By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader hopeful Alfred Sears, QC, said yesterday he is not concerned about Prime Minister Perry Christie’s recent dismissal of him as a potential threat. “It’s not what the prime minister says, it’s what the delegates determine, and how they vote,” he calmly stated.

Mr Sears, the PLP’s candidate for the Fort Charlotte constituency, told The Tribune that he’s “not really” concerned with Mr Christie’s perception of him as a leadership contender, stressing that such a decision rests with the party’s delegates, all of whom he said are his primary focus as the PLP’s November convention draws near.

Mr Sears also said the response he has received from sitting PLP parliamentarians and the party’s stalwart councillors has been “better than I even anticipated.” He added that he is “confident” that his appeals to delegates “are going well.”

Mr Sears was asked to comment on statements made by Mr Christie in response to the former’s early-August announcement of his intent to challenge the prime minister for the PLP’s leadership post.

Last month, while a guest on radio talk show “Darold Miller Live” with host Darold Miller, Mr Christie brushed off speculation that he may be ousted as leader of the PLP by Mr Sears because of voter frustration with the current administration. In fact, Mr Christie said his record and his value would ensure his re-election at the party’s convention in November.

“No, I am not concerned,” Mr Christie said at the time. “What I have done for the people of the Bahamas and what I have done for the Progressive Liberal Party and its supporters, will enable them to see the value, my value as prime minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.”

When contacted yesterday on whether or not he was concerned with Mr Christie’s statements, Mr Sears said: “Not really. I’m focusing on the delegates. It’s going well . . .I’m going to all of the islands, all of them, to speak with delegates and make the case. It’s not what the prime minister says it’s what the delegates determine, and how they vote.”

Mr Sears also laughed off questions over whether or not he was concerned with the public’s view of him as PLP leadership material, stating: “Why should I be worried? I haven’t even published my platform yet. Of course not. Of course not.”

And when asked how his campaign efforts have been received by sitting PLP parliamentarians and the party’s stalwart councillors, Mr Sears said: “It’s been going well. I’m confident with the response I’m getting, and in fact it’s better than I even anticipated.”

For months, Mr Sears has been laying the groundwork for a leadership run, having recently released a list of proposals he intends to champion if he becomes leader of the PLP.

He spent recent months canvassing the country to make an assessment as to whether it would be wise to run for leader. Mr Sears, a former attorney general, has pledged to run a “clean” race, one without personal attacks.

Mr Christie, meanwhile, who was first elected as leader of the PLP in 1997, has had no challenge to his leadership since National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage and attorney Paul Moss faced him in 2009, the last time the party held a convention.

Mr Christie stirred controversy when he said he seeks to remain leader of the PLP to provide stability to the party and because young members in government have urged him to continue on. The comments, which were made while he was a guest on the “Ed Fields Live” show on Kiss FM in July, sparked an immense backlash.

While Mr Christie did not name the government members who had endorsed him, only a few sitting MPs have expressed public support for his continued leadership: Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald, Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly Dion Smith and Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe. They have all suggested that Mr Sears would find it difficult to rally support among sitting PLP parliamentarians.

In response, Mr Sears has said there is no barrier for him to be elected as leader of the PLP and argued that his leadership bid was the most practical and stable choice for the party.