Former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis presented former Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham with a copy of his book The Power Of Determination – Persisting In The Midst Of Adversity on Wednesday at a press event.
Reporters took the opportunity to ask the former leaders of the Free National Movement (FNM) their thoughts on the current state of the organization and whether there should be a convention held. Ingraham said, “I don’t believe there is a call for a convention. I think that there is a leadership challenge they want to launch against Mr. Pintard’s leadership and they’re cloaking it in this thing called convention but that’s entirely up to them.”
Minnis also opined saying, “Michael Pintard is the leader of the party at this point in time. We respect the leader, we respect leadership and the FNM will do whatever it needs to do.”
Ingraham expressed his continued confidence in the current leadership of the FNM. “I expect them to have a convention when they think the time is right to do so to put forward their program to the public of The Bahamas and prepare the FNM for the next general election. And this so called call for convention by Desmond, who like me is not active, not active at all, doesn’t go to meeting hardly and to wake up one morning and decide have a convention, please, don’t do that to us.”
The men were also asked about the state of their relationship. Ingraham said, “after Minnis became Prime Minister he distance himself from myself. He was very close to me, very close to me, came to my house often, went out together often but after he became Prime Minister he was a different man all together as far as I was concerned.”
To this Minnis responded saying, “there comes a point in time, especially when you have certain positions, you try your best to carve a direction for you. But if you find yourself in challenges, problems, then of course you always return to your mentor or the more knowledgeable one and ask advice.”
Dr. Minnis currently serves as the Member of Parliament for Killarney.
