The deputy leader of the Free National Movement (FNM), Loretta Butler-Turner, is challenging the party's leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis, for the top job in the opposition. The FNM's convention is scheduled for November 21.
The FNM was badly beaten in the 2012 general election. It won nine seats to the 29 secured by the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). The PLP won one more seat, and the FNM lost one, when Hubert Ingraham retired from politics and a by-election was called.
Minnis was given the post of leader by the FNM after Ingraham left. It was not much of a choice, really. The FNMs who won were either novices or not leadership caliber. To the party he was the only one.
The FNM has before had leaders who were not in the House of Assembly. The last such time was with Tommy Turnquest in 2002. Alvin Smith was leader of the opposition sitting in the House. Turnquest lost his seat in the general election and sat as a senator. It didn't work when the FNM did it before. It didn't work with Turnquest out of the House.
With such a small team the country had the opportunity to watch its opposition. This gave Butler-Turner the chance to shine. She has been the party's best debater. She comes prepared to address the point. She is not afraid of directly challenging the governing party and Prime Minister Perry Christie. The success she has had in the House has enabled her to challenge Minnis for the post he was given.
While Butler-Turner's toughness and mental agility have helped her succeed, a simpler consequence of history also has been on her side. She won her seat in the 2012 election, while many of the other would-be challengers for the party's leadership did not. People like Dr. Duane Sands and Zhivargo Laing did not make it to the House. They were not able to show the country what they could do this go around in opposition.
This term should be a lesson to all aspiring politicians. Rather than dreaming about being leader, focus on the first and most important thing in our parliamentary system: winning your seat. When you win your seat you have the chance to prove yourself at the next level. When you lose your seat, others have a chance to prove themselves on the national stage.
It is unclear if Butler-Turner will defeat Minnis or not. She has definitely, however, used her opportunity as one of the few elected members of the opposition to show that she should be considered for a higher post. At the end of the FNM's last term in office no one would have thought she would be near where she is now. It just goes to show that simply winning your seat is a prerequisite to higher success in politics.

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