By Earyel Bowleg

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

IN a rare and fascinating joint interview with Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday, Hubert Ingraham said “rebels” in the Free National Movement are unnecessarily pushing the party to hold a convention, but he still has confidence in the team Michael Pintard leads and does not want FNMs to be distracted.

Mr Ingraham, standing next to Dr Minnis, spoke bluntly even though many believe Dr Minnis’ faction opposes Mr Pintard’s leadership and that Dr Minnis is the most likely person to challenge the Marco City MP if the FNM calls a convention.

After Dr Minnis presented Mr Ingraham with a copy of his new book, “The Power of Determination,” the two former FNM prime ministers also discussed their strained relationship, with Mr Ingraham saying the Killarney MP grew distant from him when he became prime minister. Dr Minnis countered that he needed to create his own path.

 In a recent open letter, former Deputy Prime Minister Desmond Bannister urged Mr Pintard to call a convention “at the earliest possible date,” saying a delay would diminish confidence in his leadership amid divisions in the party.

 Mr Ingraham, however, said the FNM has never consistently held conventions every two years as its constitution mandates, and one is not needed now.

 “The FNM has conventions when the leadership of the party believes it’s time to have a convention,” he said. “The constitution says every two years, but the council has frequently voted to move that date to another date, and I assume, therefore, that will be the case this time.

 “I don’t believe that there’s a call for a convention. I think that there’s a leadership challenge they want to launch against Mr Pintard’s leadership, and they are cloaking it in this thing called convention.”

 Mr Ingraham said nothing has happened to cause people to lose confidence in the FNM’s leadership team unless they have a “special kind of agenda”.

 “They still have my confidence, and I expect them to have a convention when they think the time is right to do so, to put forward their programme to the public, The Bahamas, and prepare the FNM for the next general election,” he said.

 “And this call for a convention by Desmond, who like me, is not active, not active at all, doesn’t go to meetings, hardly, and to wake up one morning and decide, have a convention, please don’t do that to us.

 “A convention should be held when they have some reason and purpose to have it, not because there are some rebels within the party who want to have a convention. It’s very expensive exercise, etc.

 “So there’s no urgent need for convention. That’s a made up story by whoever’s making it up, and I’d like to urge FNMs not to be distracted.”

 Dr Minnis recalled that two conventions were held when he was leader of the Opposition.

 “As a matter of fact,” he said, “I had one convention within the first ten months of leadership and then I would have had another one, as you know, I think, in 2016. That answers your question. As opposed to governance, I would have been tied up with Dorian. I would’ve been tied up with COVID.”

 The FNM, he said, has faced challenges before and overcame them.

 “I have no doubt that the FNM will get over whatever challenges they have and subsequently go on and defeat the PLP because the PLP is not good for the country,” he said. “They’re not doing a good job. The FNM has always been great at governance. The PLP has always been excellent at Opposition.”

 Reflecting on their relationship, Mr Ingraham said Dr Minnis was close to him before he became prime minister. 

 “He was very close to me, very close to me,” he said, adding that Dr Minnis often visited his house and the two went out together often.

 “After he became prime minister, he was a different man altogether, but I never lost my respect for him,” he said.

 Dr Minnis countered that he needed to chart his own course.

 “There comes a point in time, especially when you get certain positions, you try your best to carve a direction for you,” he said. “But if you find yourself in challenges, problems, then of course, you always return to your mentor or the more knowledgeable one and ask for opinions.

 “But you will find that as you have your children, they too will carve their way, but they will always come back and ask questions, your recommendation, etc. So it’s not that they distance themselves, but it’s the reality of the world.”