Monday, October 23, 2023
By RASHAD ROLLE and LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporters
CHIEF Passport Officer Kingsley Smith was ratified as the Progressive Liberal Party’s nominee for the upcoming West Grand Bahama and Bimini by-election during a rancorous council meeting on Friday that exposed divisions in the governing party.
The closed-door meeting was heated enough for police officers to be summoned to the door. Outbursts sometimes interrupted Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis.
Chants of “Brave got to go” and “Fred got to go” rang outside the headquarters on Farrington Road after the party ratified its candidate. Mr Davis was inside, hoisting Mr Smith’s hands as supporters applauded them.
At least one person who led a “Brave got to go” chant later apologised on social media.
“The PLP is a family above all else,” Mr Davis told The Tribune yesterday.
“As with any family, differences in views can lead to heightened emotions. I respect that. I’ve accepted the apologies from those who publicly expressed regret for their passionate outbursts at Gambier House.”
The PLP denied Shane Gibson’s request for a secret ballot vote on the candidates committee’s recommendation. Instead, Mr Davis invited PLP National General Council members to show their support for Mr Smith by standing, which the majority reportedly did.
Mr Davis said after the meeting that a secret ballot vote would have been impractical because of the “make-up of the persons present”.
“I am fundamentally a democrat,” he added yesterday. “There was no deviation from our constitution regarding the voting process. I respect the views of everyone involved in this process and am grateful for their support of the party’s choice.”
The largely pro-Gibson crowd outside the headquarters said they supported the former Golden Gates MP because he had a knack throughout his career for what their party currently lacks: the ability to take care of PLPs. The impact his return could have on the mood of the general electorate, a pressing concern for party leaders, was irrelevant to them.
Choosing Mr Smith –– an FNM member just a few years ago –– aggravated them. Some said if not Mr Gibson, former PLP Senator Caleb Outten or Samuel Brown, a young lawyer whose uncle represented the constituency in the 1990s, would have been more palatable.
“We ain’t worrying about what the leader wants, it’s what the stalwarts want,” one man repeatedly said as Mr Gibson left the area amid commotion. Others chanted: “We want Shane.”
“Kingsley is an FNM,” said Ina Rolle, a Bimini resident whose views represented many outside. “Kingsley was a torchbearer for the FNM who joined the party in 2020. He should start from the bottom up.”
Focus quickly turned to Mr Gibson’s next move after the meeting. Senior party officials who spoke to him before the gathering did not dismiss the possibility that he would run as an independent candidate.
“He’s a PLP,” Mr Davis told The Tribune on Friday. “He indicated during his interview that whoever gets the nomination, he’s going to support, so I expect him to be a man of his word as he usually is. He’s always been a man of his word.”
Mr Gibson declined to talk to reporters after the meeting and did so again yesterday.
However, a move has started to push him to run for the chairman position at the party’s convention at Baha Mar on November 9 and 10.
In a JCN interview before the council meeting that aired yesterday, Mr Gibson said it is “very possible” that he will pursue a position at the convention. According to the party’s rules, prospective candidates must apply by Thursday, 14 days before the convention.
During the JCN interview, Mr Gibson also rebuffed claims that former Prime Minister Perry Christie supported his push for the nomination.
“He was actually an advocate, I think, for Mr Sam Brown,” he said.
Mr Davis described Mr Smith as a fresh and new member of the next generation of PLP leaders, saying: “I’m not a spring chicken anymore.”
Mr Smith predicted tensions would calm and PLP supporters would unite to win the by-election.
“I feel called to serve the people,” he said after accepting the PLP’s nomination.
The meeting set the stage for the by-election to replace Obie Wilchcombe, who died last month. Mr Smith will resign from his government position and face the Free National Movement’s Bishop Ricardo Grant. The election will also test support for the Coalition of Independents, whose leader, Lincoln Bain, will run for the seat.
The by-election must be held by November 25, according to acting Parliamentary Commissioner Arthur Taylor.