FREE National Movement chairman Carl Culmer. (File photo)
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Tribune Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement chairman Carl Culmer says he’s had no indication that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis will call an early general election despite widespread speculation to the contrary.
Mr Culmer said that while it may seem Dr Minnis is gearing up to ring the bell earlier than 2022, it has always been the FNM’s practice to begin campaign preparations as early as two years before an election.
The chairman went on to express his disappointment in House Speaker Halson Moultrie, who recently resigned from the FNM, for his prediction that Dr Minnis will call a general election in June of this year or shortly thereafter.
Mr Moultrie has said the government cannot go beyond the mid-year budget exercise without finding alternative ways to raise revenue in the form of more taxes. He said this would adversely affect the government’s chances of re-election.
Based on his circumstances, his experiences and analytical expertise, he “reached a conclusion that the election must be called very soon”, Mr Moultrie said on a local radio show.
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So far both Dr Minnis and Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis have released campaign advertisements 15 months ahead of May 2022.
“As you are aware and he is aware of it, as the Constitution states that the election has to be called by the PM,” Mr Culmer told The Tribune. “The Speaker, he can have an opinion, but he doesn’t determine when the election will be.
“I am disappointed in my good brother. The way he is carrying on you never see any other Speaker behave in the manner that he is behaving. A Speaker is supposed to be neutral and the guardian and the person with the highest standard for the government. The way he is going around I have never seen that before. It’s shocking me and it’s very disturbing the way he’s behaving.
“I would expect more from him than he is showing us and the Bahamian society.”
He continued: “As normal during 2017 we were prepared two years in advance. We have our paraphernalia. We have our theme. We had our t-shirts, flags, our candidates on the ground working, so this is the same thing.
“The FNM always prepares at least a year and a half to two years out.”
Mr Culmer also hit out at critics of his party’s ratified candidates and government spending.
The party on Monday night confirmed an additional eight candidates.
They were all incumbents, including Frankie Campbell for Southern Shores, Michael Pintard for Marco City, Iram Lewis for Central Grand Bahama, Adrian Gibson for Long Island; Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Reuben Rahming for Pinewood, Rickey Mackey for North Eleuthera and Shanendon Cartwright for St Barnabas.
The FNM has ratified 25 candidates for the next general election — 19 incumbents and six newcomers.
“Contrary to the narrative the PLP is trying to put out there the FNM has done much over the last few years and our MPs have worked hard. I was listening to one of their surrogates talk on one of the talk shows about the money spent,” Mr Culmer said.
“It’s amazing the nonsense they come up with.
“When you look at the monies the government has paid a week to feed Bahamians during the pandemic when the whole world is suffering. When you look at what has been spent to restore the islands to some kind of normalcy, how could someone be so brassy to ask where the money was spent?
“The money had to come from somewhere to try and restore Abaco and Grand Bahama and the whole Bahamas during this pandemic.
“We have fed and paid people. That money had to have come from somewhere,” Mr Culmer said.
Dr Minnis has also repeatedly brushed off speculation of an early election.
While in Grand Bahama last week he was asked when that island’s candidates would be announced. Dr Minnis replied, “Oh, I don’t know yet. I don’t even know when’s the election. Election is officially due May 2022.”
Asked about the possibility of a snap election, Dr Minnis said: “Oh, I haven’t heard it.”
Comments
tribanon 3 years, 9 months ago
MINNIS HAS TOLD ONLY ONE LIE THAT IS BIGGER THAN THE ONE ABOVE AND THAT WAS WHEN HE PROMISED BEFORE THE MAY 2017 GENERAL ELECTION THAT IT WOULD BE THE PEOPLE'S TIME. AND WHAT A BOLD FACED LIE THAT HAS PROVED TO BE!
THIS UNTRUSTWORTHY BRUTE'S ARROGANCE ALONE IS LOUDLY SIGNALLING THAT A SNAP ELECTION IS IN FACT JUST AROUND THE CORNER.
Honestman 3 years, 9 months ago
Don't be ridiculous, the FNM would have absolutely nothing to gain by calling an early election.
tribanon 3 years, 9 months ago
Public discontentment with the FNM is going to be much worse than it ever was with the PLP in a few months time, and Minnis knows it.
moncurcool 3 years, 9 months ago
And Davis and the PLP is better?
tribanon 3 years, 9 months ago
Vote for the independent candidate who runs in your constituency rather than fall victim to the two-party game that Minnis and Davis are playing. They both want you thinking you have no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils when in fact there is no difference at all between the evilness and incompetence of these two buffoons.
licks2 3 years, 9 months ago
EXACTLY. . .STATUS QUO!! The PLP gat DAVIS and Mitchell!!
Do the math. . .the PLP is a non-party lame duck right now with a leader who cannot "carry" his party to the finish line!! A snap election leaves Davis "holding" the steering wheel to election!!
Election next May allows the PLP to convention and replace the leader. . .which can spell a good chance for "people whoppin" for Minnis!!
Snap election dooms the PLP with "the millstone" Davis around their political necks!! My money is snap election also. . . snap the life line to victory for the PLP by "breakin off" Davis in them. . .so to speak!!
shonkai 3 years, 9 months ago
All this election theater is just plain silly games. As late as suitable call the election for the middle of January. This will show some guts and some intention of really breaking with all this nonsense, on top of catching the opposition with their guard (or pants) down. It will also be colder so no skimpily dressed ladies (and men?) to worry about.
“The FNM always prepares at least a year and a half to two years out.” Really? They should be busy getting the country out of major crisis after major crises, not their own re-election issues.
bahamianson 3 years, 9 months ago
are we bored? why do we run-on with this nonsense every election cycle? Every cycle, the whisper starts about an early election....so what, who cares! call it now , call it later, who cares. oh, a snail died in Andros.
John 3 years, 9 months ago
So what is the benefit of the FNM government calling an early election, and even at this juncture? They are still battling the tail end of a pandemic and their efforts in combating it are yet to be appreciated. The corona virus will disappear over the next few weeks and tourism will start to come back strong I n the summer. People will get their jobs back and if the winter of 2021 is half as bitter as this one, The Bahamas will experience a most booming winter season. (Start cooperative advertising and promotion now). And with a booming tourism industry and declining, the FNM can go into May 2022 elections and come out with no less than 21 seats. The country will be in a position to tackle its debt without imposing too much additional tax burden on Bahamians. It’s a matter of trust and NO, I hold no brief for the FNM!
tribanon 3 years, 9 months ago
Come on @John. Everyone knows you've always been and always will be a pill-popping die-hard FNM supporter. LMAO.
John 3 years, 9 months ago
Actually last Election I went to the beach...ask Minnis!
K4C 3 years, 9 months ago
The Bahamas is on a path that's not whats going to be fruitful because of Covid19, and the locals are in excitability about an election, not a smart move
the choice is PLP or FNM , what a choice
The winners are the politicians
the losers is the Bahamas
John 3 years, 9 months ago
I’ll Trump to that!
Sickened 3 years, 9 months ago
Correct! It couldn't possible be worse... unless Trump was on the ticket too.
Bonefishpete 3 years, 9 months ago
MBGA ....... just don't have that ring to it.
moncurcool 3 years, 9 months ago
Clearly our Constitution is long overdue for a drastic change. This is why we need a fixed election date to stop all this nonsense.
Could it be this is the first speaker to be independent in thought and not just follow what his party wanted?
sheeprunner12 3 years, 9 months ago
The crux of the matter that We The People do not want any better ......... we vote for stupid politicians and we vote NO at referanda ........... So the politicians enjoy the show
licks2 3 years, 9 months ago
You see the kind of "things" we write on this site. . .why would we expect "any different road to logic and reasoning". . .when we pick our MPs? Political games in the Bahamas is usually "played" by two types of persons. . .the crafty and the dull! The crafty has the power for 4 years. . .dull gets it every five years!! Thinkers (swing voters) hold no power. . .the crafty knows that they cannot be "swung" . . .THE CRAFTY LEAVE THINKERS ALONE! thinkers make governments now and again. . .the Dull make them always!!
So when the crafty "swing" the Dull. . .that's no big thing. . .that's what the Crafty do with the Dull!! But the tragedy is . . .Thinkers playing the fool and get "jammed" by the Crafty!! Thinkers make good governments. . .if the Dull continues to get "swing" by the Crafty. . .the Thinkers are letting the Crafty do so!!
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