MINNIS’ SHIP IS SINKING: TURNQUEST DENIED NOMINATION
( Et Tu Brute – Julius Caesar as he watches his friend Brutus stab him to death )
Late on Friday 6 February 2021, Peter Turnquest the MP for East Grand Bahama, for the FNM and latterly the Deputy Prime Minister circulated the following note to the people of his campaign:
Colleagues,
By now you would have no doubt heard the report that I have been advised by the Party leader that I will not receive the nomination for East Grand Bahama. I assume that Council will give final confirmation or otherwise on that decision at its next sitting.
With that position having been put, I will not join you tomorrow and have put all campaign activities on hold.
Wishing you all the very best of events.
That signals the end of a spectacular rise and fall. It show the vagaries of political life and how quickly you can be up and then next day you’re down.
It also shows that Hubert Minnis is worthless and heartless when it comes to loyalty and to faithfulness.
So let’s count them. He started out with 35 in what the FNM tried in 2017 to describe as a messianic victory. It was not. It was just another election victory. One by one he got into trouble with his members: Travis Robinson ( who has now gone back), Vaughn Miller, Reece Chipman, Fredrick McAlpine. Then came Dr. Duane Sands, the Health minister fired for allowing people into the country who should not have come in. Brent Symonette had to leave because he rented a building on special terms to the government. Then came Mr. Miller’s departure from the FNM to the PLP. The latest this week was the departure of the Speaker of the House from the FNM in a scorched earth policy.
The Speaker’s resignation spoke about lack of transparency, about corruption and about the party being run as a one man band. He has been chomping at the bit for weeks.
The precursor to this change of attitude was when Philip Brave Davis on Wednesday 3rd February 2021 complained about remarks by the Attorney General threatening him with prosecution because he accused the Prime Minister of breaking the law because he has not complied with the regulations to report to Parliament within six weeks of the expiry of the emergency orders on the financial costs to the country. The Speaker in a surprise move agreed to refer the matter to the committee on privileges. Uh oh!