The Free National Movement’s Pineridge Constituency Association’s wants their Member of Parliament Frederick McAlpine to resign and while some may reason it’s a blow that may weaken the governing party’s chances at the polls come 2022, Deputy Prime Minister and fellow Grand Bahama MP Peter Turnquest isn’t at all convinced.
“This makes us stronger as a matter of fact. We are a democratic organization. The constituents are the ultimate deciders of who represent them and who they want to represent them and that process works its way up through the party,” Mr. Turnquest said.
“Again, we are committed to democracy and to ensuring that the person who is selected in any constituency to represent the people actually do represent the people.”
Mr. McAlpine has held nothing back since becoming an FNM MP, even if this meant speaking out against his own party.
He was one of the few FNM MPs who openly rejected the 60 percent increase in value added tax from 7.5 to 12 percent.
Mr. McAlpine was subsequently removed as chairman of the Hotel Corporation.
He was equally vocal about the role sitting Cabinet Ministers Marvin Dames and Duane Sands played in the extortion and bribery case of former Public Hospitals Authority Chairman Frank Smith and controversy surrounding the General Post Office’s relocation to the Town Centre Mall – whose part owner was at the time, a sitting cabinet minister.
Most recently, the Pineridge MP said he would vote neither for nor against, but rather abstain if a vote of no confidence is brought against the prime minister.
In the event though the association is adamant on having him removed, Mr. Turnquest insisted there’s a process that must be followed.
“There are procedures in which they would follow if they are serious about calling for the member of parliament to resign from the party and then there will be a process that the party goes through to decide whether they will act on that recommendation from the constituency and the process goes from there,” the deputy prime minister said.
The Bahama Journal reached out to Mr. McAlpine for comment. However, we were unsuccessful up to news time.
