By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party candidate Sebas Bastian yesterday brushed off questions about whether he aims to become the party’s leader in the future.

Mr Bastian was pressed by reporters about his long-term plans within the party. Although he is a newcomer to the political arena, he has quickly grown in popularity among supporters.

During the opening of Mr Bastian’s new Fort Charlotte Technology, Arts and Culture Centre, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said Mr Bastian has a bright future in the country, adding that he has no doubt the businessman will help take the PLP higher. Some political observers have suggested that Mr Bastian could one day lead the party, and Mr Davis’s comments have reignited that speculation.

Mr Bastian said his service to the country has been an ongoing journey. He pointed to his IL Cares Foundation, Own Bahamas, and other initiatives he has created to invest in communities for several years.

Asked if he sees himself seeking leadership of the PLP one day, Mr Bastian said it is important not to be distracted by entertaining “impatient” aspirations. He stressed that the focus should be on the upcoming election.

“I hear the bell is shined. I don’t know when he’s going to ring it, and that is where the focus is,” he said, referring to the prime minister calling the election.

“We plan to be victorious at the polls, and then the day after the election we must govern, and it is the result of that governance that will determine whatever the future holds for the party at large.”

The Free National Movement’s Fort Charlotte candidate Travis Robinson has previously questioned the Island Luck co-founder’s motives for entering politics. Mr Robinson has also emphasised that the constituency is not for sale and that voters cannot be bought.

Since officially being ratified, Mr Bastian has carried out numerous projects in the Fort Charlotte area, including home repairs, road paving, investments in local businesses, and the recent opening of the Fort Charlotte Technology, Arts and Culture Centre.

Mr Bastian dismissed Mr Robinson’s criticism that Fort Charlotte is not for sale. The businessman said his focus is on the registered voters in the constituency, as they are the ones he must convince that he is the better choice for representation.