The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

LONG Island MP Dr Andre Rollins yesterday insisted there is “no space” between him and FNM leader Michael Pintard, his first public comment since the party’s post-election conclave, where he left some attendees uneasy by challenging the findings of Jamaican consultants, and after which he reportedly told Mr Pintard he was considering running for the leadership.

Dr Rollins spoke outside Parliament after House Speaker Patricia Deveaux had him removed from the chamber. His fellow opposition MPs walked out with him.

“There’s no space between Mr Pintard and myself. Absolutely none,” Dr Rollins said. “He’s the leader of our party, and any issues that may exist in terms of how we decide to conduct the business of the FNM is internal FNM business.”

At the conclave last month, Dr Rollins questioned the party’s hiring of Jamaican researchers to examine its election defeat. He also challenged their finding that Mr Pintard was an asset in Grand Bahama, creating friction in the discussions. In a heated exchange at Lumpy’s bar on the Saturday night of the conclave weekend, he reportedly told Mr Pintard he was considering a leadership challenge and did not want there to be “bad blood”.

Dr Rollins also said he was surprised his colleagues left in solidarity with him after the Speaker ordered him to leave. He said he expected them to stay in the House and take part in the debate. He said he would have understood if they had remained in the chamber to challenge the government. He said the walkout showed a united party.

“Now, having decided to come down here to lock arms, that’s the sign of a party that is not going to give in to the efforts of the government to divide us,” he said. “We are one. Let us make that pellucidly clear.”

He acknowledged that differences of opinion were inevitable in politics.

“In a democracy, in politics, you will always have differences of opinion, and while those differences of opinion may exist, we are fully supportive of the Free National Movement growing stronger and stronger,” he said.

Mr Pintard, meanwhile, confirmed he is seeking to keep the party’s leadership but refused to dwell on its internal battles.

“I am running. I thought I made that clear,” he said.

He dismissed reports of challenges to his leadership and of the heated exchange with Dr Rollins as “side shows”, and accused reporters of focusing on matters that were not priorities for Bahamians.

“The Bahamian people are focused on how do I pay? How do I pay my light bill? How do I ensure I can drive through the streets without falling in a pothole? How can I afford the food that’s in the food store? That’s what I’m focused on,” Mr Pintard said. “So all the other persons who are looking for the other sideshows, carry on smartly.”

The consultants, reportedly linked to the Jamaica Labour Party, told the conclave that Mr Pintard was the least popular of the country’s three main party leaders. In polling presented in closed-door sessions, he ranked below Prime Minister Philip Davis and Coalition of Independents leader Lincoln Bain, and voters saw him as the “most petty”. The consultants said he was not solely to blame for the party’s crushing defeat in May, when it won eight of the 41 seats in the House of Assembly. Instead, they pointed to a campaign message that failed to resonate with voters, low candidate visibility and a lack of a clear plan.

Asked about the consultants’ findings, Mr Pintard said the party’s convention would decide who was best suited to lead and he would wait for its conclusion. Asked whether he remained confident, he said he believed the opposition was holding the Davis administration to account while presenting an alternative vision for the country.

He then refused to answer any more questions about the leadership contest, including one about FNM Senator Rick Fox, who has said he is running for the leadership.

“I’m not talking about FNM any further. I’m talking about the Bahamian people’s matters,” he said.