NDP leader: it's time for a third party in Bahamas
By PAUL G. TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
pturnquest@tribunemedia.net
HEADING into their discussions last night with Independent MP Branville McCartney, NDP leader Renward Wells said that he feels now is the time for a third party to really make a difference in the political landscape of the Bahamas.
Hoping to either court the Bamboo Town MP into joining the NDP or have their party make some type of alliance with whatever movement Mr McCartney will form, Mr Wells said they hope to be "the alternative" to both the PLP and the FNM at the polls.
"We believe that it is high time for another party, other than the PLP or the FNM. It is absolutely the right time to do it," he said.
At the meeting, which was scheduled to be held at Mr McCartney's home on John F Kennedy Drive, Mr Wells said that the NDP will have 14 persons present, including himself, as representative from the Bahamas Democratic Movement. Other notable young politicians are reported to be attending.
Mr Wells said that his party has decided to send such a large contingent because they represent the heads of a number of their internal committees and must relate what transpired with first hand knowledge.
"Actually I am taking a lot of people who support Mr McCartney so they can hear from him as to what is what, and then they can make up their minds based on what they currently believe and are willing to accept. Because at the end of the day, the others have made their position quite known, this is what it is, he must come to the NDP and they are not changing from that at all.
"And they have said they don't want to go. This is our position and we are not changing that," he said.
Mr Wells said that based on what happens at the meeting last night he may have to "work" on these party members if the NDP intends to move in the direction of aligning itself with Mr McCartney.
If the Bamboo Town MP were to join with the NDP and lead the organization, Mr Wells said that they will hold a convention within 30 days so that this decision can be made by their entire organization.
"There are even people in the NDP already who would want him (Mr McCartney) for leadership; most certainly. I believe that at the end of the day, those persons not only support Bran being the leader of the party, they support it being done the right way.
"I don't want people to believe that Renward Wells is a megalomaniac. I am willing of Bran being the leader in the House of Assembly because he is the only one there. Undoubtedly I can tell you that if I run against him (for the leadership) he will more than likely win. But this isn't about me. This is about the Bahamian people. If they believe that Bran is the best man to make that change, I will grab my shield and follow him into battle," he said.
As a relatively new political organization, Mr Wells said that the NDP has already faced its share of challenges - namely the departure of its former national chairman Dr Andre Rollins. However, he said that because their party is grounded in its message and "principles", they have survived.
"A political party must not be about a man, it must be about the message. It can't be about the person, it must be about the principle. You cannot have an idol, you must have an ideology. Men and women will come and go, but the truth and the message will remain. When you create parties around men, they fail; look at the CDR (Coalition for Democratic Reform). The NDP will and cannot join any institution that is built around a man," he said.
March 30, 2011
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