Wednesday, May 18, 2011

George Smith - former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) MP says that he hopes his party's supporters will see the wisdom in his words about the withdrawal of certain PLP candidates from the upcoming general election

Ex-PLP MP defends controversial letter


By PAUL G TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
pturnquest@tribunemedia.net



DEFENDING the letter he co-penned calling for the withdrawal of certain PLP candidates from the upcoming general election, former PLP MP George Smith said that in the passage of time he hopes his party's supporters will see the wisdom in his words.

Speaking with The Tribune yesterday, Mr Smith said he, with former PLP chairman Raynard Rigby and former campaign coordinator Philip Galanis, were not being critical of these particular candidates because they believed what was being said about them - but rather there is a "perception" that surrounds some of them.

"If the public perceives you to be something, that is what you are. I don't believe that anybody, principally the leader, can put affection for any individual above the good of the Bahamas, the good of the party, and I believe - since I believe the PLP is the best party in the Bahamas - we should remove as many stumbling blocks as possible. And it is not always easy to do that. Sometimes you have to ask your best friend to move aside," he said.

Mr Smith was referring to a letter that he, Mr Rigby and Mr Galanis wrote to PLP leader Perry Christie urging him to block the nominations of Shane Gibson, Vincent Peet, Obie Wilchcombe, V Alfred Gray, Leslie Miller, Anthony Moss and Picewell Forbes for fear that their nominations could hurt the party on a national scale if the varied pasts of some of them were once again highlighted during a general election campaign.

The PLP's leader went on record to express his disappointment that this "internal" letter had been leaked to the press.

However, Mr Christie said, he was not going to be distracted by this latest incident and that his party remains focused on supporting the "excellent candidates" and hardworking activists who comprise his party.

Vetting

"Each and every candidate is required to undergo a vigorous vetting process - a process that is open, fair and transparent. All voices are welcome, and the process is both balanced and inclusive," Mr Christie said.

While accepting this, Mr Smith said that a requirement not to run "tainted" candidates does not come from a fear that the FNM will gain some political mileage, but rather a belief that the people of the country ought to have faith that the people who represent them in Parliament will always put the welfare of the country above their own personal interests.

"That has to be obvious. If the public believes you are in there to enrich yourself, even if you don't, if the public believes it, they will question your activities.

"And, it's like if a fella' has a weakness in a particular area, if he is for instance a gambler, you have to be very careful how you expose him to the great temptation of money. That got one politician in trouble.

"Or if a fella' is a heavy womanizer, you have to be careful that you protect him from his own weakness.

"And some of us became victims and paid prices because of perception and that is how it is."

Mr Smith said that this advice is, of course, applicable to the FNM as well.

"They have people there who the people have had cause to question, Tommy Turnquest, and Dion Foulkes, and you have to recognise that my actions in this instance will do damage to my party," he said.

Mr Smith also highlighted, however, that he does believe in rehabilitation.

"If any wrong that I may have committed, if I was sentenced to a prison term, I would have been out long time. But I also believe that our society should be a forgiving society. So if some of these fella's would just step aside and acknowledge that my action in this particular thing was wrong, and not because it was legally wrong, it was perceived to be wrong. Step aside, and come back," he said.

Mr Smith gave the famous example of Jamaica's former Prime Minister, PJ Patterson, who was forced to resign as the Minister of Finance to later return as chairman of his party and then eventually become Prime Minister.

"I also believe that the problem we are facing in this country is, I am not sure if (Prime Minister) Ingraham and other people who call themselves leaders look at themselves and look and say am I a liability?" he laughed.

Having been roundly criticised on the talkshows for the now infamous letter, Mr Smith said people have a right to "cuss him."

But, at the end of the day he asked, "is my message right?"

May 18, 2011

tribune242