NASSAU, Bahamas — Party executives made a unanimous decision to bar Free National Movement Vice Chairman Richard Johnson from attending council meetings following a special meeting at the FNM headquarters on Mackey Street last night, EYEWITNESS NEWS online reported on Tuesday, November 1, in an article written by Crystal Darling.
Over the weekend a voice note believed to be from Johnson was circulated calling for the resignation of party Chairman Dr. Duane Sands, who seemed to have been supported by the overwhelming majority.
Johnson says that he’s going to take the matter to court because he believes the decision was unconstitutional.
“Well at this time the Free National Movement in my view, the Chairman, in my view, is acting contrary to the constitution of the FNM and so they’re going to, it’s time to take this matter into bank lane,” Johnson said. “I will not be very explicit because council is governed by secrecy however this has been in the public domain so what I will say is in the party we have seen that other people could get away with certain things and other people are chastised for certain things.
“Our party was built on dissenting views. We’ve always been built on that so because people disagree with a decision or a policy, people don’t take it kindly.”
Johnson added that he is in support of former Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis because he believes he deserves another chance.
He denied accusations that he was being paid for his loyalty to the Killarney MP.
“I hear that all the time, I don’t indulge in that conversation. See people don’t understand. When Dr. Minnis ran as a leader in 2014 and 2016, I didn’t support him. I used to be a thorn in his side and so that is very much so a lie. He’s a good friend of mine and so I support him.
“[…] The former prime minister, Dr Hubert Minnis has done wonders for this country. I believe he deserves a second chance to govern for The Bahamas.
“He has my unwavering support and I will work with him consistently to be the government of the Bahamas once again. I make no apologies for that.”
In response to Johnson’s threat to take the matter to court, Sands last night said “bring it on”.
Sands described the matter as a long-standing and vexing one, and a form of distraction.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The FNM as it exists today is certainly not what the DISSIDENT EIGHT — Cecil V. Wallace-Whitfield, Maurice Moore, Arthur A. Foulkes, Warren J. Levarity, Jimmy Shepherd, Curtis McMillan, George Thompson, and Elwood Donaldson — had in mind when they left the PLP and joined forces with moderate members of the disbanded former UBP government and established the FNM in October 1971 after a series of meetings at Jimmy Shepherd’s Spring Hill Farms in Fox Hill.
More likely than not, the bones of the late Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, the founding leader of the FNM, must be rattling in his grave, given the degenerative failure of the FNM to make meaningful contributions to Bahamian politics over recent years, especially under the leadership of former Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, who was unquestionably the worst Prime Minister in an independent Bahamas.
As a founding member of the FNM and founding editor of its newspaper, THE T0RCH OF FREEDOM, I am now convinced that this once vibrant party will continue to spiral out of control under the leadership of Michael Pintard, and the criticism voiced in this article by FNM Vice Chairman Richard Johnson further underscores my conclusion that the FNM must do some serious house cleaning to remain politically relevant. See complete EYEWITNESS NEWS article at https://ewnews.com/fnm-vp-banned-from-attending-council-meetings?fbclid=IwAR0LvwTJOxI4myw-lmDCGDB-GbtHjI9EJSNjubBUzl2-RBRC8cXhaxWg5PI
