There is no way in the world that I can go back on my decision of my resignation from the Progressive Liberal Party - PLP; and therefore it is final, says Edison Key
Edison Key: "It is finished."
Key Shakes Up PLP
20/02/2004
Former Progressive Liberal Party Senator Edison Key revealed to the Bahama Journal last night that two government ministers asked him to rescind his letter of resignation, but he said there is no way on earth that will ever happen.
Mr. Key also said that he hopes that his resignation sent a strong message to the party that it needed to get its act together.
"I hope it will be a wake up call for the leadership in the party," he said. "And I hope that it will only cause the support out there to grow stronger and [create] unity within the rank and file of the party."
He said he met with Works and Utilities Minister Bradley Roberts, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell and the Member of Parliament for Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador Philip "Brave" Davis, Wednesday night who asked him to think twice about the decision he had made.
Mr. Key said these men are people whom he respects highly, but he said after a "frank talk we came to the final conclusion that my decision is final."
"Progressive Liberal Party and, therefore, we agreed that I need to submit an official resignation to the president of the Senate, which I will do very shortly and it will be official," he said. "In the meantime, I guess you could call me Senator."
Mr. Key spoke to the Journal about a meeting he had with Prime Minister Perry Christie in Nassau Thursday morning at which time he said he personally delivered a copy of his letter of resignation, which he was considering making public to the media. He said he presented the letter in front of three Cabinet Ministers.
Mr. Key added he was "a little bit angry" that the prime minister did not get the original letter more than a month ago.
Mr. Key also said his letter outlined the manner in which he was treated since becoming a Senator under the re-incarnated PLP government.
He said he made it clear to Mr. Christie that he respected the office of Prime Minister, even though he criticized the country's leader earlier this week for lack of direction and poor leadership.
"The office of Prime Minister to me is an office that I respect next to the office of God," Mr. Key said. "I am a Bahamian citizen. I have nowhere to go and if we can't respect the person who holds the office, that's one thing, but the office of Prime Minister should be there to protect every single Bahamian for justice and right.
"I hope that prime ministers now and in the future will recognize the important role that they have to play as the leader of our country."
He said his meeting with the prime minister went "very well."
But he said, "I told him how I had tremendous hopes during the campaign and up until a few months after the election. I told him how disappointed and hurt I am about the way I have been treated. I told him this thing goes deep to my soul and there is no way in the world that I can go back on my decision of my resignation and therefore it is final.
"It is finished."
Mr. Key said he and the prime minister "parted on a very good note."
When asked if he thought his resignation hurt the party, he said, "I certainly hope not."
"I never had any intension to hurt the party. That is not my intension. I hope that it will only make them stronger and bring the people together in one accord and not divide it like it is today because it looks like we are becoming further and further apart."
Mr. Key added, "The decision I made was for Edison Key. Other people will decide what they want to do."
"I've given 30-something years to this party and I'm still very much alive," he said.
Mr. Key added that he did not feel that he needed to attend a PLP council meeting held Thursday night because he didn't think Members of Parliament and party officers would speak freely if he were present.
