Hours after both candidates for leadership of the Free National Movement held rallies in the capital, DNA leader and former FNM Minister Branville McCartney weighed in on the rift within the FNM. Charging that the leadership race only exposed what was already an obviously fractured party.
“I think it’s obvious the divide within the FNM and the leadership race seemed to divide the party even more.
“It has come out in the media even more recently and even senior members of the party have spoken about it, showing that there is a tremendous divide in the Free National Movement.
McCartney also said that despite the infighting he takes nothing for granted, during election season with the rapid changing pace of the Bahamian political landscape.
“Well I certainly don’t take anything for granted, despite the fact that the PLP has been one of the worst governments in history, I certainly don’t take them for granted when it comes to the election.
“With the FNM, even though they may be divided and there seems to be a lot of infighting, from a DNA standpoint we don’t take that for granted.
“This is politics and things can change every day in the political life, one day in politics is like a life time,” Mr. McCartney said.
He reiterated calls from citizens, as well as FNM candidate Don Saunders, emphasizing the need for political debates between the leaders of the major political parties and called on the Prime Minister to reopen a challenge that he made last year.
“I’ve always been an advocate of public debates, last year Prime Minister Perry Christie issued a challenge to Dr. Hubert Minnis and myself, I took the challenge up and welcomed the debate.
“ So much so that I said I would finance the venue and the event, that’s how strongly I felt about having a public debate.
“It’s very necessary for a democracy and it’s good to give the Bahamian people a look at who they’re voting for, so I’m very much in favor of that, ” Mr. McCartney said.
McCartney has been very vocal about the current administration over the past several weeks even calling for the Prime Minister’s resignation in the wake of the failed referendum.
McCartney cited the recent Brexit saga, which resulted in the resignation of British Prime Minster David Cameron as result of the split from the EU.
