By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

LAST minute appointments to the Free National Movement’s Executive Committee should not be allowed to vote as delegates, according to former FNM Chairman Darron Cash.

Mr Cash issued a formal protest yesterday of his removal from the party’s Executive Committee, which prevents him from voting as a delegate at the national convention in a letter to party Chairman Sidney Collie.

In making his case, Mr Cash underscored that changes to any of the party’s organs should have been done before the deadline for submission of delegates.

Noting that he has still not received formal notification of his removal, Mr Cash argued that persons named to the committee after the deadline should not be empowered as delegates.

“The deadline for submission of delegates was July 1,” the letter read.

“That means that persons who were members of the Executive Committee and other organs of the party should have remained in their positions through convention, if their positions had not changed or had not been changed before July 1.

“Based on my reading of the FNM constitution, there is nothing in it that empowers the leader to make such changes after the deadline for submission of delegates.”

The letter continued: “There is of course the argument that the leader has the ultimate discretion and is free to do whatever he wishes irrespective of whatever guidance applies to others regarding delegate submissions.

“The corollary argument is that persons not named to the Executive Committee after July 1, or even after July 6 —as their names did not appear on the council list—should not be empowered to be delegates in the forthcoming party’s constitution.”

The letter was copied to Senator Carl Bethel, chairman of the Rules and Credentials Committee, and other committee members.

Mr Cash issued a blistering attack on Dr Minnis earlier this month, accusing the embattled party leader of removing two persons from the Executive Committee. At the time, he branded the move a thinly veiled attempt to stack the deck ahead of the party’s convention.

In a statement exclusively sent to The Tribune, he said he had heard rumours that he would also be dropped from the committee and while unconfirmed, the move would not be surprising.

He said earlier this month: “For a leader who won by a substantial margin in the last (convention), this latest ... act is the act of a desperate person who is determined to cling to power by any means necessary. It is a mark of a small minded and petty person, never mind that last week Wednesday he was preaching about party unity.

“I am glad he is taking this kind of action and that he has publicly announced his intention to do so to his campaign team. His small mindedness and vindictiveness are now being revealed to the wider FNM membership.

“It is the main reason why the FNM is so fractured today. He wants no one around him who opposes his views.”