Despite congratulating him on his election as the new Free National Movement (FNM) leader, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has warned Dr. Hubert Minnis to be “open and transparent” about this month’s election as well as where the FNM went wrong.
In a press statement issued by the party’s Chairman Bradley Roberts, the party described Dr. Minnis’ maiden speech on Saturday night as “very confusing.”
“The PLP sadly regrets that in his maiden speech Dr Minnis conveyed confusion as he repeated the FNM election claims about how much they delivered and how wonderful they were,” Mr. Roberts said.
“It was as if Dr. Minnis was unaware that the election was over and the votes had been counted and the majority of Bahamians had overwhelmingly rejected the policies of Hubert Ingraham and the FNM. That such policy included that the FNM did not do enough to prevent a decline in the overall standard of living; that while global economic conditions were unfavorable the FNM made the economy worse – so much so that other countries in the region have passed The Bahamas on important barometers of stability and progress.”
Dr. Minnis was unanimously voted as the FNM’s new leader in a one-day convention held on Saturday at the Holy Trinity Activities Centre.
Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner beat out Desmond Bannister to become the party’s new deputy leader.
But according to the PLP, the new leadership will still do very little for the party.
“The Bahamian people do not appreciate Dr. Minnis and or his new deputy Mrs. Loretta Butler- Turner just sitting there and not even seeing it as an insult for their then leader to refer to himself as a one man band – not even counting whatever Dr. Minnis or Mrs. Butler-Turner had to say,” Mr. Roberts said.
“All the FNM’s talk about accomplishments can not hide the evidence that they simply did not believe in Bahamians; that they failed to reduce crime; and that they presided over the tremendous mismanagement of the roads programme. Dr. Minnis said that the FNM would not oppose just for the sake of opposing and then spent a large part of his speech to demonstrate that he plans to do no such thing even when it means distorting the record of the PLP government.”
The PLP said the FNM’s leader “unfounded talk about victimisation” and his repeating the foolish talk of his predecessor about corruption shows no forward movement for the FNM party.
“It’s little or more of the same,” Mr. Roberts said.
“The PLP invites Dr. Minnis to be honest open and transparent as he must be aware that lies and deceptions cannot be hidden forever.”
