The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

LEADER of the Official Opposition Loretta Butler-Turner yesterday announced the appointment of Senator Monique Gomez to the post of leader of opposition business in the upper chamber after she was forced to accept the resignation of Democratic National Alliance Leader Branville McCartney.

Less than three months after she surprised the nation by announcing that Mr McCartney would lead the opposition in the Senate, Mrs Butler-Turner released a brief statement acknowledging the former Bamboo Town MP’s decision to leave the post.

While she did not give any comments outside of a brief statement comprised of three sentences, The Tribune was told by sources that the Long Island MP was blindsided by the move.

“Today I have accepted the resignation of Senator William B McCartney, leader of opposition business in the senate,” the press statement read.

“I thank Mr McCartney for his willingness to serve in the upper chamber.

“I wish him well in his future political endeavours.”

Another brief statement confirming Senator Gomez as the new leader of opposition business followed.

Mrs Butler-Turner said: “Today, I have advised Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling, governor general of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, to appoint Senator Monique Gomez as leader of opposition business in the Senate.

“Senator Gomez has distinguished herself as an attorney and an advocate for women and children. She continues to selflessly serve the good people of our Bahamas.”

The statement continued: “I am grateful to Senator Gomez for accepting my invitation to serve as leader of opposition business in the Senate. I have every confidence that she will continue to serve our country well.”

While she did not go into any details as to what led to the split, it had long been speculated that the two were not working well together behind the scenes. Mrs Butler-Turner announced on December 12, 2016 that she advised the governor general to appoint Mr McCartney to the Senate.

At the time Mrs Butler-Turner announced the move as evidence that her team was willing to put the Bahamian people first to move forward to defeat the governing Progressive Liberal Party.

This came after she and six other Free National Movement MPs expressed no confidence in FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis in a letter to Dame Marguerite. Mrs Butler-Turner was appointed leader of the Official Opposition in his place.

At the time, she said she and the six FNM MPs who support her did not join the DNA, but were working together for a “common good.”

By early January it became apparent that the partnership was off to a rocky start after Mrs Butler-Turner declared she was forming “a very powerful and bold coalition” with the DNA that would “change the direction of the country.”

She made the comments on January 5 during an interview on Hot 91.7 FM’s “Morning Madhouse” with host “C-Note”, saying the details of the “interesting” coalition will be announced “very soon.”

However, the following day, Mr McCartney said he was “unaware” of any coalition between his party and Mrs Butler-Turner or the six other dissident FNM members of Parliament.

In an interview with The Tribune, Mr McCartney said “there is no plan at this stage” to form a coalition between the two groups.

Mrs Butler-Turner then became vocal of the rift in an interview with Our News last month.

“I think it’s an open secret that Branville McCartney has thrown me under the bus, despite the fact that we clearly had discussions going on and a key in those discussions realised what we were trying to build,” the Long Island MP said last month.

During that television interview, she also admitted that her plans to shake up the political scene have not gone so well thus far.

In response, Mr McCartney dismissed the assertion, charging that if the Long Island MP felt strongly about her accusations, he was “ready and willing” to resign from his Senate post.