FNM divided over Minnis

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.com

FORMER Free National Movement Chairman Darron Cash yesterday launched a scathing attack on his own party saying its supporters were “tearing their hair out” and are frustrated with their leader Dr Hubert Minnis who is not moving the FNM in the direction of a decisive 2017 general election victory.

Mr Cash said unless Dr Minnis could get the public support of every opposition member of Parliament, the party has no choice but to go into a full convention with elections.

In a lengthy statement on his Facebook page, the former Carmichael constituency candidate, who lost to Dr Daniel Johnson in the 2012 election, said the FNM does not appear unified on two major issues – the leader and the mission of winning the next general election.

Meanwhile, attorney Michael Scott, who has acted as the party’s legal advisor, agreed with Mr Cash’s statement commenting under the post that very few bought into Dr Minnis as the party’s leader.

Mr Cash’s statement came as party insiders told The Tribune yesterday that supporters who fund the FNM have threatened to “turn off the faucet” if Dr Minnis continues to lead the organisation.

Another source said that Dr Minnis was recently asked to attend a meeting with the parliamentary team who expressed that they were not pleased with his leadership.

Mr Cash’s comments also follow a report in The Nassau Guardian’s National Review section this week, which said several FNM MPs had no confidence in Dr Minnis and were plotting to petition Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling to have him removed as leader of the Official Opposition.

“From the outside looking in, all does not appear to be well in the FNM,” Mr Cash wrote. “Our supporters are pulling their hair out. It is time to call a spade a spade. Two issues frustrate the hell out of FNM supporters: one, the leader, despite his considerable talents, is not winning hearts and minds and inspiring confidence to the extent needed. Two: the party does not appear to be united - firstly around the leader and secondly around the mission of winning a general election. The latter problem is exacerbated by the former.

“The fact of the matter is that the leader of my party is not moving the party closer to a decisive general election victory and those closest to him seem to know it, i.e. some members of Parliament ... and something needs to be done. This I submit is the implication of the National Review article and why it begged for a considered response. Something must be done.”

Mr Cash said the party must have a “come to Jesus” moment where FNMs forgive and forget the past, return to preparations geared toward the next election and focus on the dreams of Bahamians.

“The attempted fix of a one-day leadership election/convention last November did not work,” Mr Cash added. “The fix applied was either the wrong medicine or the wrong dosage. Whatever your perspective, the FNM mind and body are not one and they must be made whole. That is a function of leadership. It is a function of the leader.

“The wounds of disunity are deep but they are self-inflicted. The leader is the one who must solve the problem. I’ll illustrate. I was distressed to read the National Review story about the FNM ‘Cabinet in Waiting.’ No one was ‘on the record’ but the story still seemed true. I thought I would wait to see what the official party response would be. Today (Tuesday) the response is ‘no comment’.”

Mr Cash said in his opinion “no comment” is not good enough.

“The public and more importantly our supporters are wondering what in the hell is going on. Why can’t the FNM get its act together? The burden to get it together and bring the team together is the leader’s job.

“There is a fundamental problem if the evidence of a party leader (whose) lack of support starts with the elected persons in his shadow Cabinet. (Yesterday) only the deputy FNM leader pledged allegiance to the leader. And once again the FNM MP from (Central and) South Abaco (Edison Key) acknowledged that he was out of the loop,” Mr Cash said.

His latter comments were in reference to recent published comments from Mr Key who said he was aware of an alleged plan to oust Dr Minnis by a minority of FNM MPs, however he said he supported Dr Minnis.

Meanwhile, reacting to Mr Cash’s post, Mr Scott wrote on Facebook: “Darron, now we are getting somewhere! In digesting your comments I am reminded of the old FNM slogan ‘It is a matter of trust!’ I will put the matter simply in a few sentences. It goes beyond the parliamentarians to every single voter in search of change in this country. You must first buy into the leader before you buy into the vision. Very few really buy into Minnis and that is pellucidly clear to me and he would do well to remember ‘how you make others feel about themselves says a lot about you!’”

Dr Minnis could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Comments

TalRussell says...

Posted 30 September 2015, 3:02 p.m. Suggest removal

Well_mudda_take_sic says...

I, like so many others, would vote for Christie (or even the Devil himself) long before I would vote for the FNM party candidate with Minnis still the official opposition leader and leader of the FNM. We have things bad enough under Christie, but we sure as hell can't afford the risk of Minnis possibly becoming the PM one day. That just ain't gonna be allowed to happen by the voters in this country! The governing apparatus of the FNM party has now possibly let too much time go without removing Minnis, in which case small wonder Christie smile grows with each passing day! The FNM are setting themselves up to kiss the golden opportunity they would have had good-bye.

Posted 30 September 2015, 3:50 p.m. Suggest removal

arussell says...

Whiles I agree with most of your respond and even click like on them. I can't agree with this one. How can we not even give Mr Minnis a chance? We fail the man before he even take office. I don't follow through with politics as often perhaps as you but I rather give some else a chance other then to put Mr. Christie back in office.

Posted 30 September 2015, 4:48 p.m. Suggest removal

TalRussell says...

Comrades In the run-up to the 2012 General, the ruling Hubert regime had been running 30 points way ahead in all opinion polls with the PLP party, the only main opposition force that could have brought them down. Did I mention in the opinion polls were but a creation up in Papa Hubert's own head.
I thinks sometimes the Tribune still relies on them old Papa Hubert polling statistics to predict the outcome 2017 General.

Posted 30 September 2015, 4:20 p.m. Suggest removal

DillyTree says...

Minnis needs to start leading or get out of the way.

Posted 30 September 2015, 4:52 p.m. Suggest removal

sheeprunner12 says...

I would like Mudda and Dilly to put forward their alternatives to lead the FNM into the 2016/7 election ............ speak or get out of the way

Posted 30 September 2015, 8:33 p.m. Suggest removal

Greentea says...

Why not Cash or Pintard? Not sure whats going on with Pintard - he is uncharacteristically quiet- but these are two eloquent, accomplished, intelligent and relatively young men (compared to PGC) There is also Butler Turner. That's three options who don't seem compromised or corrupt. I can't think of three contenders of similar ilk or promise in the PLP. Can you?

Posted 1 October 2015, 1:34 a.m. Suggest removal

Reality_Check says...

Where have you been? I think Mudda has put himself on record on numerous occasions as being in favour of Peter Turnquest, assuming Peter can remain awake during House sessions!

Posted 1 October 2015, 1:21 p.m. Suggest removal

SP says...

**..................... FNM divided over Minnis & PLP equally divided over Christie ......................**

Both parties are imploding because they have cannibalized their young who should be carrying the parties forward.

The old rotten, deceitful, crooked, dinosaurs from days of old, long, long ago are totally incapable of comprehending what a modern Bahamas needs to survive in 21st century.

The PLP & FNM are just beginning to experience the very tip of the iceberg as to why they are irrelevant in todays Bahamas and can't win more than one term before being kicked BACK to the curb.

Posted 30 September 2015, 8:39 p.m. Suggest removal

Wideawake says...

Letting ALL card carrying FMN's vote on the Leadership issue at an FNM convention would represent TRUE DEMOCRACY!!

But would HAM give this his blessing??? Hmmmm? ... The real question is, would he DARE to let TRUE democracy reign within the FNM, or would he instead adopt "the fix is in" tactics used by PGC to ensure that he becomes an "African Style", "Leader for Life", by appointing hundreds of "FNM Stalwart Councillors", in return for pledges of their support!

I predict that if it became known that card carrying, financial members of the FNM would be invited to elect the new FNM leader at a FNM Convention, then the number of FNM members would DOUBLE! and they would leave the convention, united behind their new leader, whomever that was, and they would go on to thrash the PLP at the next General Election, by a LANDSLIDE!!!

Posted 2 October 2015, 4:29 p.m. Suggest removal

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