Political newcomers crowd party tickets

Wed, Jan 18th 2012, 08:54 AM

Both the Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) have more new faces on their tickets than old.
Although some faces are familiar, the FNM is offering 20 new candidates and 18 incumbents, while the PLP is offering 21 new candidates and 17 incumbents.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham indicated weeks ago that the FNM's slate will include many new people.
"The party is very grateful to all the people who served, but no job is permanent, whether it's mine or anybody else's.  We all have a season or a time and the party will do what it considers to be best," he said.
Seven of the current FNM MPs have not been renominated: Larry Cartwright, Kendal Wright, Brent Symonette, Earl Deveaux, Verna Grant, Kenneth Russell and Alvin Smith.
Wright, Grant and Russell all wanted nominations.  However, the Constituencies Commission cut out the constituencies of the first two, while Russell was fired from the Cabinet and asked not to seek nomination.
The House of Assembly passed a resolution late last year to bring effect to the recommendations of the Constituencies Commission to reduce the number of seats in Parliament from 41 to 38.
Of the 16 FNM MPs who will run again, some of them are offering in other constituencies.
Phenton Neymour, the MP for South Beach, is running in Exuma and Ragged Island; Desmond Bannister, MP for Carmichael, is running in North Andros and the Berry Islands; Loretta Butler-Turner, the MP for Montagu, is running in Long Island; Sidney Collie, the MP for Blue Hills, is running in MICAL and Zhivargo Laing, the MP for Marco City, is running in Fort Charlotte.
Kennedy MP Kenyatta Gibson will be contesting Southern Shores, a new constituency.
The FNM is also running Dr. Duane Sands, who lost his bid for the Elizabeth seat in the 2010 by-election, and Senator Dion Foulkes, who lost during the 2007 general election in the MICAL constituency.
On the PLP's side, four MPs will retire from politics: Oswald Ingraham, Cynthia "Mother" Pratt, Alfred Sears and Vincent Peet.
The PLP is touting "experience, new generation and new ideas".
In the PLP's newest advertisement that features several of the newcomers, PLP Leader Perry Christie says the party has recruited a new generation of leaders. He adds that together they have drafted new blueprints to tackle the issues.
Christie, who has been in politics for more than three decades, says he "sees himself as a bridge from [the former late Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling] to the new generation".
However, Ingraham says the PLP is a throwback to the past.
The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) has mostly political newcomers.  However, the DNA, which was formed last year, also has a few familiar faces, including Wallace Rolle, who ran on the PLP ticket in the 2007 general election; DNA Leader Branville McCartney, MP for Bamboo Town, and Rodney Moncur, former Worker's Party leader.

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