A former FNM cabinet minister said yesterday that Perry Christie’s government would walk [away with] the next election – if it were held over the next four weeks.
Algernon Allen, who once represented the Marathon constituency for the Free National Movement (FNM), believes Prime Minister Perry Christie has whipped the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) into shape over the past two years.
He also said that Mr Christie had made sure the FNM could not play the economic card in the run-up to the 2007 general election, since the Christie administration had brought in billions of dollars in foreign investment.
“Clearly, Mr Christie did not seem, two years ago, to have the controls of the organisation or the controls of the governance of the country at hand… Ask me this question now and I say that Mr Christie is doing a good job now, in terms of ensuring that the governance flows more smoothly and ensuring that the investment that is necessary to gen~rate jobs…is moving,” Mr Allen said yesterday on Love 97’s Issues of the Day.
“I predict if it (the election) is called today, the PLP would win 26 seats and the FNM would win 14. I don’t know how it would be next year this time. If it is called even in the next month, the PLP would win 26 seats and the FNM would win 14. And the FNM would dramatically increase its opposition and you would have a vibrant and a strong opposition and the PLP would have a governing majority.
The former Cabinet Minister made a bid to lead the FNM in 2000, but lost to former FNM leader Tommy Turnqest who had the endorsement of the opposition’s current Leader, Hubert Ingraham.
Mr Allen explained that the country is “coasting along” and the majority of Bahamians seem to be content with the direction the prime minister is steering the country in.
Under the Perry Christie administration, he said, the country has received positive feedback from some of the top financial institutions in the world.
“The economy of The Bahamas is obviously improving. The international commentaries, from whether IMF (the International Monetary Fund) or World Bank, are excellent The country has not lost its moorings so to speak, as happened at times, so many years ago,” he said. “We are now more or less coasting along…and most people seem to be if not so much happy, slightly content.”
Mr Allen also believes there will not be a change in the governing body due to the “booming” economic state of the country.
“When people have money in their pockets…what do they want to change the government for? Now, they may do other things, but they certainly will not drastically act to change the government, as I think some may wish at this time,” he added. He said that because of the good economic state of the country, the FNM is at a disadvantage.
“Several things are working now against the Free National Movement, which were the same things… which worked against the Progressive Liberal Party… the economy has improved dramatically. And even though we may wish to say that’s not true,” said Mr Allen, “that is a fact.”
By LASHONNE OUTTEN Guardian Staff Reporter
