Ingraham has ‘no views’ on FNM victory prospects

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham yesterday declined to comment on the Free National Movement’s (FNM) chances of re-election on September 16 — a sign some political observers are sure to find quite telling given that in 2017 Ingraham endorsed Dr. Hubert Minnis and the FNM ahead of an election that saw the wholesale rejection of Perry Christie and the Progressive Liberal Party.

“I have no views whatsoever,” said Ingraham, when asked what he thought of the FNM’s prospects of winning.

The former prime minister’s voice had resonated in the campaign four and a half years ago as he urged the electorate to vote FNM.

At one rally, he stated, “I stand in full support of and in total solidarity with Dr. Hubert Minnis, leader of the Free National Movement and the next prime minister of The Bahamas.

“I am satisfied and convinced that the FNM is the best party to form the next government of The Bahamas. It is the best party for you, for your children, for your communities and for our country.”

FNM insiders have told The Nassau Guardian that Ingraham is not expected to play any role in the 2021 campaign and that the relationship between the two men is virtually non-existent.

Last week, Prime Minister Minnis announced an early election amid the country’s worst spike in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Ingraham did comment yesterday when asked whether there should be a fixed date for the general election.

“I had one snap election,” he told reporters after viewing the body of former Governor General A.D. Hanna in the foyer of the House of Assembly. 

“I called the election in March 1997, which was about five months before the end of my term, and thereafter I determined that we ought to move towards a fixed election date as far as possible.

“I, therefore, held the election 2002 in May. Perry Christie came along and he held it in May 2007. I came back and I held it in May 2012. Perry Christie came back and he held it in May 2017.

“I thought the public ought to have a good idea as to when elections will be held. We gave everybody an opportunity to register to vote. We announced in advance, ‘Listen, if you want to register to vote in this election, please register by the end of the month or by the 15th’, or whatever day it was and gave people lots of time to be able to register, transfer their votes, etc. That’s what I did.”

Ingraham was also asked whether he believes enough notice was given to eligible voters to register, and whether he believes the election, which was not due until May 2022, was called too early.

“I only speak for myself,” said Ingraham, who served as prime minister for three non-consecutive terms.

Ahead of the 2017 general election, Minnis promised that an FNM government would create a fixed election date, a recall system for MPs, a campaign finance law, a term limit for prime minister, an independent electoral commission and an independent boundaries commission.

The Minnis administration has not implemented any of those initiatives.

As Minnis left the House of Assembly yesterday, reporters attempted to ask why he decided to call an early election amid a worsening COVID-19 situation.

He did not respond.

More COVID cases have been reported so far in August than in any other month since the start of the pandemic.

As of Sunday, 2,625 new cases were reported in August. That’s more cases than the record 2,612 reported in October 2020.

“I am very distressed, very, very distressed,” said Ingraham when asked about the surge in cases.

“In my view, it did not have to be this way. It should not have been this way, but here we are. This is where we are. This is what we’ve got, and I think we have to all work towards getting out of it. But I am very distressed.”

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/ingraham-has-no-views-on-fnm-victory-prospects/