Good evening my brothers and sisters, my beloved constituents of the Fox Hill Constituency and my friends throughout The Bahamas.

I will not get an opportunity to speak to you at the Progressive Liberal Party’s National General Convention so I am using my own resources and this opportunity in a free Bahamas to speak to you.

I will express my candid views about where we are as a party and what needs to be done as we go through this week of convention.

The fact that we are having this general convention is a welcome relief.

The late Sir Clement Maynard said in his book ‘Put on More Speed’ that it was the PLP that introduced to the country the annual general convention.

When I last spoke to a PLP convention I made the point that the Anglican Church can have its annual Synod, the Church of God of Prophecy can have its annual convention, the Seventh Day Adventists gets together annually, yet the greatest political party in the country could not organize itself and commit itself to an annual convention.

Conventions galvanize the faithful; they energize the base.  In fact, a convention helps to organize the base.  We would have much less friction in our elections if there were more structured opportunities to get together.

I say this to those who now complain that the fact of heated electoral contests means that there is disarray in the PLP.  To the FNMs who have been spreading this propaganda, nothing could be further from the truth.

The fact is that the vibrancy of the contests and the interest the offices of the Party shows that the PLP is still an organization to which people are committed.

The PLP very definitely has a future in the governance of our country.

The FNMs should simply mind their own business and concern themselves with the disarray that they have brought to this economy; the despair of the unemployed; the distress they have allowed to stay on the shoulders of those who have no health insurance; and the sorrow of those who cannot send their children to school because the FNM has cancelled their scholarships.
 
What is great pity is that two years after the general election loss of 2007 and with another general election campaign upon us, we have not yet organized ourselves to respond to the lessons of 2007.

We have not found a way even to provide the financial support to meet the expenses of all delegates to our convention.  Delegates are having to rely on their own resources and those of the candidates they support.  The party should be so organized that it ought to be able to provide the support for all delegates to come to convention.

The society is richer than it has ever been, yet we are unable to provide the services that we used to provide for our national delegates.

Further, there is a need for effective, fair, transparent rules; including rules, it appears, on simple courtesy and respect to all individuals who choose to exercise their democratic right to run for office in the party.

There is no monopoly on any office in the PLP.  The hysterical reactions of some as if there is a divine right of kings to any particular office does not bode well for the future.

The question is do we get it?

What went wrong in the last general election?

In 2007, we had a booming economy, with employment at historic lows and yet we lost the general election.  It means that there was something that was wrong.

We could dismiss it as simply the FNM buying votes, but there is no need for us to guess what happened.  There was a report commissioned by one of our members, the findings of which are in the public domain, which indicated what the problems was.

Simply put there was a loss of public confidence.

In that regard, I have apologized to the country and to the party for any part that I may have played in that loss of public confidence and what was expected of the best trained generation of PLPs; to hold on to the government for more than one term.

But what is of greater importance tonight is that we appear not have grasped the more fundamental lessons of the report done for us.  I wish to quote from the report dated 19th June 2007:

“…the PLP retains an enviable position.  It is a major force in Bahamian politics, with the largest Parliamentary opposition bloc in the country’s history.

“The party maintains the backing of a significant segment of the population, it gets high marks for its tenure in government, and its leadership remains personally popular.  If a total of about 100 votes had gone the other way in some key districts, the PLP would have won re-election.”

The report identified four fundamentals that have to be aggressively and systematically addressed for the PLP to rebuild itself effectively.

The most critical of these was expanding the party’s base and I quote again:

“The PLP won a majority of votes among only one age group – voters 60 and over—and one socio economic group – those with less than a high school education.  The party will have great difficulty winning elections in the future if it cannot expand its following among younger voters and those who are better off.”

These are the only facts that have been publicly been released with regard to where we are.  The report goes on to say that…

“…the party needs to keep in mind that its challenge is not so much to preserve the party base as it is to appeal to the many independent voters in the country.

“In our post election survey, about one third of the public does not associate with either party.   It was striking that throughout the campaign; both parties’ appeals were directed almost exclusively at their supporters, rather than the independents that were going to decide the election.  Ultimately, the FNM won because it carried the independent votes by 12 points.”

Here is what the report said about why people voted for the PLP in 2007:

Sixty percent said because of the dictatorial nature of Hubert Ingraham; 30 per cent said because of the prospect of Brent Symonette becoming Prime Minister;

27 percent said they voted for the PLP because the rich and the powerful would have too much influence.
 
This week I am happy that the convention will discuss the question of the party’s image.  This is key for a PLP representative like me in Fox Hill.  I represent a marginal seat where my majority was reduced from approximately 1200 votes in 2002 down to 64 in 2007.  Having done all the classic works of a good representative in the end, it was the party’s image that in my view caused the huge drop in the majority.  This clearly needs fixing.

One of the key aspects of that image issue for the Party was the issue of public confidence and the ability of our party to make decisions that were clearly in our best interests even when it means saying some tough things to our friends and supporters.

Further, the base of the party, our core support was unhappy that we did not pay enough attention to their needs.  Many who are a part of the base, our core supporters, were dissatisfied with our performance.  They believe that we did not listen to them or look out for their interests.

Many PLPs were dissatisfied with our work ethic: our inability to get things done on time, answer phone calls and get to work on time and to deal with requests to the government in a timely fashion.

Since the General Election, there has been no credible internal process to deal with these matters and so we find ourselves here today.

So the trick for us is to find the solution to satisfying the base and core support while capturing the independents.

That is the issue in the seats that surround Fox Hill in the east that is the core issue of our performance in all of the seats in the south of New Providence.

How do we attract the independents to our cause?  In my own constituency, there is a considerable middle class range of voters.  While employment and bread and butter issues are important to them, there are what I call wedge issues that affect their votes. One of them is the party’s conduct, image and philosophy and whether or not the party’s image fits the image of how they see themselves as upwardly mobile and well off.

These voters ask themselves the question: is this a party with which I want to be associated and in whom I see the proper image for myself and my children?

The answer is a resounding yes for tens of thousands of Bahamians.  The PLP is their standard-bearer.  Now we must work that much harder to capture the next generation of PLP voters.  We must remember however that if we keep doing things the same, we will get the same result.

I have travelled around the country and extensively in New Providence over the last year.

On 4th January, I launched what I called An Agenda For Change.  This was part of a larger vision to make The Bahamas a developed country by the year 2020.

You know that I support the abolition of the monarchy and the creation of a republic with a President and an elected Senate and House of Assembly.  The Agenda For Change had as elements of it, tripling our investment in education so that tertiary level education would be free at the College of The Bahamas and the University of the West Indies in the first instance.

The Agenda For Change would include increased support for small business, land distribution, and increasing the life expectancy of each and every Bahamian to match those of the developed countries.  You can see the Agenda For Change on the website of the Progressive Young Liberals on Facebook.

In Nassau and in the Family Islands, you have some examples of what I mean by the image that the new Bahamians have of themselves.  You will know that Bishop Neill Ellis, Dr. Myles Munroe, Pastor Mario Moxey amongst others all have new modern structures that attract thousands of young people to their churches.

Presentations in these churches are marked by a polished professionalism, choreographed music, electronics age preaching, precise timing and strict social etiquette.  The traditional churches in our country have had to adjust in marketing terms to this new approach in order to keep their share of the market.

Up in Abaco, a young Bahamian by the name of Rev. Samuel Cornish is having similar success.  In Grand Bahama, Pastor Wilbur Outten is another example.  In Bimini, there is Rev. Gilbert Rolle.  These are but a few examples of the kind of change that has taken place in how we see ourselves over the past ten years.

The PLP as a major political party has to adapt to these kinds of changes.   The image of the party must be consistent with what the country’s demographic sees and believes of itself.  I go back to the report, which indicates that if we do not aggressively address this then winning elections will be increasingly difficult.

I believe that one of the image problems is that of our internal democracy.  The country will be watching to see how we conduct ourselves at this convention and whether or not in the face of the challenges at all levels in the party; we can stay to together and remain friends.

We must do so and avoid the personal rancour.  We must have fun at this convention and emerge as a united organization, but the hard questions and issues must be addressed.

Further and more importantly, this convention is not the end of the process of change, but for me the continuation of a process.  We have miles to go before we sleep.

The public expects to see a full time Leader of the Opposition with regular and known office hours, an office that befits the Leader of the Opposition.

There is a need for publicly financed support for all political parties, to remove the need for political parties in the country to be at the whims and fancies of capricious donors.  In our next term of office, we must fix this problem.

In addition, it is now time for full-time Members of Parliament.  There must be a commitment of our next government to this and the necessary support for Members of Parliament to do their work in their constituencies.  It only makes for good public policy.

The question of a new leader taking over in the PLP is one that has consumed the attention of the public.

Already, Dr. Bernard Nottage MP has announced that he will allow his name to enter into the race for leadership of the Party.  Paul Moss who is not part of the Parliamentary caucus has also announced that he will allow his name to enter into the race for Leader of the Party.  The Leader of the Party the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie has announced that he would like to continue as Leader.

On Wednesday 21st October, all posts in the party become vacant and available and any member of the party is allowed to enter for the nomination.

This will be democracy at its best.

When I launched the agenda for change in January, I thought that a challenge for the Leadership might be a necessary check on the system to bring about change in the PLP.

That objective has largely been accomplished.  There will be a challenge.  I had earlier announced that I was ready and prepared to do so and would reserve the right to allow my name to be entered into the race for leader of the party.

There is a tradition in the PLP that a sitting leader is not challenged.  Many believe that if a sitting leader is challenged then that is somehow proximate to treason and disloyalty.  I reject that unequivocally and that notion ought to be put to the test and debunked.

In a recent talk with our leader, I indicated that no matter what transpires there is nothing fundamental at stake on a personal level with him, or anyone as far as I am concerned.

I reject the notion that the race for leadership is an all or nothing proposition. It would be terribly immature and send a poor signal to the country about what we are about, if we simply can’t stay together because of a leadership contest.

I also reject the notion that a former leader’s career is over because he is no longer leader.  There are many examples where a former Prime Minister has served from the backbenches and in the Cabinet in a senior role as trusted advisor and counsellor to the next leader of the party.

If a change of leadership were to take place, a new leader of the PLP would be foolish not to include the former leader in such a role.

Ideally, at this time of transition, we ought to be in a situation like that of Jamaica where P.J. Patterson announced he was demitting office and set a timetable for elections for a new leader.

The PLP could benefit from a former Prime Minister in the backbenches providing advice and counsel as the next leader of the party gets an opportunity to shape the future.

In Bermuda, our Caricom neighbour to the north which is also governed by our sister PLP party; there have been three changes in the Leadership of the party, even while the party has been in government.  Both former Premiers Alex Scott and Dame Jennifer Smith continue to serve in the Parliament of Bermuda under the banner of the PLP under the new Premier.

Having said what I have about entering the race for Leader, I am not interested in a protest or sacrifice.  I want to win the Leadership of the PLP.  I want to win the Leadership of the country, for which leadership of the PLP is a necessary precondition.  The calculus is quite difficult and the question is whether such a move at this time will serve the long-term interests of the Party and of the country.

In September of this year, I launched the Mission Fund as a means to raising funds for candidates for the general election.  I will continue with this work and on the agenda for change.

Both the Agenda For Change and the Mission Fund are vital work for the PLP and for any future success that I might have to be leader of a reformed PLP and to win my seat in the next general election.

The evidence is that despite all the noise in the market, the PLP is still in a virtual dead heat with the FNM statistically.  That means that the electorate has not moved since 2007 and with the resources and organizing ability of the FNM, the result in the present circumstances is inevitable unless the PLP reforms itself.

Let me say a word to the younger people of our party and our country.

I hope that you will consider a career in public service.  This campaign for change was launched for you, to encourage you to join the PLP, for you to know that there is space in the PLP for younger people.

I have proposed for general consideration a constitutional amendment to cause the party in its convention and all its councils to ensure that 50 percent of its delegates are under the age of 40 and that one third of the delegates ought to be women so that the actual control of the party is returned to the demographic that more accurately represents the country.

Do not let people tell you that you are not ready or that you are too young.  Indeed, when I first sought a nomination from the PLP in 1977 at the age of 23, I was told that I was too young and that I ought to wait.  My turn would come.

I am now 56 and some people are still saying, ironically enough, I am too young and that I should wait.

Do what is in your heart and be true to your conscience it is your life to live.

To the younger PLPs, I repeat for your benefit the words of Frederick Douglass: “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” This is a powerful statement and should become an axiom of your life.

I have seen the contest for Leadership of the PLP as largely an internal matter and I have conducted myself at every PLP meeting around the country and in my interviews on radio and television with decorum, seeking to disrespect no one.  I expect and demand a similar respect.  Indeed that is why my comments have come as late as they have in the campaign to be sure that there is limited adverse effect on the PLP.

I speak to you tonight, with the spirit enshrined by our House of Assembly, a place that was not originally designed for men and women of my lowly birth but which now belongs to all Bahamians and is the symbol of freedom in our country.

I speak to you tonight, 175 years after slavery, 42 years after majority rule and 36 years after independence to declare my continuing interest in the leadership of our party and our country.

I have the right to run.  I should have the respect for that decision.  The challenge should be welcomed.

I am the son of a mechanic from Bain Town and a Secretary from the Pond.  You all know me.  I will not say what I will do tonight save only that I reserve the right up to the time of nomination to decide and that I will always act in the best interests of the Party and the country.  If I do decide to run, then I would wish your support.

I want to use this opportunity to pay tribute to all my colleagues in the Parliamentary Caucus for their hard work and dedication.  I have enjoyed immensely working with them and for the cause.  I look forward to continuing to work with them.

In particular, I want to pay a special tribute and word of thanks to our dear and departing Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt.

Mother Pratt has served this party well.  She is a good person, an excellent leader, an exemplary role model.  I thank her for all the service which she has given to our party and wish her well in the future.

To our party Leader Perry Christie who brought us from the brink in 2002 to victory, we all know it is not an easy task to win and to lead, but you have my thanks and admiration for all that you have done and continue to do for the PLP and for our country.

To my family and all my friends, especially my sister Carla, be assured of my continued love and devotion for all the continued support which you all so generously give.

Finally to my beloved constituents of Fox Hill, my extended family: I cannot thank you enough.  You gave me the encouragement and the freedom to pursue any dream.  The interests of the people of Fox Hill continues to be my every focus.

Thank you and good night.  May God bless the people of the Progressive Liberal Party, my beloved constituents of Fox Hill and all the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

PLP ALL THE WAY!