Fort Charlotte MP dismisses claims he’s leaving party.

Fort Charlotte MP Dr. Andre Rollins yesterday defied an order from the National General Council (NGC) of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) to apologise to party leader Prime Minister Perry Christie over a series of attacks he has launched at both the government and the performance of the prime minister.

But in a show of defiance the Fort Charlotte MP, a former party whip, explained during his contribution to debate on a Public Parks and Beaches Bill in the House of Assembly that he has nothing to apologise for.

“I have no problems submitting to leadership,” Dr. Rollins said. “But as I said to the press, no politician should ever be made a God – no politician. And if you believe the role of those beneath you is to worship you – you will never get that from the member for Fort Charlotte.”

Dr. Rollins has reportedly been in talks with the leadership of the Free National Movement (FNM) and there is speculation that he considering joining the Opposition bench, however, Dr. Rollins shot down those claims as erroneous.
“All this erroneous talk of me crossing party lines is just that – erroneous,” he said.

The NGC decided last Thursday to refer the matter of disciplinary action against Dr. Rollins to a four-man committee.
However, Dr. Rollins suggested that he is being punished for sharing an opposing view.

“I am just as much a man as any other man in here and we are all human beings and we are all fallible,” he said. “If you think that I should treat you as though you are entitled to a level of treatment afforded only to dictators I can’t subscribe to that and I never will.”

Dr. Rollins again attacked the prime minister alleging that he has not lived up to his word in dealing with an oversized dune blocking visibility and access to the seashore along a stretch of beach in western New Providence.

“He [Mr. Christie] is an extremely eloquent and articulate individual and nowhere will I ever have it said that I do not respect and admire his ability to communicate, Dr. Rollins said.

“The prime minister took the time convey to all the people in here that he and all the Bahamian people that this seascape or this dune would be transformed and that all Bahamians would one day be proud. I have no problem with the prime minister waxing eloquent but the Bahamian public expects that the actions of the prime minister would meet his words and when they don’t all of us in here who belong to the government become suspect because they will say we talk a good talk but the action is not supportive of those words.”

The prime minister responded to Dr. Rollins’ assertions and called his remarks gratuitous.