By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis has dismissed criticisms that his organisation is falling apart in the aftermath of the resignation of Lanisha Rolle from the Senate.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Dr Minnis said the FNM is “a strong vibrant organisation” and was “absolutely not” suffering a deepening divide as was asserted by PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts.

Following Mrs Rolle’s resignation from the Senate and the FNM Parliamentary caucus on Friday, Mr Roberts said it signalled a deepening divide and growing unrest within the opposition party which pointed to growing dissatisfaction with the failed leadership of Dr Hubert Minnis.

“Absolutely not,” Dr Minis told The Tribune. “The Free National Movement is not falling apart. We are a strong vibrant party that stands ready to defeat the Progressive Liberal Party.”

Mrs Rolle stepped down from the upper chamber after a series of articles were published exclusively by The Tribune highlighting disparaging comments she made during a private meeting with FNM political hopeful Lincoln Bain.

During the meeting she disparaged several opposition MPs, including Long Island MP Loretta Butler Turner, who she insisted is unfit to lead and has not proven herself.

She pointed to Mrs Butler-Turner’s tenure during the previous Ingraham administration as minister of state for social development, suggesting the MP was only handed the junior Cabinet appointment because the party could not do better. She also used the meeting to inform Mr Bain that the party had made a decision not to offer him a nomination for the Pinewood Gardens constituency.

Mr Bain has since admitted to The Tribune that he secretly recorded Mrs Rolle in an attempt to protect himself from possible “sabotage”.

“One of Minnis’ primary obligations, responsibilities and mandates as party leader is to build the next generation of political leaders who Bahamians can repose their confidence in to lead this country and he is failing to fulfil that fundamental mandate,” Mr Roberts said in a press statement on Friday.

He further pointed to John Bostwick, Heather Hunt and Michael Pintard as others who have resigned from the Senate in the past several years.

Of these, Ms Hunt was asked to step aside by Dr Minnis; Mr Bostwick resigned after he was charged with illegal ammunition possession; and Mr Pintard resigned over his involvement in the court action against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard.

The statement continued: “Just this week in the press, a member of Minnis’ caucus reportedly said that Mrs Rolle’s Senate appointment only underscored Dr Minnis’ poor judgment and leadership capability,” Mr Roberts said. “Now with literally thousands of Bahamians watching and deciding on who is best suited to lead this country, they cannot help but conclude that if Dr Minnis is struggling with leading a political party then how can he possibly hope to lead a country given the myriad of challenges facing The Bahamas?

“For those who would publicly wish me not to comment on the internal affairs of the FNM, I am merely reflecting the observations, opinions, the whisperings and postings of literally tens of thousands of Bahamians as this spectacle – this organisational leadership debacle – plays itself out in the public domain to the horror, amusement, bemusement, befuddlement and dismay of the public,” Mr Roberts said.