The "new generation leaders" in the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) should come to grips with the fact that their time in the party is over, Central and South Abaco MP Edison Key said.
"It doesn't have to be a 'yes sir, boss' Parliament," Key said. "That doesn't make any sense."
Key was referring to PLP MPs Gregory Moss (Marco City), Dr. Andre Rollins (Fort Charlotte) and Renward Wells (Bamboo Town) who have all, at some point, spoken out against the party. Moss was fired as chairman of the National Insurance Board after a strong statement that was critical of the prime minister and NIB Minister Shane Gibson.
Rollins was fired as Gaming Board chairman after he said the country needs new leadership. And Wells was fired as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Works.
"I think their time has expired in the party, though," Key said. "They have no reason or way to come back now, but there are so many things happening in this country where we are lacking good leadership. That is the main problem. It is my way or the highway. This has been so in both parties. I'm not condemning one party over the next."
Moss and Rollins have said they were counseled by Key shortly after the 2012 general election. As elected officials, the men should be allowed to air their views and ideas, Key said. He said there is no room for growth in the country if the young leaders are kept quiet.
Key resigned from the PLP during the first Christie administration. He said he has no regrets and is not married to any party.
"If I know something is right, I'll support it. And if I don't believe it's right I will not support it," he said. "It doesn't matter what side I'm on. We need to learn in The Bahamas that these party names don't mean too much. The Free National Movement (FNM) and the PLP, they all came from the same beginning."
In an interview with The Nassau Guardian, Moss said while he sometimes speaks out against his party, he understands the value of party politics.
"That is the transition that we are in right now as a country, where people are able to see themselves not just as instruments within a party, but also as instruments of change," he said. "When people start to talk about their own personal longevity, their own personal survivability and so on within a party, they have lost focus on what politics is really about, which is the advancement and interest of the country.
"Clearly I have some views that what the party is doing has nothing whatsoever to do with its philosophy and very little to do with the interest of the people."
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
