The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Progressive Liberal Party’s Montagu branch voted to nominate Senator Frank Smith for the newly renamed Free Town constituency before the Candidates Committee of the PLP decided to give the nomination to attorney Wayne Munroe, according to a press statement yesterday from the branch.

Mr Munroe, QC, was expected to be ratified by the National General Council of the PLP Friday night, but the nomination for that constituency has been postponed in view of the high-profile fight between factions of Mr Smith and Mr Munroe which played out at a party meeting on Thursday.

On Friday, Prime Minister Perry Christie said whatever the party decides to do with respect to the Freetown constituency, everyone will be pleased and united.

The PLP’s constitution says all prospective candidates must either be recommended by the constituency branch or a member in good standing.

In the event that the National General Council chooses a candidate that is different from one who is recommended by the branch, the PLP’s constitution says there “shall be a joint meeting comprised of the branch and/or affiliate member and ten members of the National General Council appointed by the national chairman in consultation with the leader and that joint committee shall amicably resolve the matter and report to the leader its findings.”

A press statement from the branch yesterday featured a letter signed by ten elected officials of the Montagu constituency branch in which they indicate that Mr Smith was chosen on the “strong recommendation of the branch.”

“Frank Smith has our unequivocal support and we are convinced that the party would win if he ran as the candidate,” the letter, sent to PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts on February 21, said.

“We are informed that the Candidates Committee of the Progressive Liberal Party plans to suggest to the National General Council of our party that a candidate other than Frank Smith be nominated for the constituency of Freetown which encompasses much of the constituency of Montagu. We have met this news with profound disappointment.”

With respect to a subsequent meeting members of the branch had with Mr Roberts last week, the statement said: “…This meeting...was very well attended by branch members. The party chairman opened the floor to comments from all present and everyone who wished to speak were able to do so without a time limit or any control on their commentary. It is very true that the overwhelming number of those making statements of support did so in favour of Frank Smith. These statements were later reinforced by letters of support to the Candidates Committee for Frank Smith from community leaders who were not present at the meeting.

“Against the honourable history that the Progressive Liberal Party has always demonstrated great regard for the clear indication of support from its branches, which was on very obvious display during the nomination process in other constituencies during the 2017 nomination cycle, we call on all aspirants to respect the strong wish of the branch and party supporters in Free Town,” the statement added.

When contacted by The Tribune yesterday, Mr Munroe said he and his supporters will have their own meeting with the leadership structure of the PLP this week, opening the possibility that tensions in the party will be exposed again even while the PLP seeks to contrast itself with the Free National Movement, which has been fractured in recent times.

“The party has a democratic structure,” Mr Munroe said. “Just as the branch votes, and the branch might not be representative of the constituency, the Candidates Committee has its own function and then you have the NGC.

“That the branch voted for him (Mr Smith) would have been known to the Candidates Committee. They do the investigations. They would investigate things like level of activity of the branch. There are a number of persons that they would speak to, I have no doubt stalwarts from the area and they would do their own due diligence.”

Mr Smith is a long-time PLP member, having run for the party in the Blue Hills constituency in 1997, which he lost, and having represented the now defunct St Thomas More area in Parliament from 2002 to 2012.

He lost to Richard Lightbourn in the Montagu constituency in 2012. Mr Smith was appointed as a PLP senator this term and is chairman of the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA).

Mr Munroe joined the PLP in 2015. In 2012, he ran unsuccessfully on the Democratic National Alliance’s ticket.

Although he was not ratified Friday night, Mr Munroe was cheered by numerous residents of the Freetown area.

When Mr Christie explained why there was a delay in the ratification of a candidate for Freetown, shouts of “Munroe” rang from the crowd.