By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

Eleven prospective candidates appeared before the Progressive Liberal Party’s Candidates Committee yesterday as the party continues its nomination process ahead of the next general election.

Dozens of supporters dressed in PLP paraphernalia packed the grounds of the PLP headquarters with music, junkanoo rushes, chanting, and the blaring of horns.

In Freetown, incumbent MP Wayne Munroe is seeking re-election but faces competition from long-time party member and resident Ormanique Bowe, who has also expressed interest in the seat. 

Ms Bowe arrived with three jitney buses of supporters and a Junkanoo rush-out, as chants of “Wayne gotta go” rang out from her supporters.

Ms Bowe, a resident and a business owner in Freetown, said the constituency is looking for a mother. 

She said: “I am very confident, and like you say, the supporters show who they are behind today.”

Asked about the challenge, Mr Munroe said: “I always say that when somebody else step up and is able to step up, that shows that a party is rich and has a defense. I happen to believe that I’m the best candidate to contest this seat, and that is what my position is, but it is her right to come and ask for a nomination, and I do not take it personally.”

He added: “I don’t wish my opponent well. I never wish my opponent well, because wishing your opponent well means that you wish that they should win. I don’t wish that she would win, but I support her right to do it. I don’t take it personally, and you can never get so self-absorbed.”

The St Anne’s constituency saw three individuals vying for nomination inclusive of Keno Wong, Latorna McPhee, and Chris Saunders, who unsuccessfully contested the seat in the last general election.

Mr Wong, a former chairman of the National Neighbourhood Watch Council, said residents had encouraged him to step forward. 

“I thought about it over the years and I thought that now is the time to rise to the occasion and to represent the great people of St Anne’s,” he told the media yesterday.

Mr Saunders, a veteran journalist, said that despite losing the St Anne’s seat to Free National Movement MP Adrian White in the 2021 election, he has remained active within the community. 

When asked about perceptions that the constituency primarily belongs to the FNM, he said: “I will say one word, Georgia. Nobody thought that Georgia would go from red to blue. It’s happened. Things happen. This country needs change. We want real representation there. The change happens there with real representation.”

Among the candidates presented before the committee, Former Senator Robyn Lynes said that she is open to any seat the party is willing to offer, declining to specify a particular constituency.

“I put in a general letter of interest. I thought that declaring for an area where there was a sitting MP who had not determined that they wished to resign or to proceed would have caused internal division and been a bit disrespectful,” she said.

Ms Lynes said her decision to enter politics came only after achieving financial stability through her law practice, ensuring her family was prepared for the pressures of public life, and prayerfully confirming that her move was guided by faith rather than personal ambition.

Another aspirant, Tasha Bullard-Hamilton said she is seeking nomination for Bimini and The Berry Islands, pointing to family ties to the constituency and the fact that she was born in Bimini. The two-term local government official, said she presented a completed plan to the candidate committee that included proposals for improved healthcare, medical evacuations, and upgraded schools and housing.

Incumbent MPs also appeared before the committee, including Wayde Watson for Bain and Grants Town, Zane Lightbourne for Yamacraw, Patricia Deveaux for Bamboo Town, and Lisa Rahming for Marathon.

The PLP has indicated that it intends to ratify its second batch of candidates on Thursday, which is expected to include Sylvanus Petty, Kirk Cornish, Clay Sweeting, and Bradley Fox Jr.