By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Chairman Mark Humes is seeking a return to frontline politics under the Free National Movement (FNM) banner, and has encouraged fellow DNA leaders to do the same.

Mr Humes told The Tribune yesterday that he hopes to be a bridge that unites his former and current party amid talks of a possible coalition between the two.

He said he stepped down as chairman of the DNA in 2013 because he wasn’t convinced the organisation was doing enough to become the country’s “party of choice.”

“If the DNA had done sufficient groundwork they wouldn’t be concerned about joining up with the FNM,” he said.

“I stepped aside several years ago as chairman of the DNA because I wasn’t really sure if the leadership was prepared to go the full distance to win the general election.

Mr Humes said: “There was a lot of ground work to be done to make the DNA the most viable shot to take over the government in 2017.

“When you look at the DNA now, realistically it didn’t do enough to make sure it could be the government.”

The Tribune contacted Mr Humes after photos of him attending an FNM event were posted on Facebook.

Mr Humes, lecturer in the School of English Studies at the College of the Bahamas, ran as the DNA’s candidate for Fort Charlotte in the 2012 general election, where he received 519 votes.

He was elected to the top post of the Union of Tertiary Educators in April 2013.

Mr Humes resigned from his post as DNA Chairman in July 2013, saying the de cis on was personally motivated and in keeping with his principles and what he believes to be “right and true”.

However, at the time, DNA Leader Branville McCartney said the former chairman was asked to step down by executive members because of inactivity.

Mr Humes stepped down as President of the Union of Tertiary Educators (UTEB) last month in order to return to front-line politics. He was replaced by past president Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson.

Yesterday, Mr Humes said he notified Mr McCartney that he was joining the FNM to avoid “blindsiding” him, adding that he encouraged the DNA’s leaders to join the FNM as well.

“The (FNM) is aware of my talents,” he said. “If they want to use me as a bridge unifying the parties that’s fine. But I will make the case to the DNA that at this time when we look at the state of our country, it doesn’t make any sense thinking we can go alone. I will make the case to the DNA, to the Greg Moss’, the Paul Moss’, to all that are dissatisfied with their lives at this time and all the shadiness with this administration.”

Mr Humes emphasized that the FNM should stop infighting and unite to defeat the PLP.

“As opposition party members, we’re not each others’ enemies,” he said. “Our main enemy right now is the PLP and the hatchet job they’ve been doing on us for the past five years.”

Mr Humes said: “I want to help the FNM became a better people’s party, a party that loyal FNM supporters know and remember it to be, a party which those people who left would return to because they see the FNM becoming the party they knew before they left it.”

Mr Humes said he officially made an application to join the FNM last month.

“When you look at the situation where we are right now, I had to make a choice as to how best as a country we are going to be able to get with the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). The main objective is to make sure we don’t have five more years of the PLP.

Mr Humes said: “We have to look at the best vehicle at this time that sort of has the necessary mechanisms in place to get rid of the PLP. At this time there is no other organisation, outside the PLP, that has a mechanism in place to compete outside the FNM.

“That’s one of the main reasons I joined,” he said.