which were underway at the time.

The April date was then rescheduled until later this year to give attention to the June referendum on gender equality.

The last PLP convention was held in 2009.