The Progressive Liberal Party's attention is drawn to comments made by Senator Tommy Turnquest, Leader of the Free National Movement in the Friday (April, 1st) edition of the Tribune in which he comes across as the crybaby of Bahamian politics.

We admonish Mr. Turnquest to show grace even while under pressure because there is no room in the vigorous and fast paced politics of The Bahamas for his crybaby attitude and should Mr. Turnquest persist he will prove and confirm even further to his organization their all ready widely held belief that he is unsuitable to lead them and their party and is thereby wholly unsuited to them into a general election.

We in the PLP are particularly alarmed at the extent that Mr. Turnquest will go to mouth untruths and allegations concerning remarks he attempts to put in the mouth of the Rt. Honourable Perry G. Christie, Prime Minister and Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party.

Mr. Turnquest states unequivocally that, " Perry Christie is not a nice guy" and says " hurtful things."

While we understand Mr. Turnquest's pain and shame over having to be constantly reminded of his disgraceful conduct as a Minister in the FNM Government and the award of an air conditioning contract at the Ministry of Tourism and the resulting funding of Mr. Turnquest's victory party celebrations by the person to whom that contract was awarded, we in the PLP assure Mr. Turnquest that it gives us no personal pleasure to have to elaborate on these facts during national debate.

The fact of the matter is that the Tommy Turnquest scandal over the air conditioning contract was first brought to light by former FNM Cabinet Ministers and these very same senior FNM Cabinet Ministers were sufficiently persuaded by the issues and facts surrounding the scandal to go public with the information and to ask Mr. Turnquest to resign as Leader.

It is therefore shocking to us in the PLP to hear Mr. Turnquest's tearful cry that Mr. Christie says " hurtful things" when Mr. Turnquest should know that the Bahamian people expect their leaders to be firm and tough and resilient.

We are equally saddened that Mr. Turnquest has now unconditionally portrayed himself as the crybaby of Bahamian politics and may have by his own weak and cowardly design sealed his fate in the FNM; much less his opportunity to nominate in a bye election as the FNM candidate or to lead the FNM into a general election.

We serve notice on Mr. Turnquest that PLPs will not be conducive to going easy on him and the other tarnished personalities in the FNM because PLPs remember all so well the mean, vicious, nasty and untruthful remarks that the FNM threw at the late Founding Father of the Nation Sir Lynden Pindling.

Who in the Bahamas cannot remember the FNMs glee and celebration when they declared of Sir Lynden Pindling, " the Police gone, the car gone, the chauffeur gone, the dogs gone, the maid gone, the butler gone?"

Who in the Bahamas cannot remember the controversial Commissions of Inquiry to which the FNM dragged an ailing Sir Lynden Pindling in their attempt to discredit the Father of the Nation?

And today the erstwhile Leader of the FNM Tommy Turnquest dares throw in the white towel of surrender to the PLP with the heart-tugging cry that " Mr. Christie is not a nice guy and says hurtful things."

The PLP would wish to categorically state for the public record that the fact of the matter is that it is Mr. Turnquest's integrity which is continuously being questioned by senior members of his own organization and the results of the 2002 Referendum and General Election of which Mr. Turnquest led the FNMs charge are demonstrative proof that the Bahamian people have no faith in his leadership.

And now the people see Mr. Turnquest unmasked again as a political crybaby.