Call to arms for all true FNMs

EDITOR, The Tribune

FREE National Movement chairman Michael Pintard has either been left out in the cold by the party’s leadership or he is being less than straightforward with the Bahamian people.

Either way, his recent statements regarding the FNM’s Central Council are yet another stark indication of the utter chaos into which our beloved party has fallen.

Following my letter of January 7, in which I exposed the fact that a move was afoot to exclude former candidates from the Council in an effort to stack the odds in favour of current leader Hubert Minnis, the chairman categorically denied this was the case.

What then, are we to make of the following quote from a recent letter sent to all council members by FNM Secretary General Michael Foulkes?

“Please be reminded that Central Council passed a unanimous Resolution this year to not extend membership on Council to Candidates in the 2012 General Elections effective today, 31st December, 2015. If you are on council otherwise, naturally, you remain so.”

Pintard’s explanation to the press: “Yes a note was sent from the secretary general to former candidates reminding them of the outcome of the resolution which is the right of the secretary general, but I am saying as chairman who presides over the Council there will be no former candidate excluded. The process is simple, write the chairman as any other member can asking to participate and I will not refuse them an opportunity to be a part of this council.”

No matter how members of the leadership would seek to smooth it over, clearly there is a significant difference between the messages coming from the two Michaels. Certainly, the secretary general made no mention of former candidates writing to the chairman to keep their spot on the Council.

Did other members of the leadership keep their plan from Pintard? Did he know about it, but change his mind? Did he conveniently forget? What an utter mess for a party that used to pride itself on unity and co-operation.

I and many other FNMs sincerely wish the debacle over Council membership were the only recent indication that things have gone badly haywire under the misguided leadership of Hubert Minnis. But there is also the example of a Senator who is unacceptably close to Minnis making an absolute fool of herself - and by extension the party - at a public event to commemorate Majority Rule, where she referred to Barack Obama as a former leader of the opposition in the United States!

What an absolute embarrassment. It is almost beyond words. You have to laugh, just so you don’t cry.

I have said before that the move to pack the party hierarchy and parliamentary cohort with loyal ‘Minnisites’ is a tactic that belongs in the Progressive Liberal Party. That is not how the FNM is supposed to operate. We are supposed to be the party that elevates individuals according to their integrity and merit, not because of some perceived tribal loyalty.

The result of this shameful reversal of identity is clear: survival of the least fit. The dumbing-down of a once bright and astute party membership. Rank ignorance on display for all to see!

We can only hope that Minnis himself is at least aware there is no such thing as a leader of the opposition in the American system. That would not be a lot to ask. But then again, this fish seems to be conspicuously rotting from the head.

Over the past several months, party business has become more and more focused on the mad rush to protect Minnis’ leadership from all challenges, despite the fact that he is utterly unelectable and totally unsuited for the office of Prime Minister even if he were. As a result, the FNM is being turned into the “PLP Lite” - all the self-serving underhandedness and unapologetic idiocy, none of the public appeal.

His lack of resonance with the public is all down to Minnis himself. He is by far the worst leader in the history of the FNM when it comes to holding the PLP to account. And this while he has had the easiest job of all his predecessors! Christie and Co. 2.0 in my opinion would lose an integrity contest with the Italian mafia, yet Minnis cannot manage to make the PLP look bad.

Other members of his party, not to mention the Democratic National Alliance, are consistently quicker off the mark than Minnis and they make better points too. And, perhaps most fatal of all for the FNM’s election chances, the press is becoming increasingly frustrated after three years of attempting to quote a man who has utterly nothing of substance to say.

Yet still, Minnis will not back down. He will resist holding a convention and leadership contest with everything he has. Party insiders say this stems from a deep personal insecurity and need to prove that he is somebody important. Apparently the party and country, the fate of our children and grandchildren, must be sacrificed on the altar of this one man’s unbalanced ego - shades of the PLP yet again.

My fellow FNMs, it is with a heavy heart that I write this open letter as a call to arms. We simply must stand up and take our party back. We cannot continue to play Minnis’ silly game; there is too much at stake here for all Bahamians.

I call on all true FNMs to remember the principles that the party was founded on: democracy, transparency, accountability, fairness and justice. We must get back there. We must make a change in our leadership, before it is too late.

DISHEARTENED FORMER FNM COUNCIL MEMBER

Nassau,

January 13, 2016

Comments

Publius says...

I swear to Jah that nobody cries more than FNMs. Somebody get them a couple of cases of Kleenex to go along with the toilet paper they will need on election night if this foolishness continues. This person is writing an open letter **anonymously**?? The PLP must be killing themselves laughing at these clowns.

Posted 14 January 2016, 4:48 p.m. Suggest removal

Godson says...

You said it for me already: "This person is writing an open letter anonymously??". Thank you Pubilus... By the way, Godson is my actual name. What's yours?

Posted 14 January 2016, 6:42 p.m. Suggest removal

birdiestrachan says...

The FNM founded on democracy, transparency. accountability, fairness and justice. what a bunch of lies. try disgruntled and mean spirited and the biggest bunch of liars on God's green earth. and if any one believes it is not all about the power. they are making a serious mistake. Dr: Minnis wants to be PM. and it seems him and his group will have it so at any cost.

Posted 14 January 2016, 9:22 p.m. Suggest removal

Publius says...

I just think it is beyond telling that this letter writer says he is penning an open letter - which is supposed to by its very nature be akin to transparency - but he hides his identity therein! Talk about betraying one's own supposed beliefs. Transparency and openness means taking off the masks and shields and revealing the truths to the readers and hearers. Ever heard of it? Then he says he is making a call to arms, but wants all the troops to line up for battle while he continues to hide both his sword and shield. The hypocrisy is stunning. Who tries to rally troops behind a mask? What army follows a leader they cannot see? And we wonder why their so-called "beloved" party is now a laughingstock? Look at those who claim to love it so much. And they actually believe these archaic tactics are getting them somewhere. Talk about being detached from the reality of today's Bahamas. By the way Birdie, I am not suddenly agreeing with you on anything! (laughs)

Posted 14 January 2016, 11:55 p.m. Suggest removal

sheeprunner12 says...

I challenge YOU to be transparent and open against the "powers that be" in this country .............. and survive to tell the tale (ask Sir Randol, Carlton Francis and Ed Moxey etc) .............. is the FNM any different???????

Posted 15 January 2016, 10:44 a.m. Suggest removal

cmiller says...

No, that party is the same as this one. Whenever somebody in either party find some courage to speak up, the very next day they seem to back- pedal fast and talking about how they 'mis-spoke" or how they were 'taken out of context'. Somebody else scares the hell out of them overnight!!!! Its just so disheartening to see so many little frightened mice instead of brave men.

Posted 15 January 2016, 12:15 p.m. Suggest removal

Emac says...

MICHAEL RETARD is the worst thing that has ever happened to the FNM. He can be very misleading and sly. But whatever; If the FNM does not pull up it's socks, it will be left in cold, wondering what happened just like it did durint the aftermath of the 2012 election.

Posted 15 January 2016, 12:34 p.m. Suggest removal

banker says...

This person is almost as bad as Ortland Bodie shilling for Brave Davis, except Ortland signs his name to this.

Any FNM showing discord is working for the disgruntled Gussie Mae who only knows three letters of the alphabet - KFC. She is the bad apple in the lot, with no brains in her head, and more calories in her, than Supervalue has altogether.

She doesn't understand that she is not wanted as FNM leader, and she should just go away and sell shade somewhere. She wants to throw her hand in as leader, and yet that same hand won't fit in a Pringles tube, so she gets her nutrition with a dump truck. She is on some high horse thinking that she deserves to lead the party, not realising that she is crushing the horse -- in more ways than one.

The FNM needs to win, and they won't do it with tired blood, old ideas and whingers who have a sense of entitlement. I say that this bodes well for a changing of guard. The party doesn't need narcissists who think think that they are politically hot, yet can't even see their entire body a regular mirror.

The fact that there is noise in the marketplace, means that things are moving from the status quo, and that is a good thing. In a pride of lions, when a new alpha male takes over, the first thing that he does, is kill all of the children from the old alpha male, and then he mates with every single female. If Minnis is figuratively doing this, good on him -- and it's about time!

Posted 15 January 2016, 12:55 p.m. Suggest removal

Publius says...

These letters are being done by persons who want their former leader back, not by persons working for Butler-Turner. This rant of yours about the woman's weight by the way is so void of intellect it's beyond embarrassing. You are not a stupid guy so why do such a good job at sounding that way?

Posted 15 January 2016, 2:41 p.m. Suggest removal

banker says...

Because my life is so boring, I need an audience, I would rather be a comedian than a banker, but it doesn't pay, and I dislike a non-team player. My embarrassment glands were shot off in Balls Alley so it's kind of fun to be a loose cannon when you can't be one at your job. Just calling a spade a spade.

And those who want the former leader back should know that the former leader doesn't want to come back.

Posted 15 January 2016, 2:59 p.m. Suggest removal

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