By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Candidates Committee of the Progressive Liberal Party has finalised 16 candidates to represent the party in the next general election, a group that includes old hands and new faces that will help form the PLP’s team - in addition to the five incumbent PLP MPs.

The party could hold a National General Council meeting as soon as this week to consider the recommendations and ratify the candidates, two sources told The Tribune yesterday.

The five incumbent PLP MPs - leader Philip Davis, deputy leader Chester Cooper, Glenys Hanna-Martin, Picewell Forbes and Vaughn Miller - have been guaranteed a nomination.

Otherwise, the Candidates Committee’s recommendations include former ministers Fred Mitchell in Fox Hill, Alfred Sears in Fort Charlotte, Keith Bell in Carmichael and Michael Halkitis in St Barnabas, The Tribune understands.

Other recommendations include Clay Sweeting in South Eleuthera, Jobeth Coleby-Davis in Elizabeth, Leslia Brice in Seabreeze, Jomo Campbell in Centreville, Wayde Watson in Bain and Grants Town, Jamal Strachan in Nassau Village, Mario Bowleg in Garden Hills, Zane Lightbourne in Yamacraw and Bacchus Rolle in South Beach.

Three more candidates have been identified but their names were not available.

PLP officials were tight lipped when asked about the party’s candidates yesterday. When contacted, one expected nominee said they were told not to speak to the media.

Nonetheless, the party has moved to quickly build up its campaign apparatus in anticipation of what it expects to be an early election.

Kevin Simmons, a close ally of party leader Philip “Brave” Davis, is said to be the campaign coordinator.

The likely move to confirm some candidates follows an unusually tense and bitter nomination process that was at times subject to claims of unfairness.

Younger PLPs, some of whom feel pushed aside in favour of older candidates, have been especially critical of the process. Convinced they can bring a fresh perspective that would serve the party well in governance, some are now disillusioned with the PLP.

The Tribune understands officials at the highest level of the party asked several young aspirants to end their campaign for a nomination for the next election.

“The electorate told the PLP to become a more youthful party,” one young member said recently, “but the message being sent is it doesn’t make sense joining the party and working your way up because young people who did that aren’t being considered for candidacies.”

Asked about this yesterday, Mr Davis said his party will have a “significant amount of young people” as part of its team.

“You will see when they are unveiled, there will be disappointments but the road to governance has many parts and roles to play and the fact that they may not be a candidate does not necessarily mean they are excluded from my (prospective) government. And so sometimes it worries me that people only see their role as an MP and they don’t see the bigger picture. At the moment there are only 39 seats.

“We’ve had nearly 300 persons apply for seats and there will be disappointments and everyone who applied they all indicated that they understood the likelihood is there that they will not be nominated even though they will wish to be and they all said that they will be willing to accept the decision and I hope that will carry through.”

Mr Davis touched on themes that will likely form part of the PLP’s pitch to voters during a press conference yesterday.

“I have just returned from a few days traveling in the Family Islands,” he said. “I want to be as clear as possible, across this country, there is terrible suffering.

“I have never seen so many Bahamians hurting so badly at the same time. It is absolutely clear that we need to step up immediate relief to families and we need a roadmap for the way forward. People need help now, and we need to rebuild our economy so that it is more fair and inclusive.”