By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORT Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins said yesterday he has no plans to leave the PLP despite the strong position he has taken against Prime Minister Perry Christie and his administration.

He also took a swipe at State Minister for National Security Keith Bell, condemning the junior minister’s call last week for his resignation as an MP as being flippant at a time when the country struggles to curb violent crime.

On Friday, Mr Bell, a PLP senator, told The Tribune that Dr Rollins should resign from his seat and run against him as an independent candidate in a by-election.

Dr Rollins, who spoke to reporters hours after five people were killed in less than 36 hours, said Mr Bell has lost focus on what is important. One of the victims was Latore Mackey, deputy director of Bahamas Information Services and the prime minister’s press secretary.

“It really reinforces and underscores the point that I made that we need new political leadership in our country because a minister of state for national security should be focused on the very serious concerns that Bahamians have about violent crime in our country. Violent crime is very serious and when it gets to the level of impacting the Office of the Prime Minister where you have the press secretary for the prime minister being violently gunned down, and I’m not trying to be facetious when I say this, but it causes me to think that we seem to be living in an episode of the television show Scandal.

“Violent crime is something we have to pay a lot of attention to and we shouldn’t be giving lip service to the need to call a by-election or the need to have a by-election where we would be spending scarce resources unnecessarily at a time when those scarce resources ought to be applied to dealing with violent crime.”

As for his status as a member of the PLP, he said: “I am still a member of the PLP and I will continue to fight for change within the PLP because I genuinely believe the country needs reforms on any number of levels. Like I said, the reason I’ve been intentionally avoiding the press is because I believe it is important to try to stay focused on what is most important to the Bahamian people. It’s not about Andre Rollins, but when you see that you wake up first thing in the morning and you hear that a member of the government is gunned down violently, it tells you that we should never, particularly coming from the minister of state for national security, be talking about trivia, in the governance of this country, insignificant things, foolish things like calling for a by-election. . .”

Dr Rollins also admitted to being unfazed when Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis fired him as chairman of the Gaming Board last week, even though, according to Mr Davis, the appointment was set to expire on August 31. Board appointments came to an end on June 30, but Mr Davis said Cabinet had extended the appointments to the end of this month.

“I think that it was really all for public consumption to say that you’re going to fire somebody when there’s eight days left, according to the claims by the government, in that individual’s tenure,” he said. “As far as I am aware, the boards have not been reappointed so I really think it was a useless exercise, one filled with political theatrics that amounted to nothing more than political posturing. But at the end of the day it’s not about the Gaming Board. I mean I didn’t get into politics for an office or because I aspire to be leader right away as some people are speculating. That’s not what it’s all about. I genuinely want to see us bring about change in this country and for those that question my motives, that’s their right.”

Last Wednesday, Dr Rollins said the country needs new political leadership and hit out at his own party over a myriad of issues. This prompted Mr Davis, acting prime minister at the time, to call on Dr Rollins to do the “honourable thing.” He also suggested that Dr Rollins meet with him last Thursday.

Mr Davis fired Dr Rollins as chairman of the Gaming Board on Friday.

The Tribune understands that during a parliamentary caucus meeting Sunday evening, Dr Rollins’ comments in the House of Assembly last week were addressed.