The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

FORT Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins’ pronouncement that he is prepared to swim in his “own vomit” in order to make things right with the FNM to ensure a general election win over the governing PLP, verifies that he is nothing more than a “political prostitute,” according to Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald.

In a strong critique of his former PLP colleague yesterday on the sidelines of the grand opening of the new Sandilands Primary School library and technical lab, Mr Fitzgerald said Dr Rollins would do whatever it takes to salvage his short political career.

The minister of education said Dr Rollins has done a great job distinguishing himself as a “political prostitute extraordinaire,” one that is sure to go down in the annals of history as “someone who jumped from pillar to post” to no avail.

“Well I have said before, he is a political prostitute. He has now to me, distinguished himself as a political prostitute extraordinaire, there is no doubt about it,” the Marathon MP said.

Mr Fitzgerald added: “I won’t be surprised that late one night you are driving along Dowdeswell Street and you see him on the side of the road waiting to be picked up by the next political party, whoever that is.”

Dr Rollins entered the political scene as leader of the now defunct National Development Party. He ran unsuccessfully as the fringe party’s standard-bearer in the 2010 Elizabeth by-election.

He joined the PLP before the 2012 general election and won the Ft Charlotte seat on the party’s ticket. He quit the PLP in 2015, after months of publicly criticising Prime Minister Perry Christie, and joined the FNM later that year.

However, he soon began lambasting FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis and was one of seven MPs who signed a letter of no confidence in the Killarney MP, which led to him being removed as leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament.

He has not been given a nomination for 2017 by the FNM and it is unclear if he will run as an independent candidate.

Mr Fitzgerald said Dr Rollins has wasted the political opportunities he was given.

“I think at the end of the day, I think that is a reflection on how the public sees him (and) how he feels the public sees him as far as which seat he can run in, he can’t even run in his own seat that he has supposedly represented for the last five years.”

Mr Fitzgerald continued: “(Dr Rollins) has had five years and he has squandered his opportunity as a member of Parliament and I think at the end of the day he will go down in the annals of political history as someone who has jumped from pillar to post.

“And so when I call him a political prostitute, I did that based on his history and he has been true to form, he has not changed.”

Last Wednesday, while making his contribution during the boundaries debate in the House of Assembly, Dr Rollins said despite all that has happened, he still views himself as a member of the FNM and remains dedicated to ensuring the party becomes the next government.

Dr Rollins said that if all the opposition members put their egos aside, the “FNM will have the ability to put this country on the right path.”

“My objective is to make sure in this next election the FNM becomes the next government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” Dr Rollins said.

This was a turnaround from what he had said last December, when he said Dr Minnis “would be an absolute failure as prime minister.”

After the seven MPs’ actions last December, a disciplinary tribunal was convened. The MPs face suspension, expulsion from the party or a fine. Dr Minnis has also called on them to quit the FNM.