Progressive Labour Party member and race activist Dr. Eva Hodgson has hit out at Sports Minister Randy Horton for swapping sides and backing Premier Jennifer Smith after being given a cabinet post.

She said Mr. Horton had been a staunch supporter of her brother Arthur Hodgson's doomed bid to oust the Premier in 2000 but now he had changed his tune during the recent attempt to topple her. She said: "He and Arthur Hodgson worked closely together during that campaign. Mr. Horton doesn't seem to have much backbone."

Speaking immediately after Mr. Hodgson's defeat Mr. Horton had spoken of another challenge being mounted before the next election. He told The Royal Gazette in November, 2000: "You could see a challenge. It's quite likely, it depends on how things run."

Mr. Horton was unavailable for comment yesterday. And Dr. Hodgson said she was glad the PLP backbench were finally challenging Ms Smith's leadership after staying quiet for so long as the party constitution was changed behind their backs to make leadership challenges only possible every four years rather than two.

She said: "The PLP talked about transparency in their election platform. They were spineless and gutless to put up with it for all this time but now they have the self esteem to challenge."

Dr. Hodgson, who heads the National Association for Reconciliation (NAR), said PLP voters should be concerned that Opposition MP Trevor Moniz and Dame Lois Browne-Evans were jointly backing Ms Smith.

And she said Dame Lois' claim that only Ms Smith was capable of leading the party was insulting to the rest of the party.

The marginalisation of MP Dale Butler was a waste said Ms Hodgson who said it gave the lie to PLP spokesman Glenn Blakeney's invitation, made on the radio, for community activists to be involved in the political process with the PLP.

Dr. Hodgson said the PLP hierarchy weren't interested in other peoples' views. She said: "No one has done more community stuff than Dale Butler."

But she said Mr. Butler wasn't even consulted on his education for which he has a passion.

She said she didn't know if a challenge would be made by her brother after last week's party caucus of MPs was split down the middle over a vote to oust Ms Smith.

She added: "What I have heard about the inner meetings of the PLP didn't come from Arthur."