By MALCOLM STRACHAN

ELECTION nomination season is proving a rough ride for the Free National Movement.

The party has been moving ahead with its nomination process – and in the game of musical chairs, not all who are left without a seat when the music stops are going to be happy about it.

The latest backlash to come the party’s way has followed the denial of a nomination to Renward Wells – who is being snubbed for the Bamboo Town seat, it seems. Instead, Heather Hunt looks like getting the nod.

There have been strong words in the wake of the move – people calling party leader Michael Pintard “vindictive” and “hateful”.

On the face of it, is it any real surprise that Mr Wells might not be the choice of the leadership?

He used to be a PLP MP, before flipping parties and joining the FNM and becoming a minister under Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. Then in the wake of the party crashing and burning at the polls, he continued to support Dr Minnis as a leadership candidate rather than throwing his support to current leader Mr Pintard.

For his time in the FNM, he has been Minnis’ man – and Minnis is decidedly out of favour right now. So why would the leadership give him a seat rather than someone who has given them backing all along?

The tension exists of course because it is a matter for the constituency too.

The association chairwoman, Monique Seymour, was quoted in The Tribune as saying that “we remain supporting Renward Wells as our candidate”.

She added: “They say the association bullying them by telling them who we want but they are bullying me and my association by telling us who they want. We will not be walking for Heather Hunt. We will not because what they did was a slap in the face.”

This is not the only constituency where there has been a difference of opinion over a nomination.

Over in South Beach, former senator Jamal Moss was “hurt” by the decision to choose Darren Henfield ahead of him – though he said he respected the decision and it was time to “move on”.

Executives in the constituency association there said they were caught “off guard” by the decision to choose Henfield over Moss.

One executive said the party leadership “totally disregarded our wishes”.

Across in Central and South Abaco, the decision to choose Jeremy Sweeting as the candidate prompted Roscoe Thompson to quit as association chairman for the branch in the constituency.

There are suggestions that Mr Thompson might run as an independent – which could split the vote in the constituency.

Over in Long Island, Adrian Gibson is reportedly being denied a nomination – and that is before we even get to Dr Minnis and whatever is going on with his plans for an election campaign. He has been told he will not get a nomination for the FNM, but he keeps telling people he is going to run, and that he will “W-I-N, win”.

Of course, it is the duty of the leadership of any party to make sure that the slate of candidates that will run has the best chance of winning the election – and more than that, to have the right people to run the government in the event of victory.

Constituency associations absolutely have a part to play – but might not always know the full picture.

That said, whoever is chosen has to represent that constituency. The nominee has to speak up on the campaign trail, they have to know what is important to people locally, and they have to carry that through if elected to office.

A carpetbagger dropped into an area about which they know little does not have the knowledge or incentive to do their best for people they barely know, or to tackle issues about which they have little understanding.

It is, then, a balance that needs to be struck – meeting the needs of both the constituents and the party at large.

Of course, no one likes to lose. No one likes to be told that someone else is being chosen ahead of them. So there will always be gripes and complaining, there will always be ripples to disturb what the party hopes looks like a smooth surface from the outside.

That’s not unique to the FNM.

Back in 2023, when the parties were choosing candidates to run in West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Shane Gibson wanted the seat.

What emerged from that contest was an apparent feud between Mr Gibson and party chairman Fred Mitchell.

Mr Gibson fired off comments about being a hard worker, not just someone who hopped on planes and enjoyed tea and coffee and cigars, an apparent jibe at Mr Mitchell.

When Mr Gibson lost the candidacy, there were chants of “Fred gatta go”.

Mr Gibson has of course historically run into various controversies. But it is fair to say that he had always been prominent in government, whereas the man who won the candidacy for West Grand Bahama and Bimini ahead of him, Kingsley Smith, has been almost invisible since winning the vote and becoming an MP.

Mr Gibson also challenged Mr Mitchell as chairman – but bowed out of that race and threw his support to another rival, who lost.

But here is the thing where the FNM can learn from the PLP.

What happened on the election trail in West Grand Bahama and Bimini after Mr Gibson lost that nomination?

Mr Gibson went out and supported Mr Smith for the election. He appeared next to the man he lost out to, and cheered on the party despite his personal slight.

Mr Smith said at the time: “I need all hands on decks. I want to thank my brother Shane Gibson for joining the campaign trail. In the PLP, we are one big family.”

That is where the PLP excels as a party – no matter the differences, the party has a tendency to pull together and do what needs to be done for victory.

The FNM at the moment looks as if it is still full of cracks and divisions – but the election is not tomorrow, it is not next week. If the party can smooth those cracks over, and keep those who have missed out on a nomination on board, then it can still look united by the time people come to vote.

With the possible exception of Dr Minnis – now that is a division as wide as the Grand Canyon, and no amount of smoothing over will cover that crack.