Central and South Abaco MP Edison Key stood alongside Prime Minister Perry Christie on Saturday night as Christie told scores of Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supporters to cast their votes for the party's Central and South Abaco candidate, Eva Bain, and to re-elect North Abaco MP Renardo Curry in the general election.
Christie, who said he was elated to have the support of the former Free National Movement (FNM) member, echoed his usual criticisms about FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis and his team of candidates, saying they would not be able to effectively run The Bahamas.
"I hope you all remember the last time we did battle here in Abaco; it was when we seized from the FNM the territory they had held for decades," Christie said.
"We came then with a young man who was a son of the soil and we painted Abaco gold.
"Y'all remember that?
"Now I see some gold here, but I just want you to know this; I hear the other people have painted the town red.
"I just want you to know that we haven't started painting yet.
"And remember this, you wait to see the day the FNM leader, who says he wants to be prime minister, when he can stand up here, one-on-one with the prime minister and leader of the Progressive Liberal Party.
"So, when people have to make a choice and determine whether or not a particular person who represents himself as a leader has the capacity to lead this country further into the 21st century, dealing with an economy that is to be very competitive with other countries in the region, having to make serious decisions, major decisions, then you have to decide what and who is best to lead the country.
"... When you look at the team that we have assembled for the Progressive Liberal Party, there is no choice but to arrive at the conclusion that we have the best team."
Christie said Abaco serves as a major model for development in the Family Islands.
He said the PLP has laid a steady foundation in Abaco through infrastructure and economics, and plans to continue to do so throughout the next five years.
Christie said his government plans to create more jobs for Abaconians by developing agriculture on the islands, a project he is working on in consultation with Key.
"I'm here because we have to win here," he said.
"Given where we are today, given the precedent set by Edison Key, who when the last time we were here I said we should honor him, and given all of these things, none of us can afford to allow this lady (Bain) to lose.
"We most certainly cannot squander all the gains we made having this man elected for North Abaco.
"We started the National Training Agency; we invested over $6 million in the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) for Bahamians who wanted training for their career plans; we created the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), not only to cut out imports from foreign countries, but so that Bahamians can obtain wealth from our agricultural industry.
"If there is any place in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas that has demonstrated the capacity to have viable agriculture, it is the island of Abaco.
"We have already written into the pages of history in the 50,000 acres of land Abaco has, that agriculture in all sorts of forms can succeed here."
He said, "This is a point that Edison has argued for years, and that is that we pay attention to agriculture, we do more."
In his address to the crowd, Curry said the FNM is only advertising artificial change with its new slogan, "It's the people's time".
Curry came under fire recently when The Nassau Guardian revealed that he had missed nearly half the sittings of the House of Assembly this term.
On Saturday night, Bain promised to maintain and further the work that Key has done in the area if elected.

Back home
Key said he is "going back to his roots" and has officially cut all ties with the FNM.
"I'm a PLP," he said.
"I'm supporting the PLP.
"I'm supporting Eva in central and south and Renardo in the north.
"It is as simple as that.
"I'm supporting the PLP.
"I'm not supporting the FNM with Hubert Minnis as leader, period.
"I've told you that, and I've told him that, so you can take that in your pipe and smoke it. Bam.
"I was born a PLP.
"I've been here since 1970."
Key said he wants to encourage voters to vote for the PLP to keep the current government in place.
Two months ago, Key made an appearance at the PLP convention weeks after he and several other FNM MPs wrote to the governor general to have Minnis removed as opposition leader.
Key believes Minnis was plotting to end his political career "behind his back".
He accused Minnis of betraying him.
Key resigned as a PLP senator back in 2004 after he said he did not need to "waste any more of my life mixed up with this crew here".

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