THE FNM LEADERSHIP RACE

And then there were three. The race to succeed Dr. Hubert Minnis as Leader of the Free National Movement got crowded last week with the announcement that Kwasi Thompson, the former Minister of State for Finance, will contest the leadership.  His announcement made three people declared in the race.  They are Michael Pintard MP for Marco City and Iram Lewis, the former Sports Minister in addition to Mr. Thompson. Mr. Pintard is said to be the favourite to win the race, having secured the support of Hubert Ingraham, the former Prime Minister and the man who engineered Mr. Minnis’ removal from office.  Iram Lewis may well end up being a compromise candidate in a race where there is a deadlock. Kwasi Thompson is a cousin of Dr. Minnis so people clearly believe that he is a stalking horse for Dr. Minnis  and given Dr. Minnis’ unpopularity in the party, they give him almost no chance of  winning the leadership race.  It was all on display, however, with the speeches in the House of Assembly last week in the debate on the speech from the throne. Each of the candidates tried to stake out middle ground, burnishing credentials of the centre, how we must all work together, that we are all Bahamians and how in victory the PLP should be magnanimous.  This coming from the most cruel government in the history of the country. Suddenly they have all found a conscience.  There is a possible fourth candidate.  That is Shannondon Cartwright, MP for St Barnabas.  He has not declared but he certainly staked out the middle ground, saying that he had won in a seat against the tide and that he had won because he  served all people regardless of their party affiliation.