The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Free National Movement will forgo a national convention again this year despite its constitutional mandate to hold one every two years.

The party last held a convention in July 2016.

Yesterday, FNM chairman Carl Culmer said the party has enough resources for just one convention this year and the council chose to prioritise the Torchbearers Youth Association’s convention over a general one. The youth convention is scheduled for August. It is hoped the event will spotlight at least a handful of the millennials likely to run on the party’s ticket in the 2022 general election, an FNM source said.

Mr Culmer said fulfilling the party’s constitutional requirement to hold a convention every two years would strain resources.

“A convention is not cheap,” he said. “We have to manage our funds. To pull off a convention you need a minimum of $1 million. When the constitution was written, we had people living with their families when they came over. But to have people stay in hotels now, you’re looking at minimum of $200 a night. To have a minimum three-day convention you’re looking at per delegate a minimum of $600 to $700 per room. You have to feed them, you have to buy an airplane ticket or whatever mode of transportation to get people here, so you’re looking at a significant expense and when you’re bringing someone for a convention you don’t want to bring them into something less than what they’re accustomed to. When the FNM is going to do something, we’re going to do it in style and when it is convenient for our party.”

Mr Culmer revealed the FNM has established a committee that will recommend changes to its constitution.

After a crushing loss in the 2017 general election, the Progressive Liberal Party embarked on a high-profile mission to amend its own constitution. Historically, critics have faulted the opacity of both major party constitutions and the considerable powers they grant party leaders. It is not uncommon for leadership contenders to criticise the delegate selection process of both parties, among other things.

Mr Culmer would not say whether any specific constitutional changes are anticipated.

“We have a committee now that is looking at our constitution and they are going to be making a number of recommendations,” he said. “We can’t change a constitution unless we’re at a convention and the convention must approve the constitution so at our next convention our constitution will be up for amendments. We have appointed a chairman of the committee. Our party leader and our council gave the committee the mandate to look at the entire constitution to see what is relevant to the modern day Bahamas. Some things in the constitution are open ended and there is no teeth in it. When you look at the constitution, it’s vague and we want to make sure persons can understand what the constitution is saying rather than assume what it’s saying and that’s one of the things the committee is going to look at that.”

Mr Culmer declined to discuss the financial health of the FNM, though he said the party has completely paid off its 2017 general election bills.

The PLP was expected to have its convention this month. However, PLP Leader Philip “Brave” Davis has said those plans became uncertain when its desired dates became unavailable at the Melia hotel. The PLP’s constitution requires the party to host a convention every year. The party postponed its convention last year for financial reasons, sources told this newspaper.