By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP Neko Grant admitted yesterday that Senator Lanisha Rolle apologised to him and other Free National Movement MPs in private for her stinging criticism last week, however he said he is not accepting any apology unless “it is made as publicly as was the insult”.

Mr Grant told The Tribune that his decision not to back down from this issue is not to be “taken lightly” and “time will tell” what will happen if he does not receive the apology he deserves.

On Wednesday, in a press release Mr Grant demanded that Mrs Rolle apologise for her “unprovoked attack” on him and colleagues, as “it is the proper thing to do.”

His statement came almost a week after Mrs Rolle set off a firestorm of controversy when she accused Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner and other FNM MPs of being “jealous” of Dr Minnis.

Mrs Rolle also said the Bahamian public would never vote for Mrs Butler-Turner as prime minister over Perry Christie and suggested that she “humble” herself before the FNM leader.

She also said Dr Minnis had the support of FNM delegates and that only a few FNM MPs who were “holding seats for now” did not support him. Her comments came when she called into 96.9 FM radio talk show “The Conversation” with host Shenique Miller.

“She has to apologise publicly for her assault,” Mr Grant said yesterday.

“I did not accept her private apology. Why would I? She lambasted me (in a public way). And so if she is going to apologise, she should do so in the same manner. If she had made her comments privately, that would be a different matter and we would not have heard anything about it, but she didn’t.

“So I am not accepting it, she should follow the same format as the assault. Time will tell what will happen but I am not backing down. I have made my decision and it is not to be taken lightly. She went overboard with her comments.”

When contacted for comment yesterday, FNM Chairman Michael Pintard said the matter is being “handled internally.”

On Tuesday, Dr Minnis sought to quell the discord over Mrs Rolle’s comments and talks of a rift within the FNM. He released a statement which said that the “personal comments” voiced by his colleagues over the past few days “would have better served our cause” if shared internally.

However, Dr Minnis did not specifically refer to Mrs Rolle or her statements. He did not condemn the senator’s remarks or ask her to apologise.

His statement said there “are no irreconcilable differences that the FNM family members face, and it is my hope and prayer that this will become very clear to those who wish to see this PLP led government gone.”

Mrs Rolle’s remarks angered several FNMs this week, including Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn and former Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson.

Mr Lightbourn said he found her comments “appalling” while Mr Watson told The Tribune on Monday that Mrs Rolle has “no sense” and that her appointment to the Senate last year was one of Dr Minnis’ “tragic mistakes.”

However some in the FNM, including founding father Maurice Moore and Central and South Abaco MP Edison Key, rallied around Mrs Rolle and her statements. The issue has put the strained relations within the FNM back in the national spotlight.

But in his statement, Dr Minnis said these “temporary family exchanges will pass.”