By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Perry Christie said Killarnary MP Dr Hubert Minnis made a “mistake” when using expletives in a Tribune interview, saying it appeared the former Free National Movement leader was trying to attract attention in the “most graphic way”.

“Clearly, he must be very careful,” the former Centreville MP told the press yesterday.

“He’s a current member of Parliament. He’s a former prime minister. He must know what’s happening outside in our country and he has a responsibility of being able to maintain the standards in our country and that was a mistake that I’m sure he recognises.”

Last Thursday, Dr Minnis used strong words when rebutting allegations made against his administration by Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis.

Dr Minnis told The Tribune: “It’s a stupid and immature statement, an irresponsible statement to be made by any prime minister and I can’t wait to get in Parliament to buss his a-- and their a-- for talking stupidness.”

The comments elicited criticism from members of the Progressive Liberal Party.

Mr Christie noted the challenge for Dr Minnis is that he wants to remain relevant at a time when his party has a new leader.

“Obviously that’s going to be a major challenge for him. It’s going to be a major challenge for Mr Pintard because Dr Minnis is not going to be easy in his posturing in Parliament … evident of it, him saying what he said to attract attention, to attract in the most graphic way, and to big himself up. It’s things like that you just don’t say in public life.”

Mr Christie, however, said everyone makes mistakes, referring to the time when he “flipped the bird” on stage at a branch meeting in 2017 when he was prime minister. He said he didn’t expect the gesture would attract the attention it did. At the time, he was responding in anger to people who were making allegations about him.

Asked if he regretted the obscene gesture, he said: “What I regret is that the fella who said I owned that building over there (referring to a condo development near his home), nobody came back and said that was a lie or my daughter got $20m in a bank in Panama, all those things that was said and then the FNM came and gave him a job afterwards.

“What really disturbs me is when they are attacking women as women. It’s a very sad thing to do that because there are mothers and we have to be careful in our public life now because what goes round comes round. And vulgarity and obscenity we should minimise the extent to which we use those things to influence public opinion,” Mr Christie said.

Still, Mr Christie spoke highly of Dr Minnis.

“Dr Minnis is someone who should not be underestimated. He’s a very, very successful Bahamian man who has the means to finance himself in public life and has the means to do things beyond, to cushion himself in public life. So, I don’t think for one moment Dr Minnis has given up his aspirations to be beyond where he is now.”

He also said a mistake he thought Dr Minnis made in office was not inviting him and Mr Ingraham to partner with the government on Hurricane Dorian restoration in Abaco.