One week after being fired, Bains and Grants Town MP, Travis Robinson, yesterday reconfirmed his commitment to support the governing Free National Movement.
“My integrity is not for sale, my conviction is not for sale, my one vote is not for sale,” Robinson said.
Contrary to the assumptions made, according to the MP, his decision last week to vote against the 4.5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) increase was not on a whim, neither on the basis of misinformation, but after much consideration.
Mr.Robinson said his decision had everything to do with the promise he made to his constituents on the campaign trail to fight for them, stand up for them and speak out for them – even if it caused him his livelihood, and that it did.
The Bain’s and Grants Town MP – along with two others – was immediately fired as a Parliamentary Secretary after they voted against the VAT increase.
The Westminster System requires a Parliamentary Secretary to support his government’s policies and actions.
In a communication to The House of Assembly yesterday, Mr. Robinson fully accepted the consequences of his actions.
“No system of governance, no position or money enough, will cause for me to yield my personal belief or conviction, especially when my people need me the most,” he said.
“But you see Mr. Speaker, [mine] is a story of young black educated Bahamian male from Bain and Grants Town, whose poverty knew no end.
“My no vote in this honourable place was in alignment with my low and meek rise from the dust of poverty,” said the youthful MP.
Mr. Robinson assured though, that despite his firing, he and the Prime Minister continue to enjoy a remarkable political relationship, akin to a father and son.
“I wish to announce once again my continued pledge and support to the Free National Movement, as I am sticking with the FNM.”
To his constituents, who must shoulder the shared burden of an increased tax, he asked that they – as in the case of all Bahamians – not give up.
“It is at our weakest point that we need our greatest strength in order to triumph,” he said.
“Let us be creative, enterprising, and determined every day not just to survive, but to help others to survive and move from mere survival to thriving.
“We will develop our own Coorps in Bain and Grants Town, start community gardens, pool resources to start businesses, buy in bulk, look after each other’s children, [and] check on the most vulnerable people around us.”
The Bain and Grant’s Town MP’s popularity soared following his no vote, with some dubbing him a “Political Gladiator.”
Mr. Robinson himself told the House that since last Tuesday he has received 244 letters, 308 calls, 905 WhatsApp messages, 1,024 emails, 3,429 Facebook tags, messages and postings and 113,000 views and hits on his Facebook live feed during a walkthrough in his community.
The young politician said he wants to build a future for The Bahamas – one where democracy thrives and principles and morals are the order of the day and to do so with clean hands, clear conscience and consideration for and collaboration with his community.
