Education Minister To Resign

Mr. Bethel’s election stunned many people, mainly because immediate past chairman Johnley Ferguson, who had served for two-and-a-half years, had already publicly said that he planned to hold on to the post. However, yesterday he did not re-offer for the position.

Mr. Ferguson and longtime FNM supporter Ivoine Ingraham were the only contenders for the post, but in a twist of events that shocked the crowded ballroom at the Wyndham Nassau Resort, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham nominated Mr. Bethel for party chairman and surprisingly, Mr. Ferguson seconded the move.

Mr. Bethel, who now holds the post of chairman for a second time, said it was a discussion that has been ongoing in the party for about a month, and in the run-off, it was down to three Cabinet ministers, but he volunteered to take the job.

"Obviously we are now more than half way through our term. And the party is faced with the challenge now of beginning to prepare itself for the next general election. We now have this continuing, nagging, oppressing, global recession that is continuing to have a very negative impact on the Bahamian economy. And that is likely to go on well into next year. So it is very important that the party begins to position itself to properly explain and remind the Bahamian people of the wonderful things the party has done, is doing, will do and also of the time in which we now live.," he said.

"It was the consensus view of the party’s leadership that we needed to take things up to another level and hopefully it will be a level that will be effective in position the party to face elections."

Mr. Bethel said he is very focused on the job at hand. He said he and Prime Minister Ingraham have discussed the issue intensely and in a matter of weeks the prime minister will announce who his successor will be.

The new FNM chairman added that contrary to popular belief, he was not elected to the post to "deal with" Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts.

Mr. Bethel said there are simply too many serious issues in the country to deal with, leaving there no time to play "political tit for tat" with anyone.

"My first order of business is really to improve the communication infrastructure at party central headquarters," he said.

"It’s vital that we realize that this is a multifaceted media market that we are involved in. The next most important thing is addressing the rank and file of FNM supporters across the length and breadth of The Bahamas and to begin the process of rebuilding the foot soldiers and the armor-bearers who made it possible for the party to stand strong. Those are the two critical functions that I intend to work on."

Shortly after the shocking announcement, former chairman contender Ivoine Ingraham was spotted being comforted by a supporter.

He said he dropped out of the race for the sake of unity, but claimed he is still "disappointed" and "exhausted."

"I don’t have any problem stepping aside for the sake of unity in the party and to not have a drag down fight, which I know it would have been," he said.

"But if the prime minister stands up and nominates someone, I must be the greatest fool there is to allow my name to be put into nomination to waste my time and waste the convention’s time to have them vote for a position that I really have absolutely no chance of winning."

Both Mr. Bethel and Mr. Ingraham said they plan to work hand-in-hand as the party moves forward. Both men say they have a great deal of respect for each other and look forward to getting on with the party’s business.

Mr. Bethel said he does not see this move as a shot against democracy nor as a demotion as "it is no good being in high (places), if you have nothing to support you."

He said after the next general election, if the FNM is re-elected, he will seek to resume a Cabinet minister post as long as it is okay with Mr. Ingraham.

In an interview with the Journal yesterday, Mount Moriah MP and National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest said Mr. Bethel was nominated because the party "needed to bolster the role of chairman and felt that he would fulfill it and he agreed to do it."

Mr. Turnquest admitted that Mr. Bethel would resign and while he said he did not have a specific date, he said his colleague’s resignation could come before the end of the month or the first week in December.

Meantime, Mr. Ingraham and Deputy Leader Brent Symonette were re-elected to their posts unopposed during the nomination of national party officers.