Birth of the Party
The movement that would culminate in the formation of the Free National Movement came to a head on 18 November 1970 when it became clear to eight courageous parliamentary members of the Progressive Liberal Party that their effort to entrench democratic principles in the PLP would fail.
But signs of struggle were evident even earlier. The PLP had come to office for the first time in January 1967. The collapse, three years later, of an agreement between the Government and a consortium of international investors for the upgrading of Bahamas Airways, the national flag carrier, was a red flag indicating to some members of the PLP that all was not well.
Their concern was not only with regard to the impact of the collapse of the agreement on the development of the country’s air services but also with the potential damage the collapse could have on investor confidence in the country. Some exclusive international routes granted to Bahamas Airways under the agreement were also given to another airline by the PLP’s Civil Aviation Licensing Authority without notice or consultation with the consortium partners.
Some members of the governing party, including ministers, had already been badly shaken in 1969 when Prime Minister Lynden Pindling pressed ahead with the unilateral amendment of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement which set out the terms and conditions for the administration and operation of Freeport by the Grand Bahama Port Authority.
Of primary concern was that the Government’s action would halt the development of Freeport which was in no small measure contributing to the full employment levels being enjoyed in the colony at the time. Some of those who had struggled for years to bring the PLP to power were worried about Sir Lynden’s increasingly dictatorial style, the decline of collegiality and spreading corruption.
Those in opposition to Sir Lynden’s policies and leadership were quickly styled as dissidents and widely vilified by some the party faithful. On the eve of the party’s 1970 convention a parliamentary member and supporter of Sir Lynden’s went on the radio to condemn the dissidents as traitors to the country.
The convention opened in a poisonous atmosphere. Sir Lynden himself targeted the dissidents challenging them to “cut bait or get to hell out of the boat”.
Cecil Wallace Whitfield, then Minister of Education, responded in a dramatic speech to the convention and warned the Prime Minister that the same valiant spirits who had helped to bring about the 1967 change could flare up again.
Then he did the unthinkable. He dramatically announced the resignation of his Cabinet post right there in convention and ended his speech with these words: “Free at last! Free at last! My soul is dancing!”
Efforts by Anthony Roberts (later Anglican priest Fr. Roberts) to bring about a reconciliation between the warring groups at an emergency party conclave at the Stokes Thompson Cabana at South Beach failed.
Three of the dissidents, including Sir Cecil, Arthur Foulkes and Maurice Moore, attempted to take their case to PLP supporters in Lewis Yard, Grand Bahama. They were accompanied by Garnet Levarity and others. It was a Sunday afternoon and immediately after the prayers to open the meeting, the dissidents were attacked by a PLP goon squad wielding chairs.
Then, on the evening of the 18 November and early into the next morning the House of Assembly debated a motion of no-confidence in the Prime Minister while outside an angry crowd of Sir Lynden’s supporters assembled.
As the debate, raged on for some 11 hours, a counter motion of confidence in the Prime Minister was put, forcing all those in opposition to stand.
Eight parliamentary members of the PLP stood: Cecil V. Wallace Whitfield, Maurice Moore, Arthur A. Foulkes, Warren J. Levarity, James Shepherd, Curtis McMillan, George Thompson and Elwood Donaldson. Dr. McMillan, who was still Minister of Health when Sir Cecil resigned, followed immediately with his own resignation from the Cabinet.
And so the Dissident Eight entered the history books of The Bahamas. Before they got together with others to form the FNM, they referred to themselves as the Free PLP
The crowd outside had grown very hostile towards the Dissidents, especially Sir Cecil, but a police cordon managed to protect them from injury as they made their exit from the House and Parliament Square. The die had been cast.
The Dissidents were later joined by Kendal Isaacs and Orville Turnquest. Sir Orville had even earlier separated himself from Sir Lynden and Sir Kendal who had done much to help the PLP over the years had also lost confidence in the Prime Minister and his Government.
Shortly thereafter the Dissidents were joined by former members of the disbanded United Bahamian Party and some members of the National Democratic Party. But it was not until October 1971 that the constitution, first platform (Declaration of Commitment), symbol (the Torch), fanfare (from the Lion in the Winter) and the name of the Free National Movement were settled upon and announced to the Bahamian people.
The new party contested the 1972 general elections as the Free National Movement under Sir Cecil’s leadership. Although the FNM polled a total of 19,736 votes, less than 10,000 behind the PLP's 29,628, none of the Dissident Eight was returned in that election.
This notwithstanding, the Dissident Eight had made political history. They are rightly credited with laying the firm foundation for an effective two-party system of government in The Bahamas.
NEXT: Growing Pains in a Young Party
Growing Pains in a Young Party
By the 1977 general election, dissension within the fledgling FNM had led to a rift. As a result two Opposition parties, the FNM led by Cecil Wallace Whitfield, and the Bahamian Democratic Party led by Kendal Isaacs, faced the incumbent PLP Government led by Sir Lynden and both were soundly defeated. The split cost both parties dearly.
The parties reunited under the banner of the FNM and the leadership of Sir Kendal in time for the 1982 general election and while not victorious won 11 seats in the House of Assembly. The party also made history when its candidate for Yamacraw, attorney Janet Bostwick, became the first female ever elected to the House of Assembly in The Bahamas.
Support for the FNM mounted in the years following the general election and grew as allegations of corruption in high places increased, economic decline continued and unemployment increased.
Two years later the publication of the 1984 Report of a Commission of Inquiry into Drug Trafficking in and through The Bahamas implicated a number of individuals associated with governing party.
Three Cabinet members resigned their portfolio responsibilities: Arthur D. Hanna, who had held the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; George Smith, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Kendal Nottage, Minister of Youth and Sports.
The resignation of Mr. Hanna was purportedly in protest of the inaction by the Government in the face of the allegations. In the case of the other two Ministers, whose names had been implicated by the Report, the resignations served to deflect attention from the scandal encircling the governing party.
Two other Cabinet Ministers, Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie, were fired from the Cabinet because of their unwillingness to condone or turn a blind eye to corruption in high places. Mr. Ingraham was subsequently expelled from the PLP.
As the 1987 general election drew near popular support for the FNM appeared to reach unprecedented levels and the party had high expectations of winning the election. That did not happen. The FNM won only 17 of the 49 seats in the House of Assembly. However the two Cabinet Ministers fired by Sir Lynden were successfully re-elected to the House as Independents. This was a very different scenario to what had happened to the Dissident Eight when they faced the electorate after having broken with the PLP.
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NEXT: The Road to Deliverence
The Road to Deliverance
Kendal Isaacs resigned as Party Leader following the 1987 general election loss and Cecil Wallace Whitfield once again assumed leadership. Orville Turnquest was Deputy Leader. Shortly thereafter, Sir Cecil’s health began to fail.
Subsequently, Sir Cecil and others in the FNM began a campaign to attract Hubert Ingraham to the FNM. Mr. Ingraham joined the FNM in April 1990 and was made Parliamentary Leader of the Party. When Sir Cecil passed away the next month, the FNM's Central Council unanimously elected Mr. Ingraham Party Leader.
Mr. Ingraham led the FNM in a successful by-election to fill the Marco City (Grand Bahama) seat left vacant by Sir Cecil’s death. He then set about rebuilding the party in preparation for the 1992 general election.
Following a hotly contested election season the FNM swept the August 1992 general election, winning 32 of the 49 seats to become the Government of The Bahamas. Sir Cecil’s prophetic warning to Sir Lynden in 1970 had finally come to pass.
As promised during the election campaign, the FNM Government immediately reduced the salary of parliamentarians, reduced the number of seats in the House of Assembly from 49 to 40, broke the Government’s monopoly of the airwaves by introducing private radio to The Bahamas for the first time, completed the electrification of all the Family Islands, commenced an ambitious programme to expand the Government-operated school plant thereby reducing class size, and introduced elected local government in the Family Islands.
Five years later, in 1997, in a strong vote of confidence in FNM administration, the party was returned to office with 34 of the 40 seats. Later that year, in the by-election to fill the seat vacated by the retiring PLP Leader and former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling, the FNM increased their majority to 35.
During its second term in office FNM policies succeeded in bringing the unemployment rate to a single digit, a level not experienced since the mid-1960s, and in two consecutive years the FNM Government produced a balanced recurrent budget. The programme to construct new community health care facilities in partnership with the National Insurance Board was further advanced during the second term, as were the school expansion and the road reconstruction and upgrade programmes, both commenced during the party’s first term in office.
Having committed not to seek more than two consecutive terms in office as Prime Minister, Mr. Ingraham signalled that he would not seek re-election as Leader of the FNM at the Party’s next Convention and would not serve as Party Leader following the 2002 general election.
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NEXT: Election Loss & Re-evaluation
Election Loss and Re-evaluation
The campaign to succeed Mr. Ingraham became acrimonious as four Cabinet Ministers made known their interest in succeeding to the post of Party Leader.
In September of 2001, the FNM called a Special Convention to elect a Leader-Designate and Deputy Leader-Designate. The hotly contested election was won by Tommy Turnquest, then Minister of Tourism, who became Leader-Designate. Education Minister, Dion Foulkes was chosen as Deputy Leader-Designate.
The fallout from the Party elections revealed that fissures in the Party that had been submerged during two consecutive election victories at the polls were still present. The hard won united front present in 1992 and 1997 was no longer present as the FNM went into the 2002 general election. Two former cabinet ministers ran as independents.
Discord in the party combined with historic low voter turnout brought dramatic results. The Free National Movement was swept from office, winning only seven of 40 seats, and only a single seat in New Providence.
Party Leader Tommy Turnquest, lost his seat but was convinced to remain on as Leader of the party. He was appointed by the Governor-General as a Member of the Senate, and leads the Opposition's business in that Chamber.
Mr. Alvin Smith, the FNM Member of Parliament for North Eleuthera, was chosen as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Assembly.
The FNM entered upon a three-year period of self-examination and rebuilding of the party’s base under the leadership of Tommy Turnquest. Then, in an initiative led by the FNM’s Parliamentary Group, the FNM wider membership succeeded in convincing Hubert Ingraham to return to active leadership of the party.
Mr. Ingraham agreed to have his name entered into nomination for the post of Leader at the Party’s Convention in October 2005 and was easily elected. Brent Symonette, the FNM MP for Montagu, was elected Deputy Leader.
With a tried and tested leader at its helm and a reinvigorated party base, the FNM is preparing to face its old political foe at the polls in a general election which must be called before the end of May 2007.
After 35 years of existence the FNM remains committed to the principles which prompted its birth as a party: a deep and abiding respect for democratic principles, a commitment to integrity and honesty in office, a pledge to transparency and accountability in government, and a promise to govern in the people’s name for the benefit of all Bahamians.
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NEXT: Back to Start
