BRADLEY ROBERTS AT RYAN PINDER’S BRANCH

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The Chairman of the PLP told the Elizabeth Branch this:

I again admonish you as PLP’s not to be distracted by or to take any degree of comfort in the current internal leadership struggles within the FNM. History has taught us from local and regional political developments that such challenges have not hurt a party’s chances of either retaining or capturing the government in a general election. The Labour Party was seen as a fractured organization with ties to the local Jamaican mob that led to the resignation of its leader but won the 2016 general election. The infamous “night of the long knives” and the epic, highly emotive and fractious 1997 leadership fight in the PLP did not hurt the party’s chances of winning the election in 2002. Those were arguably the two most traumatic internal events to take place in the PLP, but in the end those events did not deny the PLP the opportunity and privilege to govern this great country of ours. 

I offer those points of reference to make the larger point that the goings on in the FNM means absolutely nothing to the PLP in terms of the next general elections. We still must prepare meticulously and it is still a fight for the margins as an increasing number of Bahamians are not subscribing to any party philosophy. Swing voters typically vote against a governing party rather than for it or against an opposition party. The PLP must be organized, disciplined and on message. We must resist the temptation to get into a public war of words with the FNM but to speak directly to the needs of working Bahamian families and our youth.