By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
PLP leader Perry Christie yesterday refuted accusations that he undermined or attacked the character of Malcolm Adderley, saying his behaviour towards the former MP was characterised by "extreme patience, extreme tolerance and sympathetic understanding."
Mr Christie claimed that he and the PLP as a whole exercised "forbearance" towards Mr Adderley even as the MP for Elizabeth - who spoke in parliament yesterday to announce his resignation from politics after resigning from the PLP over the weekend - displayed "what the country regarded as an attitude of indifference" towards his fellow PLPs.
He spoke of how he personally supported Mr Adderley as he sought a nomination in the 2007 general election, to the extent of investing "personal resources" in his candidacy.
"It would be disingenuous for me to state that I am not disappointed by this course of action now taken by the MP for Elizabeth.
"It would be more than disingenuous of me if I were to profess not to be disappointed in the manner in which the course of action unfolded, not only today but in the days and weeks that preceded today.
"But what must be absolutely clear is that the MP for Elizabeth is his own man and he must order himself in the way he feels he should," Mr Christie told parliament.
The PLP leader's defensive comments came as he faced the second round of accusations in a year - the first coming from Kennedy MP Kenyatta Gibson, who quit the PLP and joined the FNM in 2009 - that he has "viciously" belittled one of his own MPs, undermining their position as a representative.
Days after resigning from the PLP, Mr Adderley reasoned in parliament yesterday that his "difficult decision" to quit politics altogether was informed by his belief that the constituents of Elizabeth "deserve better" than an MP who cannot properly represent them because he has been undermined by a lack of support from his party's leadership.
The ex-MP, whose resignation took effect yesterday at 5.30pm, said he and his family suffered the "worst personal experience (they had) ever faced" during the seven and a half years he was an MP as his relationship with Mr Christie went from bad to worse.
He claimed he suffered "vicious politics and hatred" from those "wretched beings outside the boundary" of his constituency and was unable to do what he would have liked for his constituents during Mr Christie's tenure as prime minister.
As with Kenyatta Gibson when he quit the PLP in 2008, Mr Adderley revealed long-standing concerns about Mr Christie's ability to lead and suggested that the PLP leader had engaged in behind-the-scenes tactics against those with whom he had disagreements.
Responding to Mr Adderley, Mr Christie instead painted a picture of an MP who had lost interest in his party and constituents and whose decision to leave politics had more to do with his own political deal-making than consideration of the best interests of his constituents.
It has been rumored but not confirmed that Mr Adderley is in short order due to accept an appointment, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, as a Supreme Court judge and he has been accused of being embittered by Mr Christie's failure to give him a Cabinet post during the previous PLP administration.
Mr Christie said: "The truth is we all know that this is not the end of the story and indeed the proverbial penny hasn't yet dropped. We wait to see those acts in the drama that has already been scripted but not yet played out. There is more to this than meets the eye. We all stand alert pending a major announcement yet to come."
The PLP leader said that in the wake of Mr Adderley's resignation, which leaves Elizabeth without a representative, the party will be carrying out consultations both with the people in that area and "the relevant (party) councils" to determine the way forward.
Some political insiders have suggested that the party may not see it as worthwhile to field a candidate in the by-election that will now result from Mr Adderley's departure given the hefty cost of doing so and the possibility they may lose the seat anyway.
Mr Christie added: "I can assure the nation that we are in no way deterred by the events that have unfolded. We will not be deflected from our work which . . . has always been for the betterment of the Bahamian people."
January 07, 2010
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