By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

SOUTHERN Shores MP Leroy Major yesterday denied publicly criticising internal dynamics within the Progressive Liberal Party, claiming in the House of Assembly that his remarks in a recent interview were misunderstood and misrepresented.

Mr Major’s comments came in response to a Tribune article published on June 4 under the headline “PLP backbenchers don’t get fair play.” In Parliament, St Barnabas MP Shannendon Cartwright referenced the piece, quoting directly from it to highlight concerns raised about the distribution of government resources.

Mr Major pushed back, claiming the article’s interpretation of his remarks did not reflect his position.

“That interview was totally about Leroy Major and Southern Shores,” he said. “It had nothing to do with any other MP.”

He added: “Whatever that reporter said about me and my colleagues is incorrect.”

He urged Mr Cartwright not to press the issue further, stating: “Do not go down a train. Please. Do not do that.”

However, The Tribune is standing by its reporting, which is supported by audio of the interview in which Mr Major expressed clear concerns about disparities within the party, particularly regarding how resources are allocated between Cabinet ministers and backbenchers.

“There’s got to be fair play to the backbenchers whose voices are not heard around the table,” Mr Major said in the recorded interview.

“I think they use what is available to them for their advantage when it should be used for a national advantage.”

He pointed to a $20m flood mitigation budget in Pinewood Gardens — represented by Minister Myles LaRoda — as an example of what he called unequal distribution. He contrasted that support with the lack of funding for similar issues in his own constituency.

“Myles is a minister,” he said. “He sits around the table and that is again, offered to him but there are some of us who are not around the table, having the same problem, you see, and that’s where fair play comes in.”

In Parliament, Mr Cartwright told MPs he cited the article so “the Bahamian people do not think I was pulling this out of the air”.

The interview also addressed speculation about Mr Major’s future as the PLP’s candidate for Southern Shores. The Tribune reported that the local branch is reportedly considering alternative nominees, including deputy chairman Obie Roberts and businessman Joseph Johnson.

Mr Major confirmed he was aware of these rumours but said the party had not provided him with any formal update.