By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CAPPING off an emotional evening of confusion and drama, the National General Council (NGC) of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) unanimously endorsed Wayne Munroe over Senator Frank Smith last night, ratifying the attorney for the Free Town constituency.

That action at the PLP headquarters positioned the party to move into the next stage of its general election campaign now that it has ratified all 39 of its candidates.

The at times chaotic process was transformed into a moment PLP officials said highlights a key difference between their party and the Free National Movement: the ability to unite after a bitter internal dispute.

Encouraged by Prime Minister Perry Christie, Mr Munroe, QC, and Mr Smith shook hands and embraced each other on stage, drawing huge cheers and applause from supporters in the packed room.

Mr Smith acknowledged that he accepted his defeat “with some pain,” but said: “I use the quote of my leader, ‘seven times down, eight times up.’ Tonight is not my night. Tonight belongs to the PLP and to the successful candidate.”

Mr Munroe ditched his prepared remarks. He was too overwhelmed by Mr Smith’s gesture to read them, he said.

“The courage and strength and fortitude of the man who preceded me in this constituency is such that I don’t think I’m going to fool (with my prepared remarks) tonight,” he said.

“The reason that this party is set and prepared to govern and the other party is not, is because of just what you witnessed here. Understand that Frank and I knew each other well before this and when the press stuck their mics in our faces, I always said this, that we are not like those other people who, when they don’t get their way, they break a bottle on the court and go home. We are not like that. We are PLPs.

“We never lost civility that happens elsewhere,” Mr Munroe said.

Before the show of unity, however, it was unclear how the night would unfold.

Supporters of Mr Munroe came out in large numbers to support their preferred candidate.

At one point, they formed a barrier to the entrance of the PLP headquarters in an attempt to block Mr Smith’s smaller group of supporters from entering the building, although no confrontation took place.

Not long after, the party’s chairman, Bradley Roberts, issued a statement to the press announcing that the ratification would not take place as expected because of a letter the PLP’s Montagu branch wrote to Mr Christie in a last ditch effort to give the nomination to Mr Smith.

In the speech that was sent to the media, Mr Roberts said a 10-member committee would be set up to “amicably resolve the matter and report to the leader its findings.”

The speech sent out to reporters also said that he expected this committee to meet by next week Wednesday, and submit a report thereafter, and then the party’s ratification process would conclude.

The mood among the crowd of supporters gathered outside the building dampened as news of the postponement spread.

About two hours later, however, a supporter of Mr Munroe exited the building and began to scream, prompting the rest of Mr Munroe’s supporters to respond in kind.

Though they interpreted the scream as a sign that their candidate was ratified, Mr Smith was, at first, unconvinced.

“The reality is the people of the Free Town constituency will have to choose their next representative,” Mr Smith told reporters. “I’m out of the room. As far as I now, the process is not finished.”

In a subsequent emailed statement to the media, Mr Roberts said: “Further update. NGC rather than any further delays overwhelmingly voted to endorse Wayne Munroe to carry the PLP banner in Freetown.”

Moments later, Mr Munroe entered the headquarters’ meeting room at the urging of Mr Christie, with Mr Smith right behind him.