By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
THE political field for the upcoming Elizabeth constituency by-election was narrowed over the weekend as the FNM announced its local constituency association has selected Dr Duane Sands as its chosen candidate.
In response, PLP chairman Bradley Roberts said his party is likely to pick either attorneys Ryan Pinder or Craig Butler.
At a press conference yesterday at Free National Movement headquarters on Mackey Street, FNM national chairman Carl Bethel announced that 47-year-old Dr Sands, a cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, was unanimously elected by the Elizabeth Constituency Association as its preferred candidate.
Dr Sands tonight faces the scrutiny of the FNM Candidates Committee - essentially the executive of the party - and later its Executive Committee in what Mr Bethel described as the next steps in a "very detailed consultative mechanism" outlined in the party's constitution for selecting candidates in national elections.
The Chairman said that while he would not "presume" the outcome of those consultations, "having regard to what were the most persuasive and carefully thought out views" of the Elizabeth Constituency Association it is quite likely Dr Sands - who currently serves as Chairman of the Bahamas Medical Council, a Director of the Central Bank of the Bahamas and Chief of Surgery at the Princess Margaret Hospital - will be formally ratified as the party's candidate come Thursday.
He emphasised that the selection of Dr Sands thus far "was not an open and closed process or a closed door situation" but a democratic one.
Asked about how important a win in the constituency is for the governing party, Mr Bethel said: "Every constituency is politically very important and to win is also very important."
"Though we are confident of victory we appreciate and value the importance of every individual voter and will not take the concerns of any individual voter for granted. Each voter in Elizabeth can expect their concerns will be individually considered and assessed," he added.
He would not be drawn on the significance of the by-election as a litmus test of likely success in the next general election, stating only that to see it as such would be to take "too opportunistic a view" of the event, which he emphasised was precipitated by the "personal decisions" of Malcolm Adderley, the former PLP party member who resigned his seat last week.
Meanwhile, ending some initial speculation that it may not vye for the seat for fear of wasting resources, the PLP has confirmed that it will be running a candidate in the by-election.
PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts said it is "highly likely" at present that once final consultations are concluded, the Party's National General Council will ratify either attorney and party vice chairman Ryan Pinder - son of former PLP Malcolm Creek representative Marvin Pinder - or party treasurer Craig Butler as its candidate for the upcoming election.
The PLP was out in force in the constituency over the weekend, with numerous parliamentarians and party members doing the rounds.
Speaking at FNM headquarters on Dr Sands nomination by the constituency association, Mr Bethel said Dr Sands was the only person who formally applied to be the party's standard bearer for the area and in the unanimous vote of around 20 constituency association members, three others who had verbally indicated an interest in putting themselves forward as candidates threw their support behind Dr Sands.
Freddy Sands, Chairman of the Elizabeth Constituency Association said that he is confident Dr Sands, who is married with four children, is a man who is "not about prestige ... not about money, (but) is concerned about our country and the way it is headed now."
Mr Bethel said that in choosing an FNM MP for their area, Elizabeth constituents can expect to have their first representative "in nearly a decade who will have an effective voice around the table of governance" given how Mr Adderley, who served as their MP since 2002, was purportedly undermined by PLP party leader Perry Christie.
Mr Bethel said those living in the area can expect to see the governing party "campaigning vigorously, consistently, and as much as is required to have the maximum possible impact and to hear the concerns of every single registered voter in the Elizabeth constituency".
"They can expect an attentive ear and that whatever it is possible for us to improve the condition of all in the Elizabeth constituency we will do," said the Chairman.
Asked what the party has budgeted to spend on its campaign, Mr Bethel said this figure has not yet been settled but it will "cost some good money." He added that any donations towards this effort would be "thankfully received and faithfully applied."
The Chairman encouraged "all eligible voters who are residents of Elizabeth who are not already registered to vote or who may have turned 18 since the last general elections or who may have moved into the constituency more than six months ago to take all the necessary steps to register to vote either at the Parliamenary Commissioner's office during working hours, or at the Thelma Gibson Primary School between the hours of 5pm and 8pm on weekdays."
January 11, 2010
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