Leslie Miller suggests Wilchcombe has no chance of being PM

Tue, Jun 23rd 2015, 12:55 AM

A day after Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe declared his interest in leading the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller suggested that it won’t happen.

Miller said he believes that Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis would be a better person to lead the party.

“I hope to live forever too, but that’s not going to happen,” said Miller when asked about Wilchcombe’s chances of winning a leadership bid. He has indicated that he has a preference to be prime minister. I have no inkling to be [anything] except the good member of Parliament for the good people of Tall Pines."

“First of all you can’t be the leader of any organization until you have a convention.”

Miller said he thinks Davis has what it takes to be the next party leader.

“If we have a convention, we’ll see what happens,” he added.

“I support Brave Davis… Mr. Davis is always the PLP’s go-to man. Whenever the party is in trouble who do we go to? Brave Davis.

“Whenever any of our colleagues get in trouble, in the legal sense or anything happens, we go to Brave Davis.

“In trying to raise funds for the party to set us on the right course, we go to Brave Davis.

“I think he has been around for so long and has dedicated his entire life to the PLP that he is serving as the deputy prime minister to move up to the next step.

“But you all are missing one question: Where is [Prime Minister Perry] Christie going?” Miller asked.

He pointed out that while Christie has acknowledged that he is in the twilight of his political career, he has not definitely stated whether he intends to retire ahead of the 2017 general election.

Christie has said that “all bets would be off” if former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham returns to frontline politics.

“I don’t know if Mr. Christie is going anywhere,” Miller said. “Most leaders never go until you run them out of town. Whether he goes is his choice.”

Miller said he believes that there should be a two-term limit for prime ministers.

Christie is serving his second non-consecutive term as prime minister.

Notwithstanding his belief, Miller added, “I don’t know whether it is time for him to go”.

Miller said if Davis is to become leader, the time to run is now.

“Mr. Davis has just turned 64,” Miller noted.

“If he has any chance of serving the Bahamian people, it has to be now. Why would I vote for a guy who is going to be 70 at the next election?”

Wilchcombe declared on Sunday that he is prepared to “lead with distinction”.

The West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP said if given the chance to become prime minister, he would take it.

“I ran for deputy leader of the PLP in 2009. I ran because I’d like to be leader of the PLP,” said Wilchcombe, who appeared as a guest on the Guardian Radio talk show “Q and A” with hosts Quincy Parker and Adrian Francis.

“There is no question about that.

The party has not held a convention since 2009. It was scheduled to have its convention in 2013, but that was postponed until November 2014. However, it did not happen then either. The party has held several mini conventions on the Family Islands. PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts said the PLP will hold its convention in the last week of October.

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