The Tribune

A 40-year political career comes to a shocking end as PLP faithful turn on their leader. Cara Hunt reports . . .

Former Prime Minister Perry Christie’s record as one of the country’s longest serving parliamentarians has come to a humiliating end.

After representing the Centreville (formerly Farm Road) constituency since 1977, he has now lost, not just the government, but his seat in an historic defeat of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) at the polls. Mr Christie has served two non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister, his much vaunted hopes of a third in tatters.

A career politician, the 73-year-old attorney was first elected Prime Minister in May 2002, defeating the Free National Movement (FNM), then led by Tommy Turnquest.

In turn Mr Christie and his party suffered defeat in 2007 with the return of the FNM, under the leadership of his former law partner, Hubert Ingraham. However, in 2012, Mr Christie once again led the PLP to victory. On nomination day last month, Mr Christie announced that he was standing for election in the Centreville constituency for the ninth and last last time.

Although the seat was always considered a safe one and a PLP stronghold, the former Prime Minister came under massive criticism from the Official Opposition for “neglecting” his constituency over the past four decades. He also received criticism for a number of scandals his Cabinet was involved in and questions over how the Value Added Tax money was being spent.

Mr Christie is believed to have been the youngest Bahamian ever appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling in November, 1974. He served in that capacity until June, 1977.

In January, 1977, he was appointed chairman of the Gaming Board, which regulates casinos in the Bahamas. Receiving the PLP’s nomination for the Centreville constituency in the 1977 general election, Mr Christie was elected member of Parliament and shortly afterward appointed minister of health and National Insurance. During the June 1982 general election, he was re-elected in Centreville, and was again appointed to the Cabinet, this time as the minister of tourism.

A dynamic minister, Mr Christie took tourism in the Bahamas to new heights. In 1984, however, he was dismissed from the Cabinet, and during the 1987 general election ran as an Independent. He managed to retain his seat in Centreville.

Three years later Mr Christie returned to the fold of the PLP and was appointed minister of agriculture, trade and industry. His ministerial responsibilities included mining, geological surveys, petroleum, fuel, oils and petrochemicals, industries encouragement, manufacturing, relations with the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation, relations with the Bahamas National Trust, the Andros reef and blue holes, and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Co-operatives.

In January, 1993, following the PLP’s defeat in general election five months earlier, Mr Christie was elected co-deputy leader of the PLP with responsibility for party activities outside Parliament. Victorious in the newly-created Farm Road constituency in the general election, he was elected leader of the PLP at a special convention on April 5, 1997, and appointed as leader of the Official Opposition by the Governor General on April 7.

Mr Christie thus succeeded Sir Lynden, considered the ‘Father of the Nation’, who had led the PLP since 1956.