By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement MP Edison Key, one of the “rebel” seven Opposition MPs, last night declared he was “done and finished” with the FNM, while praising the governing Progressive Liberal Party as an organisation with a strong base that seemed to be doing “good things”.

Despite his presence at the PLP’s first night of convention, which he described as “something I’ve never seen in the FNM”, the Central and South Abaco MP said this should not been seen as something “bad” because he was still in support of Official Opposition Leader Loretta Butler-Turner. He insisted that his attendance there simply meant he was a concerned Bahamian.

However, in an interview with The Tribune at the close of the event, Mr Key said his ties with the FNM were cut loose, “for as long as FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis was leading” the party.

Earlier in the night when Prime Minister Perry Christie made his grand entrance, Mr Key, who was in the front row, was one of the first people to be embraced by the nation’s leader.

“When I heard he was here, I was pleasantly surprised because he did indicate, who knows, I may show up at your convention,” said Mr Christie when he was asked to comment on Mr Key’s attendance, adding that he had not rejoined the PLP.

Moments ahead of the kick off of the PLP’s 52nd three-day national convention, Mr Key was welcomed by party supporters gathered in the Melia Nassau Beach Hotel’s convention centre.

Many of them applauded him and could be heard shouting, “welcome home”. Others were heard remarking that “he should have never went to the FNM in the first place”.

“It (my presence) shouldn’t mean anything,” he said when he was interviewed by The Tribune at the close of the convention, “We are one Bahamas. I was at the FNM convention and now I am at the PLP convention. I am just an observer of what is taking place. With so much negative with what the PLP is doing, I wanted to see for myself. They seem to be doing good things.

“I still have a whole lot of friends here. I have been here through the trenches. I was with the PLP from 1970. Some times it takes a long time, but I’m OK. I’m not a member of the PLP or anything like that, but I was received here with a warm welcome this evening and a standing ovation. I have been with the FNM now for 10 years and I have never seen anything comparing to what I saw here at this convention.”

Asked if it is likely that he would be rejoining the PLP, Mr Key said he didn’t want to say right now, maintaining that, “Loretta is our leader”.

In an earlier instance last night Mr Key told The Tribune: “We’ll see what’s going to happen. I’m definitely not with the FNM or Hubert Minnis, I’m out.” Mr Key added that he was “finished and done” with the FNM and its leader.

Mr Key entered front-line politics in 1977 and served two terms as a senator and chairman of the Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation.

He resigned his post as a PLP senator in 2005, and then left the party. He became a member of the FNM later that year.

He was elected to Parliament by the South Abaco constituency in the 2007 and 2012 general elections.

Senator Rodney Moncur was also seen among the PLP supporters gathered last night.

When he took the stage to greet supporters to the event, PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts offered a “special welcome to Mr Key, saying “now let them put that in their pipes and smoke it.”

Apart from Mr Key’s surprise showing, PLP members used the event to highlight the accomplishments of the party.

For his part, Golden Isles MP and State Finance Minister Michael Halkitis painted a grim picture of the country’s economic situation under the then Ingraham administration, asserting that the PLP rescued the country when it took office.

He defended the government’s implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) and this time suggested that the revenue collected from the tax was spent on various state initiatives under the Christie administration. He has previously stated that this revenue went into the consolidated fund and would count against the national debt.

He said: “It is a known fact that the Bahamas government relied too heavily on customs duties and stamp tax as its principal revenue source, a tax regime that failed to capture the service component of the economy; about two-thirds of the Bahamian economy is built on service.

“Value Added Tax captured that economic activity that went untaxed for many years. Continued inaction was not an option.”

Mr Halkitis also said: “As a result of our reform programme and despite a stubbornly difficult global environment, we have been able to get our finances on a good footing while at the same time: doubling the investment in scholarships from $7.73m to $16.3m. This empowers young Bahamians. That’s where the VAT money went.

“(We) provided the financial resources to transition from the College of the Bahamas to The University of Bahamas at well over $12m. That’s where the VAT money went

“We are building new schools and have invested tens of millions of dollars in repairs and upgrades of existing schools, thus empowering our young people.

That’s where the VAT money went.

“(We) provided the money in excess of $150m to introduce comprehensive National Health Insurance in short order for all our people, but especially those in most need and who cannot afford private insurance. This empowers our people.

That’s where the VAT money went. In preparation for NHI, we spent tens of millions of dollars on a new Critical Care Block, a new hospital in Exuma, upgrades to health clinics and at PMH in addition to new ambulance fleet.

That’s where the VAT money went.

“(We) facilitated a new fleet of aircraft for Bahamasair at a cost of $100m. A modern, safe and efficient fleet reduces state subsidies and improves public safety. This builds a modern Bahamas.

That’s where the VAT money went.”

Mr Halkitis said tens of millions of dollars were spent on roads, docks and seawalls in Andros, Exuma, Mayaguana, Abaco, Grand Bahama, Cat Island and Cat Island, adding that the government invested in a new fleet for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force at a cost of some $232m to protect our borders and marine resources.

He said fishermen are empowered and have said they are experiencing the best fishing season in many years.

And despite the government borrowing $150m last year for Hurricanes Joaquim and Matthew relief efforts, Mr Halkitis said VAT revenue was used to fund hundreds of millions of dollars in the aftermath of both hurricanes.

Minister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson used his time on the convention stage to paint the PLP as the only stable party in the country, taking a swipe at the internal problems plaguing the Free National Movement.

“As you know, the PLP is the oldest, most progressive and yes, the most stable – and I repeat the most stable - political organisation in the history of the Bahamas. Our leader said it best last week… the PLP on its worst day is better than the FNM on its best day.

Since it was founded, the PLP has been the single greatest agent of change this country has ever seen.”

He also hit out at the Ingraham administration for the “sad state” the country was in when the PLP was elected to office in 2012.

“Maybe it was laziness, but many of our good and positive initiatives that we had started, were left to fall by the wayside,” he said.

“Or maybe it was incompetence, but so many of their policies seemed designed to benefit just a few of their wealthy friends.

“Time and time again, we have had to clean up the mess from their failed policies.”

Touching on a labour issue, Mr Gibson said that the massive layoffs which occurred at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort last year, where more than 600 workers lost their jobs, will “never happen again” thanks to “pending legislation,” Mr Gibson said.