Dear Editor,
Sidney Collie's victory over activist Rodney Moncur on April 14 for the Free National Movement (FNM) chairmanship post was a pyrrhic victory for the Hubert Minnis faction of the FNM. I understand that Minnis was backing Collie. Moncur should have never entered the race, as he did not have a realistic shot at winning, after just joining the FNM in late 2014.
Brensil Rolle, who was promoted to the post of acting chairman in March after Michael Pintard's resignation, is rumored to have not been interested in the substantive post of chair due to him allegedly being a Hubert Ingraham loyalist - something Minnis was alleged to be wary of. If true, then it means that Minnis is attempting to surround himself with staunch loyalists, while at the same time appearing to be weeding out Ingrahamites and Loretta Butler-Turner sympathizers.
In politics, perception is reality. To many observers it looks as if there is an intramural struggle between the Minnis and Ingraham factions. Ingrahamites are feeling increasingly disenfranchised within the FNM by the Minnisites.
I am of the view that it would have made a lot more sense for Rolle to stay on as acting chairman until the convention in November. I have nothing against Collie. He is a bonafide FNM who served in the trenches of the party for years. However, while it cannot be argued that Collie possesses a modicum of political gravitas it is painstakingly clear that he lacks charisma - something that the FNM desperately needs in order to ignite its hibernating base of supporters.
Minnis got exactly what he wanted with a Collie victory. But at the rate he is going he will find out in 2017 that winning intra-party elections is vastly different from winning general elections. He might be able to heavily influence FNM Central Counsel members to support his candidates. But it remains to be seen if he will be able to persuade Bahamian voters to support him and the FNM in a general election. Collie's victory will do absolutely nothing to boost the morale of the FNM and to ignite the party's base.
- Kevin Evans
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