By Delvardo Emmanuel
Journal Staff Writer

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has come forward to set the record straight regarding an
article printed by a local daily which suggested that he advised Free National Movement (FNM)
Leader Michael Pintard not to participate in the upcoming by-election.
“There was a big headline in the Tribune that said I told the FNM not to run. It never quoted me.
It never quoted who told them that story,” Mr. Ingraham said.
“The facts are very simple. The leader of the FNM is the Michael, came to see me, to ask me my
views about the by-election, I gave my views, I also gave him my history.”
Mr. Ingraham, on Monday, while speaking with reporters outside the House of Assembly, after
signing the book of condolences for the late Dr Perry Gomez, said he merely advised Mr. Pintard
to keep in mind the FNM’s history with by-elections, given the party’s not-so-successful past.
“When I became leader of the FNM in 1990, there was a by-election at the end of that year. I had
to fight immediately for Wallace Whitfield’s seat,” he said. “That was our seat, the FNM seat.
We fought it and we won it.
 “By the end of the following year, the PLP manufactured a vacancy for the Englerston seat.
When Sir Clifford Darling resigned and they nominated Peter Bethel, I said no, I am not going to
run in that by-election at all. The FNM stayed out.
“They didn’t catch me then, so the next year they had Ervin Knowles resign for the Cat Island
seat. That’s how Brave got in the House of Assembly. I said no I’m not taking that one.
“I did explain to him that later on they had a discussion going on that they wanted to have a by-
election in Oakes Field and I made it clear, I had a public meeting saying if you come with that
one I will take it. So, I told him that he needed to make a decision as to what he ought to do, that
the FNM had a great history of running in by-elections and losing and that the only by-election
we had won was the one I told you about in 1990 with myself.”
The Former FNM leader also noted that he supports Mr. Pintard’s decision to run in the
upcoming by-election. He also threw his support for FNM candidate Bishop Ricardo Grant.