The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

AS he declared his intention to run in the 2022 general election no matter how the government adjusts the constituency boundaries, Pineridge MP Frederick McAlpine predicted that many FNM MPs will be “one and done” representatives.

He went on to hint that he could run either as an independent or for another political party outside of the FNM, under whose banner he was elected in 2017.

“I’m sorry to tell you many of you in here is one and done,” Mr McAlpine told the House yesterday during his contribution to the debate on an amendment to the Parliamentary Elections Act. The amendment will bring into force a permanent register which officials have said means persons on the existing register will not be required to register again.

“…If you was listening it wouldn’t get this far,” the outspoken MP said in response to heckling from seated government MPs. “We wouldn’t be where we are today if you was listening. You ain’t listening to me. You ain’t even listening to Papa (former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham). You ain’t listening to nobody.

“I am sorry to tell you, for many of you in here it’ll be one and done. Many of you have disappointed the Bahamian people (and) not just the Bahamian people, your family and your friends, even some of them have made up in their minds not to vote for you next time.

“Mr Speaker, I can’t tell you who’s winning the next general election, but I can certainly tell you who’s not.”

Earlier in his contribution, Mr McAlpine suggested there may have been a plan underway to deny him a nomination. However, he said, nothing would stop him from challenging the seat, including any plans to alter constituency boundaries.

“Pineridge intends to run in the next general election, God spares life. Pineridge also intends to be returning to this place after the next general election again, if God spares life.

“Pineridge may be many things, but Pineridge is not politically naive. I don’t follow constituencies’ names. I follow the people of the constituency. You’re not going to play political games with me and that’s when they would turn around and take the name Pineridge, stick it on West End and then turn it into Pineridge thinking that I’m crazy enough to go run in West End which is now named Pineridge.

“I’ve seen that before in this place. It happened right there where the honourable member for Bamboo Town is MP. Bamboo Town was someplace else. The people were someplace else, but another set of people had the name Bamboo Town.”

He continued: “If the powers that be seek to be spiteful while continuing down the road of pettiness, deciding among themselves to remove Pineridge as a constituency, then I will go where the majority is.

“You better listen, don’t worry about me, I will then see where the majority of the people are and will be running in that constituency either way. I have become a threat to the government’s candidacy.

“You may give me a nomination. You may not give me a nomination. It will become very difficult however for any candidate who the governing party may nominate against me even if he is a present incumbent.

“I ain’t stupid. Removing Pineridge and putting my people into another constituency from the voter’s registration will not matter.

“I represent and (have) represented Pineridge to the best of my ability and by extension Grand Bahama that wherever I run, the people of Grand Bahama will remember me as I have remembered them,” Mr McAlpine said.