The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A DAY after former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham expressed distress at the state of the Free National Movement, interviews with party delegates yesterday underscored the complicated status he now occupies in the party he led for nearly two decades.

Although his plea for unity was echoed by most delegates who spoke to The Tribune at the Melià resort yesterday, delegates also seemed divided by those who were disappointed in Mr Ingraham’s failure to endorse a candidate in the leadership race and those who believe he has already said too much.

The party’s core supporters remain largely bitter over Mr Ingraham’s abrupt retirement from politics in 2012 after his party lost the general election.

“He needs to be quiet,” one delegate speaking on the condition of anonymity said. “I cried when he left.”

Generally, Dr Minnis’ supporters were far less laudatory of Mr Ingraham than were Mrs Butler-Turner’s supporters.

None of Dr Minnis’ supporters who spoke to The Tribune said they believe Mr Ingraham should have endorsed a candidate in the race, whereas most of Mrs Butler-Turner’s supporters wanted him to do so.

“He should’ve come out before (with his comments) so at least people would’ve known what he is about,” said La-Sandra Knowles, a delegate from Long Island, supporter of Mrs Butler-Turner and chairwoman of the Long Island FNM Association.

“Coming out now with these words are getting people confused. A lot of people were waiting to see if he would come back. He is the foundation of the party and I think people look up to him because he has proven himself to be a leader and right now the Bahamas needs leadership.”

Lindsey Cancino, a delegate from Montagu who also supports Mrs Butler-Turner, said “yes” and “no” when asked if he was disappointed that Mr Ingraham didn’t endorse a candidate for leader.

“It would’ve clearly swung the election one way or another,” he said. “Being an ambassador of the party, I could see where he wouldn’t want to contribute to disunity. But a lot of the comments he made, made it pretty clear to me which way he thinks this should go and it’s a fair assumption that he prefers Loretta.”

Supporters of Dr Minnis, however, seemed less eager to hear Mr Ingraham’s opinions.

“I feel he is becoming less popular because of the way he abandoned the party,” said James Cleare, an alternate delegate from Carmichael who supports Dr Minnis. “He should’ve been more engaged in the party, assisting the party, getting organised, showing the party how to do this and that, but not interfering with the leader.”

Mr Cleare scoffed at Mr Ingraham’s statements to The Tribune urging the winner of this week’s leadership race not to punish FNM’s MPs who have opposed Dr Minnis.

“With all due respect, Hubert Ingraham can’t tell Dr Minnis what to do,” he said. “Hubert Ingraham had his time as prime minister. Dr Minnis has to have a mind of his own.”

Cyril Dean, another alternate delegate from Carmichael, felt similarly.

“I personally dislike the way Hubert acted,” he said. “He didn’t have to resign. Now that he gone, let him go. I disliked (him) saying at Government House (earlier this year) that he told (Dr Minnis to appoint Dr Duane Sands as senator). If he felt like that, tell Dr Minnis to his face, not in pubic. You got to watch Hubert.”

Expressing a point of view not uncommon among Dr Minnis’ supporters, Mr Dean said he believes if Mr Ingraham thought he could defeat Dr Minnis for leader he would have run for leader again.

“He can’t beat ‘Doc’,” he said, adding: “I expected a more active role out of Hubert in support of ‘Doc’ because as an old leader he should’ve been more focused and more supportive of ‘Doc’. I think he basically been playing a game, talking to both sides.”

Asked about the former prime minister, another delegate who supports Dr Minnis and is running for a party position this week said: “He said he is retired so he should remain retired. Hubert Ingraham has done some wonderful things for the country, but he has now stepped aside and left us in 2012. That’s when we lost the election and now the party is moving forward with Dr Minnis.”

Going against Mr Ingraham’s statements to The Tribune on Tuesday, Dr Minnis’ supporters also said they approve of the Killarney MP’s decision to remove Darron Cash from the Executive Committee, which means he can no longer vote in the convention.

“How can you be on the executive council and talk bad about the leader all the time?” Mr Cleare said. “Darron Cash ain’t an elected official.”