The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

AS the Free National Movement’s convention nears, more concerns have been raised about the fairness of the process, this time from members of the party’s Fox Hill constituency association.

Renathia Lockhart, a chairman candidate, wrote to FNM chairman Dr Duane Sands, expressing concern that the acting chairman of the association is continuing with the election process after being instructed that constituency association elections will not be held until after the FNM’s June 1 convention.

She complained that previous executive members acted in executive capacities even though the association’s executive committee had been dissolved.

Ms Lockhart proposed that the two candidates running for the chairman position select an even number of delegates, five from each candidate, to attend the national convention.

Dr Sands said yesterday the matter is an internal issue. He questioned why the letter was made public.

The FNM recently paused constituency association elections, but Dr Sands said some elections were allowed to continue due to “instances where things were well-established”.

Burton Miller, former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’s campaign chairman, called last week to immediately suspend constituency association elections. He accused the party’s leadership of rushing those elections to favour Michael Pintard at the upcoming convention.

The Fox Hill matter is seen within the party as the latest proxy war between Michael Pintard and former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

One of the FNM’s vice-chairmen, Richard Johnson, sued the party for banning him from executive meetings.

Last week, a Supreme Court judge dismissed an application for an injunction to stop the FNM’s Women’s Association election after concerns were raised about the process.