Her place is cemented in Bahamian political history, and hers, like the female trailblazers on whose shoulders she stood, is a history of firsts for women in Bahamian politics.
From a young woman going against the grain of family politics, to a second-term parliamentarian leading an historic demonstration of the constitutional right of MPs to choose their leader in the lower house, Loretta Butler-Turner’s political story is marked by notable triumphs and storied tribulation.
But will pages of that political story no longer be written?
As a general election looms, some Bahamians question whether the politician at the forefront of pushing for change within in her organization in the years following the Free National Movement’s (FNM) 2012 defeat at the polls, would re-emerge on the landscape of frontline politics.
In a candid and compelling interview with Perspective, the former MP, deputy leader, and leader of the opposition during the last Christie administration, responded to reports of her return to frontline politics, offered reflections on her quest for leadership, and shared her views on the socioeconomic and political future of The Bahamas.
‘FIRE IN MY BELLY’
A recent report in a biweekly periodical claimed that Butler-Turner was in talks with the opposition party to contest a New Providence seat unopposed in the upcoming general election.
It is a report the former Long Island MP categorically denies, stating, “There is absolutely no iota of truth to any of that story. It took me by total surprise. I have not been in discussions with any political party regarding a future for myself in active politics.
“People were wanting to know if it’s true, then there were also persons reaching out asking whether or not I will pursue this, because they believe this is something that I should do.
“Out of that story, I imagine, I got a call from a third party offering me a high level position and asking would I come on board, and I told them that I was not interested.”
As for returning to frontline politics at this stage of her career, Butler-Turner answered, “There is no fire in my belly for politics.”
Our probe into the deeper meaning of her statement led, at times, to a moving discussion about the disappointments associated with broken trust and shattered confidence in a political party to which one has been heavily devoted — an experience openly communicated by growing numbers of longstanding FNM supporters.
She explained, “When one has the fight, the emotional excitement, that fire can rage and can burn inside you to motivate you to do more and to want to get into the fray. When I possessed that, I wanted to give my all to the ideals and philosophies that I believed in.
“Essentially, while I still hold onto those ideals and philosophies about what I believe politics ought to be, I do not have that motivating force for me to go back into the fight.”
Just then, Butler-Turner fell silent. The melancholy of experiences relived, was palpable.
She began again, “My disconnect from the FNM was a like a love affair that broke my heart. I was absolutely committed to the FNM. It was not an easy decision to accept that I would have to go as an independent because I was no longer a part of that, so for me, that campaign in 2017, there was nothing sweet about it, it was a very bitter time for me because I was very heartbroken.
“I love my country, I love my family. I loved the FNM because I believed in it. I truly believed it was the political vehicle to make The Bahamas a better place.
“The FNM for me spoke to trust. In life, when trust is betrayed [and] once the trust is lost — and I’m not saying that it cannot be rekindled or rebuilt — it is very hard to recapture that.
“And so the fire that I talk about was really extinguished when that trust was lost.”
‘Battle to be better’
Butler-Turner was the first female to contest the leadership of a major political party in The Bahamas.
For her, it was a natural evolution of a life driven by a quest to go against the grain.
She shared, “I grew up in a very patriarchal family and, for what it’s worth, it probably made me stronger because while we were taught to pursue the highest education and to be independent thinkers and be good citizens, the females in our family were never taught to be the leaders in our family.
“When I became a funeral director, mortician and qualified embalmer, I was the first female in that role in The Bahamas within my family, [and] my father never expected his daughter to be his successor – he always expected one of his sons to be that successor.
“So for me, it was always a battle to be better.”
Butler-Turner noted that the FNM’s defeat at the polls in 2012, and the subsequent resignation of former prime minister and party leader Hubert Ingraham, led her to consider her own political future and the role she wanted to play in the organization.
She said, “I made up in my mind that I wanted to be a part of leadership as we tried to rebrand the FNM, and I did not have a desire to lead the organization, in part, because I did not believe the country had an appetite for it at that time.
“But I did know that Cynthia Pratt was deputy leader of the PLP, and if the FNM wanted to be more relevant to a huge portion of that population that did not support us in 2012 — the women and the young people — I felt we needed to have a wholesome team of a male and a female at the helm.
“My interest was not so much in Loretta, but moreso in how do we shape the future of the FNM to become relevant again.”
‘Miscalculation’
It was lack of knowledge about the way the country’s system of government worked that lead many Bahamians to refer to then Opposition Leader Hubert Minnis’ removal from that post back in December 2016 as a “coup”, which is an illegal seizure of power.
On the contrary, both the prime minister and leader of the opposition are appointed by the governor general on the basis of confidence of the majority of members of the lower house, and it is the constitutional right of MPs to decide via that majority support, who should occupy both posts.
Butler-Turner was identified by her parliamentary colleagues as the leader in whom their majority support would be reposed, and of the decision she noted, “That historic move was not made on a whim by me, and interestingly, that particular incident, I am advised, is used now throughout the Caribbean as a case study in the legal and political science arena.
“What many outside of the machinery of the party do not realize is that there were many months of trying to reason with the leader of the party not just by me, but the team of elected MPs.
“What was interesting to note [is] that every MP had given [Minnis] their undivided support from day one, and the evolution to what took place in December 2016, was something that manifested over a lengthy period of time.”
In their letter to the governor general, the then-opposition MPs decried the “crisis of confidence” in the country and asserted that The Bahamas needed “an effective and dutiful opposition”.
As voter disaffection grows against the prime minister and his administration, the occasional declaration of “Loretta those were right” is uttered by Bahamians disappointed with the FNM government’s performance.
Butler-Turner noted that the FNM caucus believed its move would have prompted Minnis to step down as party leader due to his loss of parliamentary support as is expected in the Westminster System.
We questioned her on whether in hindsight, the move based on this expectation was a miscalculation.
She responded, “We had discussed the pros and cons of the move once I had committed to it, and we knew that the organization would have at that stage been stacked with many loyal officers to the leader. We knew it would be a huge battle to wrangle that position from the leader.
“Was it a miscalculation? I guess I can concede that, but we never thought that the level of personal ambition against that of what we felt was the greater good of the organization would have prevailed.”
In response to our question on whether she gave too little consideration to what may have resulted in being shut out from the party’s ticket had the strategy failed, Butler-Turner said, “To be very honest with you, I believe that while I knew that there was that possibility of being on the outside looking in, I probably was naively optimistic that it would not come to that.
“Those are the lessons that I now can appreciate. There are those who say I was a seasoned politician and shot myself in the foot with that move, but I believe that my convictions of making the party more than it was, were probably overshadowing that negative option.”
‘I DON’T REGRET IT’
The night before elections on the floor of what was a very acrimonious leadership battle at the FNM’s general convention in July 2016, Butler-Turner withdrew from the leadership race.
The decision was a crushing one to those who supported her leadership bid, and we asked her if she regretted not following through with a race many both in and outside the party resourced and supported.
Butler-Turner acknowledged that, “A lot of people never understood the decision”, revealing that a “very frightening” experience, with an ill reputed individual who approached her at the party’s convention hall in the midst of a caustic scene on the heels of her convention speech, was among events that led to her decision.
She recalled, “My family was removed from the convention floor, there was so much hostility, and it was a rude awakening to me to know that it was no longer about the ideals of a good party.
“I don’t regret it because I really felt that safety might have been a problem.”
Not seeking to put the pitfalls of her political decisions solely at the feet of others, Butler-Turner reflected of her time in opposition, “I wasn’t perfect and yes, I made some mistakes, but in the end I ask myself, ‘did I do everything I felt convicted to do and what was the right thing to do?’
“If there is anything that comes of it, it certainly allows others to know that there are ways you can do things, and whether you are male or female, you shouldn’t be afraid to challenge leadership. I think that clearly would be a lesson for those who would come behind.”
‘The FNM can be the best again’
Of the ongoing state of economic and social despair exacerbated by Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic, Butler-Turner expressed concern for Bahamians who are “losing hope” and who now say they see little difference in the two major parties.
She disclosed, “One of the things that I do now is mentor young entrepreneurs. I have a couple of success stories, and I have been an angel investor in a couple of the ventures, and I see them coming to fruition.
“I realized that I could no longer make a change for the masses, and so I think it’s important that we try to affect lives where they are and help people who truly have a desire to be independent.”
Butler-Turner encourages aspiring females to approach the political arena prepared to work to improve one’s constituency and the nation and stressed the need for candidates, both female and male – to learn everything they can about the country’s system of governance.
As for her own political future and whether she can one day see herself returning to the FNM fold, Butler-Turner after a considered pause said, “Yes, I think there is a possibility. Under the current dispensation I haven’t seen that avenue, but it is the only political organization that I ever belonged to.
“The future is there, and if we all want a brighter future, we will want to go for whatever is best, and if in the future the FNM in my opinion is that better choice again, and they will have me, then certainly.
“My heart has always been FNM. They say it only takes a spark to get a fire going. There’s always a flame to be reignited to be realigned with the organization that I truly loved so much.”
She insists that all is not lost with the FNM, but changes must be made to recapture the hearts of the Bahamian people.
Butler-Turner opined, “The FNM is not lost, because the philosophies are still there in black and white, we just need a directional change, and I keep saying ‘we’ because I really feel that I am a part of that, though I am not.
“I think the FNM can still be the best party there is, but it needs leadership and directional change.
“It has to go back to its origins.”
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source https://thenassauguardian.com/eternal-flame/
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