Whitney Bastian Joins DNA
BY KENDENO N. P. KNOWLES
jonesbahamas
A former independent candidate has announced that he will now join with the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) in its attempt to secure the government in the next general election.
Whitney Bastian told the Bahama Journal Tuesday that he will run on the party’s ticket for the South Andros constituency.
"I feel that the DNA and leader Branville McCartney are the best organisation I could align myself with this time around," Mr. Bastian said.
The political hopeful is no stranger to politics and served in the House of Assembly before as an independent Member of Parliament for South Andros.
However in 2007, Mr. Bastian lost his seat to Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) candidate Picewell Forbes.
When he was asked whether he would join any political party following his loss back in 2007, he insisted that he would run again as an independent.
But yesterday that seemed to have all changed with Mr. Bastian’s announcement that he will join the newly formed Democratic National Alliance.
Before DNA Leader Branville McCartney resigned from the Free National Movement (FNM), Mr. Bastian told the Journal that he was still prepared to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming general election.
Recently, Mr. Bastian expressed interest in running on the PLP’s ticket; however, he said, constant back and forth has created a strain in the relationship between him and the PLP.
According to Mr. Bastian, PLP Leader Perry Christie promised him the nomination for the South Andros constituency during the last PLP convention.
While that seat is currently held by Mr. Forbes, Mr. Bastian insists that Mr. Christie was willing to give him the nomination.
It was an offer, he said, he could not accept right away. Instead, Mr. Bastian said he offered to help assist the PLP in reorganising the branches to get them up and running. This he said has happened in the space of the last year.
The branch elections have taken place and the new officers have vowed to support Mr. Bastian.
However, it’s been 10 months and the PLP National General Council has yet to announce elections for the South Andros nomination.
In fact, Mr. Bastian said a senior PLP official has since called and asked him to recommend a candidate and support the candidate the PLP chooses.
Mr. Bastian said he questioned the PLP as to why he was not good enough. He said the PLP informed him that there was still a lot of talk about him in the public domain.
This, he said, is what pushed him away from the PLP and closer to the DNA.
May 25th, 2011
jonesbahamas
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