By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

TALL Pines MP Leslie Miller yesterday said the appointment of hundreds of stalwart councillors by the PLP just days before the party’s three-day convention was “overkill” towards former Attorney General Alfred Sears’ bid at dethroning incumbent party leader, Prime Minister Perry Christie.

Mr Miller, in an interview during day one of the PLP’s convention, said he didn’t think it was “fair” to Mr Sears to have so many stalwart councillors appointed prior to the convention - as many as 330 according to one report. Coupled with PLP supporters being “funny people” who “stick with what they’re accustomed to and what they know,” Mr Miller said this suggests that “the odds are stacked up against” Mr Sears.

Mr Miller said Mr Sears would have “done well” if he could manage to get the support of 30 per cent to 35 per cent of the delegates, particularly the stalwart councillors, and that he would be “happy” for the former minister of education if he manages to do so. However, Mr Miller said he expects Mr Christie to come out of the convention as leader of the party “with no problem at all”.

He said while Mr Sears is a “decent man” who “has a lot to offer this country,” Mr Christie is a “proven entity” who is “always going to be far and above the challenger that comes in to face (him).”

Instead, Mr Miller said, Mr Christie would have faced a bigger challenge from Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, whom he said would get “twice as much support as anyone else” going up against Mr Christie.

“Whether he could beat him, I think it would be a hell of a fight,” Mr Miller said of Mr Davis. “I’m not saying the prime minister wouldn’t win it, but it would be a hell of a fight.”

Mr Miller was responding to concerns previously raised by Mr Sears that the PLP was engaging in “acts of desperation” in the lead-up to the three-day event, which would be the first time Mr Christie has had a challenge to his leadership since National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage and attorney Paul Moss faced him in 2009.

Earlier this week, Mr Sears told reporters that he has been denied an opportunity to speak at the party’s convention by organisers and said he was told he would not get the full list of voting delegates until today, when the party will vote on executive posts.

Mr Davis also weighed in on Mr Sears’ complaints yesterday, telling The Tribune: “I don’t know about the concerns he has expressed, but I would think that he ought to have a fair shot. I think that in all of these election matters there’ll be the manoeuvring and jostling to get votes, and I expect him to do that.”

Meanwhile, Mr Miller said these types of actions are commonplace in internal elections.

“I went through two elections with Dr Nottage, my good personal friend, and the same thing happened with us,” Mr Miller said. “The fella who controls the situation is going to do it in his best interests. That’s just politics. That’s like any fight that you go into. You can try to get as much advantage as you can to really solidify yourself in the position you hope to attain.

“The challenger always has the odds against him, and the odds are stacked up against (Mr Sears) this time. I didn’t think it was fair that they should have had new stalwart councillors, as they say some 330 something. I don’t think that was necessary to try to have an overkill as some people would take it to be. But that’s the way of this thing called politics.

“It happened to us, so I know what’s going to happen at the end of the day. People are going to get angry. I just hope that they don’t go after Mr Sears in such a negative way that it hurts him personally. But I expect Mr Christie to come out as leader with no problem at all.”

Mr Miller added: “I expect that at the end of the day, I would be happy if Mr Sears could get 30-35 per cent of the votes, he would have done well, with this crew today, especially with the stalwart councillors. Because they are generally die-hard. When I say party supporters, just how they support the party, they support the leader. That’s a mental thing with them.”

Mr Miller went on to suggest that Mr Sears never really stood a chance against Mr Christie, pointing to the “distinct advantage” Mr Christie has over his rival in terms of popularity amongst the party’s delegates as well as his incumbency.

“ . . . People may say Sears can get more votes than Mr Christie, how is that possible when you have a man with more name recognition whose been around longer, and who knows the people better and the people know him better?” Mr Miller asked. “Why would you say that he will not get as much seats as his opponent?

“That there is nonsensical. It can’t happen. You can’t put a brand new entity with something that is known, a proven entity. Whether you may like some of the things (Mr Christie) has done or not, he’s a proven entity. The proven entity is always going to be far and above the challenger that comes into face it. That’s just the way it is.”

He added: “…I think Mr Sears should be given great accolades for having stood up to the leadership and to run in that position. I think it’s a valiant effort that he’s making, he wants to see some changes that he believes is necessary and obviously he has that choice to put his name forward as the leader in that position. And I think everybody respects him for that.”

Mr Miller also dismissed suggestions that there may be backlash to Mr Christie retaining the leadership of the party, despite some within the party and the wider Bahamian public desirous of a change in leadership.

However, Mr Miller said should Mr Christie retain his leadership post, he “must project to the Bahamian people that he will bow out and give someone else an opportunity to serve.”

“I’m not sure if the prime minister would be inclined to finish his entire term once we win the election,” Mr Miller said. “I believe quite frankly that he has this thing in his head that he has to go as far or as or further than (Sir Lynden Pindling). And then he may bow out. I think that’s about a year, 18 months down the line.”