The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP-elect Iram Lewis said if he has the support, he would possibly challenge the leadership post of the Free National Movement when it becomes available at a convention in November.

However, he said such a run is not priority at this time.

Mr Lewis told The Tribune his main concern is getting back to work in his constituency to hold frank discussions with his council and constituents on what led to the FNM’s overall defeat at the polls last week.

Mr Lewis was among three former Cabinet ministers who retained their seats in the election. In addition to him there was former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and former Minister of Agriculture Michael Pintard. Former State Minister of Finance Kwasi Thompson also won his bid to represent East Grand Bahama, which was previously represented by Peter Turnquest. 

 Other FNMs who were elected are Shanendon Cartwright in St Barnabas, Adrian White in St Anne’s and Adrian Gibson in Long Island.

Asked if he would contest the FNM leadership post if he got the support, Mr Lewis said, “Yeah, if it comes to that point and I put my name in the hat then I will, but that’s still not my priority.”

 FNM Chairman Carl Culmer said on Wednesday night that the party’s council agreed to let Dr Minnis remain leader of the party until a new leader emerges from a convention in November. Dr Minnis had told committee members that he will hold on to his Killarney seat and has no plans to resign from the House of Assembly or contest the post in a convention.

 “I respect that and up to that point I have never considered because he’s the leader, so the position was not vacant,” Mr Lewis said. “I have never applied for a job if there is no vacancy.

 “I want to act in the best interest of the party. I don’t know what the future holds, but, like I said, at the moment I want to get back to my base, the grassroots and hear from them and I want to be guided by what they have to say.”

 Mr Lewis said he has great respect for Dr Minnis who weathered many storms with the FNM.

 “He is the leader and I respect leadership and I want to commend him for the job that he has done when the party was going through its challenges when in 2012, he stepped up when our then leader and another man that I respect resigned. Dr Minnis stood in the gap.

 “He stood when his parliamentary colleagues had a vote of no confidence and wrote a letter (to the governor general). He didn’t run away. He stayed and pulled up his socks and went back to work and was able to realise the largest victory (in 2017) ever by our party and he is willing now to go into Parliament and to defend his legacy and his actions. I commend him and so I stand by him.

 “I don’t want to take away from that. I don’t want to distract from that because once you declare your intentions for leadership then the campaign starts and that will take away from where we are now and what should be done, which is going back to our roots and our foundation and rebuilding.”

 He went on to congratulate FNM supporters and the new Progressive Liberal Party government saying he wished them success because any failure would mean the country also fails.

 The council’s decision to let Dr Minnis continue to lead the party came during a spirited meeting in which members gave frank assessments about why the FNM suffered its worst electoral defeat in decades.

 “We had a great meeting tonight and a lot of supporters have expressed their concerns and at the end of the meeting we agreed that the leader, the present leader, will take the party into convention and after convention we will select a new leader to take the party forward,” Mr Culmer told reporters on Wednesday outside Holy Trinity Activity Centre. “Dr Minnis will not offer himself for leadership. We will have an opportunity to choose another leader.”

Mr Culmer said the convention will take place no later than at the end of November.

 “Dr Minnis also pledged to work with (the new) leader, whomever he may be, so that the FNM will be battle ready for the election whenever it is called,” he added.

 For his part, Dr Minnis said on Wednesday that he will help hold the PLP accountable in opposition.

 He said: “I thought the government, we did an excellent job in paving the way forward for the country and preparing for a better future. Unfortunately, the public felt different, and we accept that. We will regroup, look at everything, analyse as to why voters did not vote, what were the challenges, and we will move forward and come out even better. Most importantly, I will be going back to Parliament as the leader of the opposition with my parliamentary colleagues and we have had lots of experience both in opposition and in government and we are assured that we will be a very very vibrant, aggressive opposition and we will keep the government’s feet to the fire. They’ve made many promises and it is essential that when you make promises, you adhere to the promises.”