With Minister of National Security Dr. Bernard Nottage last week reiterating his support for Prime Minister Perry Christie as leader of the Progressive Liberal Party(PLP), State Minister for National Security Keith Bell has done the same.
The senator and the PLP’s candidate for Carmichael, in an interview with The Journal said that Christie is the undoubted leader of the party and despite some speculations there is no leadership issue within the party.
“We have no leadership issue in the PLP; we know who our leader is. We have a process in our party and we have elected Perry Christie and I have thrown my support behind him years ago,” he said.
“I’ve made it public and most of us if not all of us have indicated that Perry Christie is our leader and he will take us into the next general election.”
In mid-July, Mr. Christie said he would seek to continue leading the Progressive Liberal Party because several young members of his government had asked him to do so.
Despite his stance, however, Mr. Christie received harsh criticism for his refusal to step away from the reigns of leadership.
Former PLP MP Philip Galanis chastised the Centreville MP, saying Mr. Christie’s claims were at the “height of nonsense” and bordered on “delusional”.
Mr. Galanis insisted that there were many people in the party capable and able to lead the party.
Bell joined Nottage and Marathon MP Jerome Fitzgerald as PLP parliamentarians who have come out publicly and thrown their support behind the prime minister leading up to next year’s election.
Bell also spoke about what challenges may lie ahead for him.
“Anything can be consider a challenge but the main thing is you have to put you trust in God, not man.
“If you do this and you are able to work the grounds and convince the people that you are the better choice and show them not through words but action.
“Then hopefully the people will vote for you,” Mr. Bell said.
The PLP continued their ratification process last week with incumbents Arnold Forbes, Dion Smith and seventh time candidate Leslie Miller who have all been given the nod to again run on the PLP’s ticket in the Mt. Moriah, Nassau Village and Tall Pines constituencies respectively.
The PLP’s next round of candidates will be out of Grand Bahama, the party plans to push ahead with this before the end of the month.
