By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

AMID criticism of his new appointment to the Senate, We March organiser Ranard Henfield insisted yesterday that he has not joined the Free National Movement and that he would lead a march against the new government as a senator “if necessary” in order to hold the Minnis administration accountable.

Mr Henfield faced a barrage of criticism for accepting a Senate appointment from some observers who believe that appearing to side with a political party undermines the originally stated goal of the We March organisation as well as its ability to galvanise Bahamians seeking to disrupt the status quo of governance in the country.

Some Progressive Liberal Party supporters pounced on his decision yesterday, having long claimed that his organisation was partial to the FNM despite purporting to be apolitical.

“We March isn’t backing down,” Mr Henfield told reporters moments after he and his new parliamentary colleagues posed for pictures at Government House with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday.

“We March isn’t sitting small. We March isn’t saying ‘okay, because we have a seat to the table we have nothing to say.’ If the things We March has agitated for aren’t done, the organisation isn’t sitting and waiting, counting down the days. We will send a letter and if that letter isn’t addressed, we will march and if the administration is doing what it promised to do we will still march to remind them to keep doing it. We won’t pop up in five years or four years to march. We March will constantly keep marching to ensure they will continue doing what they promised to do.”

Mr Henfield said it was important to accept the Senate appointment in order to ensure that We March and 42 other related civil organisations “have a seat at the table.”

Nonetheless, his decision comes after he rejected former Prime Minister Perry Christie’s request to meet last year ahead of the group’s first massive protest and discuss issues important to the organisation.

Mr Henfield said yesterday that unlike Dr Minnis, what Mr Christie had offered was not an opportunity for the civil organisations to “have a seat at the table.”

He said: “The issue there was rather clear you know. The letter sent to the former prime minister spoke to 43 organisations. The prime minister sought to single me out to come for a private meeting. I said there will be no private meeting. Even for (this Senate) appointment I received a phone call from the prime minister; I never went to meet with this prime minister, nor did this prime minister ask me to join a political party. The last administration was basically disrespectful to We March and the organisations and we had been asking to be heard. Now you have a prime minister that says you don’t need to be joining the FNM but We March should have a seat at the table, all these ideas you have, put it on the table and make sure the people’s time is in fact the people’s time.”

He added: “The other administration was like, forget about the other 42 organisations, let’s see what we could do for you, let’s have a talk with you and I said if you would like to meet with all 43 organisations, we can do that but we’re not going to be singled out. We’re not going to go for divide and conquer and nor are you going to offer me some position.”

Mr Henfield suggested that some of the new administration’s priorities and actions, such as ordering audits of government ministries and having mostly new faces in Cabinet, were the result of We March’s protests.

About face

In April, Mr Henfield told reporters that the organisation had no intention of endorsing or associating itself with a political party.

“We March must still remain independent of (political affiliations) because We March is a reflection of dissatisfied Bahamians who want to see things change,” he said on April 2, according to The Nassau Guardian, following a march to the Office of the Prime Minister.

“Right now the PLP might feel We March is anti-PLP. But if this government changes and the DNA wins or the FNM wins or another party wins, we will march on them.”

Asked in April if he was in talks with the FNM about a possible arrangement, he said “no” at the time, also revealing that he planned to leave the country within the next week.

“I am not in conversations with any particular party, or any party for that matter,” he told The Tribune on April 2. “I moved my wife out of the country a month ago, and if you noticed today you’ll see me and my daughter. My wife is eight months and about two weeks pregnant, our baby is due in another week or two.

“I will leave the country this Sunday. I am not interested in running; you won’t see my name on a ballot. You won’t see me at any campaigns or any rallies, you won’t see me endorsing any parties, nor will you see any party saying ‘well, Ranard is now a part of us.’”

When asked when he plans to return, Mr Henfield said: “Well, I have no idea when I intend to return to the country. But I can tell you this much - that I am not going to be on any ballot for any party. I’m not in conversations with any party about running for any party or taking any postings for any party. I’ve had those offers and I think I’ve made it very clear to every single party that I’m not interested. I’ve always been anti-parties, and that is because I believe once you swear your allegiance to a party, you can never be neutral.”

However, shortly before the May 10 general election, Mr Henfield endorsed Dr Minnis, stressing his confidence in the FNM leader.