BASTIAN BLASTS BRAN IN DNA ROW
By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
BAMBOO Town MP Branville McCartney appointed himself leader of the DNA despite suggestions that he was elected internally, former party member Whitney Bastian has claimed.
In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Bastian said he cannot accept the official story of how Mr McCartney became leader of the party - because it was he, Mr Bastian, who had made up that story in the first place.
He said: "I advised them to tell to people the elections were over, when the truth is there were no elections. He appointed himself leader.
"When we had a meeting with potential members, we told them there was an election and the leader post was taken, but that was not true," he said.
"I dare him to say otherwise. He knows he appointed himself. If he says he didn't, let him produce the minutes of this so-called meeting where he was elected. Where was it? When was it? Who was there?
"He couldn't tell you because there was no election."
Mr Bastian said he originally planned not to say anything, but because Mr McCartney refuses to acknowledge that the former South Andros MP helped start the party, he feels compelled to speak out.
"I did not want people to think just because I did not get the nomination I was bitter and was making up things about Mr McCartney.
"I was just going to let him get beat up from the PLP and the FNM, but he started this so I'll finish it.
"He is still a novice in politics and he still has a lot to learn.
"He seems to forget I went to the Parliamentary Commissioner to negotiate on behalf of the DNA to use the lighthouse as the symbol for DNA. I didn't do that as a potential candidate, I did that as a partner.
"He seems to forget I encouraged him to leave the FNM. I told him if he didn't the Prime Minister would chap him at the knee and kill him politically."
Mr Bastian said he was going to form a party on his own, but Mr McCartney asked him to wait.
"We both decided that he would leave the FNM when the BTC issue came up. When I went to Panama, he called me and told me he couldn't wait until then. I told him I would support him in whatever he decided. After that we began working on the DNA and having long meetings. He constantly asked my advice and I have emails to the effect.
"Did he do that with every potential candidate? No, he didn't," Mr Bastian replied.
On Monday, Mr McCartney denied he started the DNA with Mr Bastian. In fact, he said, if Mr Bastian really did help form the DNA, he would have never been denied a nomination to run on the DNA ticket in South Andros.
In response, Mr Bastian said he was denied because some members of the party were afraid Mr McCartney would not win his seat and if Mr Bastian won, he would become leader of the party.
Mr Bastian said he still considers Mr McCartney to be "a brother," but said he could let his involvement in the DNA be misrepresented.
Mr Bastian is now running in the South Andros constituency as an independent candidate.
Mr McCartney could not be reached for comment last night.
January 11, 2012
tribune242
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Showing posts with label Whitney Bastian Bahamas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whitney Bastian Bahamas. Show all posts
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Whitney Bastian says he was denied a nomination to run on the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) ticket in South Andros because some members of the organization were afraid that party leader - Branville McCartney would not win his Bamboo Town seat... and if Mr Bastian won in South Andros, he would become leader of Branville McCartney's party
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) has denied former Member of Parliament, Whitney Bastian a nomination to run in South Andros as its candidate in the upcoming general election
'Liability' Bastian dropped by DNA
By PAUL G TURNQUEST
Chief Reporter
tribune242
pturnquest@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Member of Parliament for South Andros, Whitney Bastian has been denied a nomination to run for the Democratic National Alliance in the upcoming general election.
According to Mr Bastian the DNA felt that he would be more of a "liability" rather than an asset because of his storied past, having been placed on the "restricted list" of the United States of America.
The DNA has been getting lacklustre reviews from observers for the choice of candidates they have selected so far. The decision to reject Mr Bastian is seen as a surprise considering his popularity in South Andros.
Still without a US Visa to this date, Mr Bastian said that he has never sought to have himself removed from this list after he was charged and later acquitted of a drug offence back in 1987.
"This Visa issue is a simple thing. My position to them was that, in fact this was an issue that came up sometime ago. I said you don't need a Visa to go to the US. You can go on your police record, and my police record is clean. If you are charged with any offence you are put on the restricted list. And since that was an issue, and since I have no issue with that I presented them (the DNA) with my clean police record.
"But unless you apply to be reinstated, a Visa is not automatically given to anyone. I was told in the same breathe, that the nomination decision had to be unanimous and they were so sad that they could not get everyone to agree. They feel that I would not be an asset to the organization, and instead I would be a liability," Mr Bastian said.
Attempts to reach the leader of the DNA, Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney for comment on Mr Bastian's nomination were unsuccessful.
As a former MP who has held the seat of South Andros before, Mr Bastian said that he can accept the DNA's decision for what it is, but vowed that he will continue to campaign and run in the area as an Independent.
"I am not going to hit the roof, or get into a fight with anyone. I have run as an Independent before and won, and I will run as an Independent again. But I only held on because Branville asked me to hold on and be a part of his team. But it looks like someone else is running the party now because this is not what we discussed initially," Mr Bastian remarked.
"I don't know who is advising Bran, but I don't think they know what the hell they are doing. But Bran is the leader. I respect him and I have never done anything to undermine his position. And I will do nothing to undermine that position and you will never hear me talking bad about Bran and his organization, but there are some things that need to be fixed, but over time I believe they will be fixed," he said.
June 29, 2011
tribune242
By PAUL G TURNQUEST
Chief Reporter
tribune242
pturnquest@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Member of Parliament for South Andros, Whitney Bastian has been denied a nomination to run for the Democratic National Alliance in the upcoming general election.
According to Mr Bastian the DNA felt that he would be more of a "liability" rather than an asset because of his storied past, having been placed on the "restricted list" of the United States of America.
The DNA has been getting lacklustre reviews from observers for the choice of candidates they have selected so far. The decision to reject Mr Bastian is seen as a surprise considering his popularity in South Andros.
Still without a US Visa to this date, Mr Bastian said that he has never sought to have himself removed from this list after he was charged and later acquitted of a drug offence back in 1987.
"This Visa issue is a simple thing. My position to them was that, in fact this was an issue that came up sometime ago. I said you don't need a Visa to go to the US. You can go on your police record, and my police record is clean. If you are charged with any offence you are put on the restricted list. And since that was an issue, and since I have no issue with that I presented them (the DNA) with my clean police record.
"But unless you apply to be reinstated, a Visa is not automatically given to anyone. I was told in the same breathe, that the nomination decision had to be unanimous and they were so sad that they could not get everyone to agree. They feel that I would not be an asset to the organization, and instead I would be a liability," Mr Bastian said.
Attempts to reach the leader of the DNA, Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney for comment on Mr Bastian's nomination were unsuccessful.
As a former MP who has held the seat of South Andros before, Mr Bastian said that he can accept the DNA's decision for what it is, but vowed that he will continue to campaign and run in the area as an Independent.
"I am not going to hit the roof, or get into a fight with anyone. I have run as an Independent before and won, and I will run as an Independent again. But I only held on because Branville asked me to hold on and be a part of his team. But it looks like someone else is running the party now because this is not what we discussed initially," Mr Bastian remarked.
"I don't know who is advising Bran, but I don't think they know what the hell they are doing. But Bran is the leader. I respect him and I have never done anything to undermine his position. And I will do nothing to undermine that position and you will never hear me talking bad about Bran and his organization, but there are some things that need to be fixed, but over time I believe they will be fixed," he said.
June 29, 2011
tribune242
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Whitney Bastian - former South Andros MP predicts the newly formed Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party will become the next government of The Bahamas
Bastian Predicts Sweeping DNA Election Victory
By Macushla N. Pinder
jonesbahamas
Former parliamentarian Whitney Bastian may not have a crystal ball, but he is convinced he knows exactly how the next general election will play out.
The former South Andros MP predicts the newly formed Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party will become the next government of The Bahamas.
"The way things are going right now, I see the DNA winning at least 25 seats. It might be more than that. People say it is a wave moving. It is a not a wave; it is a tsunami," he said during a recent interview with the Bahama Journal.
"Everywhere you go, Bahamians, young and old, are trying to get something to identify with the DNA. I’ll even go to the extent to say take the green shirt off you. So, based on what I’ve seen over the last few weeks, this campaign will be one of the easiest campaigns I would have ever been involved in because this is a people’s movement. This is a different time from when those other guys formed their party."
According to Mr. Bastian, Bahamians are fed up with the governing Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).
He claimed both political giants are only looking out for the chosen few in society.
"During our launch, we showed them that we can pull the crowds. And so, we are now number one. They (the FNM and PLP) are fighting for number two and three spots. We will win the next election and hence form the next government," he said.
"Over the next two to three months, my prediction will become clearer and clearer…People want change."
The DNA, which is the brainchild of former cabinet minister Branville McCartney, was officially launched earlier this month. Mr. McCartney claims that his party is the alternative to the two major political parties and not an alternative.
The party says it intends to run a full slate of candidates.
It has already unveiled its first 10 candidates, including Mr. McCartney, who hopes to retain his seat as the Member of Parliament for the Bamboo Town constituency.
Mr. Bastian said it is "just a matter of formality" before he is confirmed as the party’s candidate for South Andros, a constituency he represented from 2002 to 2007.
He lost the seat during the last election to PLP MP Picewell Forbes.
"It really doesn’t matter which tag I put on – DNA or a cat tag. They are prepared to support Whitney Bastian," he said.
"My love for Andros transcends any party name or affiliation because I was doing [a lot] before I got involved in frontline politics and I will continue to do for Andros and The Bahamas as a whole after frontline politics."
Mr. Bastian says he is confident that once given the DNA’s nomination, he would win his seat by an even larger margin than he did in 2002.
"I have been assured by the people that they will do this. While they try to tell me that they made a mistake, I said ‘no, you did exactly what you wanted to do at the time.’ And so, for the last four years, the people have been coming to me. I am confident they are not telling me any lies," he said.
"They have been coming to me, telling me, ‘Whitney, we are sorry for what we have done. We are now able to compare and contrast your representation with the present representation that we have….’ People have the confidence that I will be looking after their interest and I do have their interest at heart…"
There has been no word on when the next general election will take place.
But many Bahamians are viewing the decision to end the current voter register on July 14 as a surefire sign that it will not be long.
May 30th, 2011
jonesbahamas
By Macushla N. Pinder
jonesbahamas
Former parliamentarian Whitney Bastian may not have a crystal ball, but he is convinced he knows exactly how the next general election will play out.
The former South Andros MP predicts the newly formed Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party will become the next government of The Bahamas.
"The way things are going right now, I see the DNA winning at least 25 seats. It might be more than that. People say it is a wave moving. It is a not a wave; it is a tsunami," he said during a recent interview with the Bahama Journal.
"Everywhere you go, Bahamians, young and old, are trying to get something to identify with the DNA. I’ll even go to the extent to say take the green shirt off you. So, based on what I’ve seen over the last few weeks, this campaign will be one of the easiest campaigns I would have ever been involved in because this is a people’s movement. This is a different time from when those other guys formed their party."
According to Mr. Bastian, Bahamians are fed up with the governing Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP).
He claimed both political giants are only looking out for the chosen few in society.
"During our launch, we showed them that we can pull the crowds. And so, we are now number one. They (the FNM and PLP) are fighting for number two and three spots. We will win the next election and hence form the next government," he said.
"Over the next two to three months, my prediction will become clearer and clearer…People want change."
The DNA, which is the brainchild of former cabinet minister Branville McCartney, was officially launched earlier this month. Mr. McCartney claims that his party is the alternative to the two major political parties and not an alternative.
The party says it intends to run a full slate of candidates.
It has already unveiled its first 10 candidates, including Mr. McCartney, who hopes to retain his seat as the Member of Parliament for the Bamboo Town constituency.
Mr. Bastian said it is "just a matter of formality" before he is confirmed as the party’s candidate for South Andros, a constituency he represented from 2002 to 2007.
He lost the seat during the last election to PLP MP Picewell Forbes.
"It really doesn’t matter which tag I put on – DNA or a cat tag. They are prepared to support Whitney Bastian," he said.
"My love for Andros transcends any party name or affiliation because I was doing [a lot] before I got involved in frontline politics and I will continue to do for Andros and The Bahamas as a whole after frontline politics."
Mr. Bastian says he is confident that once given the DNA’s nomination, he would win his seat by an even larger margin than he did in 2002.
"I have been assured by the people that they will do this. While they try to tell me that they made a mistake, I said ‘no, you did exactly what you wanted to do at the time.’ And so, for the last four years, the people have been coming to me. I am confident they are not telling me any lies," he said.
"They have been coming to me, telling me, ‘Whitney, we are sorry for what we have done. We are now able to compare and contrast your representation with the present representation that we have….’ People have the confidence that I will be looking after their interest and I do have their interest at heart…"
There has been no word on when the next general election will take place.
But many Bahamians are viewing the decision to end the current voter register on July 14 as a surefire sign that it will not be long.
May 30th, 2011
jonesbahamas
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Whitney Bastian will run on the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) ticket for the South Andros constituency in the next general election
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
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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