In the wake of ongoing calls for Opposition forces to unite in an effort to throw out the Progressive Liberal Party Government, Free National Movement (FNM) Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest said his party is not interested in a coalition.
Mr. Turnquest in an interview with The Bahama Journal on Friday said the FNM is not willing to “sacrifice” its party.
“All of these so called splinter parties, or vanity parties as some people call them, are all very interesting shining objects; but they bring nothing new and nor do they present a viable alternative to the present government,” Mr. Turnquest said.
“We believe that the FNM has a team, a diverse and talented group of new and diverse persons who are experienced in various fields. We believe they have the skills to take the country to another level, and turn around the situation we have today; and that’s what we’re focused on,” he said.
In fact, the FNM Deputy Leader insisted that Bahamians have only two viable choices of political parties, the FNM and the Progressive Liberal Party.
This is a point held strongly by FNM Leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis, despite the Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) expectancy to run a full slate of candidates as was done in 2012.
“The Bahamian people have two clear choices; stay with the status quo and with these career politicians who have not proven themselves to be any different than they were in the previous PLP Administration, or to give to this Free National Movement- or to give the Free National Movement an opportunity to rescue the country and to turn it around,” said Mr. Turnquest.
“We certainly invite all the parties to put aside their personal ambition and ensure that we meet the one basic goal. We would love to have the support of all of these groupings,” he said.
“What we have said is that when it comes to platforms, when it comes to policies, we can talk to anybody trying to ensure that we cover all of the issues using the best and the brightest minds available in opposition to ensure that we put the country on the right path,” added Mr. Turnquest.
Long Island MP Loretta Butler Turner recently told The Bahama Journal the only answer to getting rid of the PLP is for opposition forces to unite.
However she said the challenge with this is, too many individuals want to lead.
The Long Island MP had recently said she and the DNA leader held discussions on forming a coalition; but that claim was subsequently shut down by Mr. McCartney.
Meantime the country awaits the announcement of this year’s election date by Prime Minister Perry Christie.
