Opposition leaders have questioned Wayne Furbert's future with the United Bermuda Party after he attacked the selection of Senator Charlie Swan for the Southampton West Central by-election.

However Mr. Furbert, who has already threatened to quit if the party doesn't show willingness to change, stood by his assessment of Sen. Swan and said others in the group felt the same way.

Mr. Furbert had said the UBP should have picked a candidate of stature who could be a future leader but instead the leadership had sat on its hands and then taken a backward step by choosing Sen. Swan who is not regarded as a reformer.

The UBP is defending a 142-vote majority over Progressive Labour Party challenger Marc Bean in the December 4 poll. Independent Raymond Davis is also standing.

UBP leader Kim Swan said he deplored Mr. Furbert's "disgraceful comments" about Sen. Swan which demonstrated his "total lack of leadership and his utter lack of judgment".

Mr. Swan added: "He has shown complete disrespect for Sen. Swan, a man of great integrity whose roots are in Southampton, a successful small-business man and an outstanding citizen committed to public service.

"Sen. Swan's other political colleagues and branch members stand by him 110 percent. He is without a doubt the stronger candidate in this election and we look forward to seeing him sworn in as a Member of Parliament.

"Mr. Furbert was, in fact, leader of the UBP when Sen. Swan was adopted as a candidate before the last General Election," added Mr. Swan, "so it is mystifying, to say the least, that Mr. Furbert no longer considers Sen. Swan worthy of his support.

"Clearly, this latest outburst from Mr. Furbert has more to do with his personal grievances than the candidacy of Sen. Swan."

And UBP chairman Michael Fahy added: "Over the past ten months, his comments regarding the Party, its procedures and his colleagues have become increasingly misleading and mischievous.

"Mr. Furbert has failed to properly articulate any strong specific proposals to support his call for change that will broaden our base of support, choosing to criticise the work being undertaken rather than show the leadership expected of a senior Party member to bring about change.

"Mr. Furbert's comments appear to be nothing more than of a man who is not getting his own way and that way is in fact difficult to understand.

"Members of the party must seriously question whether there is a place for Mr. Furbert in the Party any longer."

Mr. Fahy added: "Sen. Swan was properly chosen by the branch candidate selection committee, as set out in our party constitution and he has both the branch and my unequivocal support."

Responding last night Mr. Furbert said: "Yes, the group will rally around Charlie Swan at this time.

"But the choice they made could have been better and most of my colleagues in that caucus agree, despite what Michael Fahy and Kim Swan are saying now, they know the truth.

"What I have been doing as far is change is concerned is trying to get people to be more truthful to the citizens of the Country and stop trying to hide behind the Party line."

Sen. Swan was chosen ahead of former leader Michael Dunkley, Jeff Sousa, Wayne Scott and Roderick Simons.

Most caucus members had been very upset with both the procedures used in selecting Sen. Swan and the choice itself, said Mr. Furbert.

"They are putting the best spin on it. I have been around politics long enough to understand why they are doing that. But don't lie to the public.

"You can't tell me that Charlie would have outpolled Michael Dunkley – it's not true so stop playing games with the public."

Responding to Mr. Fahy's questioning of whether he should remain in the party, Mr. Furbert said: "I hope Mr. Fahy isn't challenging me on where I should be going.

"I have made my position very clear that if the Party doesn't seem to be moving and changing I will make a decision.

"I hope Mr. Michael Fahy is not trying to be nasty or vindictive because he knows I know too much. I don't want to get dirty in the public arena. But the United Bermuda Party must change."

Even the Republican Party in the United States had recognised the need for a revamp said Mr. Furbert. "Michael Fahy was part of the group that wanted change.

"He was helping to draft our constitution when we first started talking about making a change and putting a new party together. Don't let me reveal everything I know about him."

The plan to start a new party was then shelved as reformers turned their attention to fixing the UBP.

And Mr. Furbert said Mr. Fahy had been put in as UBP chairman with the support of the reformers to speed change.

"We have meetings upon meetings about change but there is a group that really doesn't want it at all. They talk the talk but don't want to walk the walk.

"Coming after me right now, that's great, but that won't do any good. I have been trying to work within the group for change and they know it."

Now Mr. Furbert said he was being threatened with disciplinary action. "But I am not appearing in front of any caucus procedures committee, trust me. If the Party wants to do something it is up to them. This is being orchestrated by a certain individual within that caucus who has all the say, Kim is not in charge."

But he would not say who was in charge, adding: "They don't want to get dirty with me, trust me."

Asked about his role in a prototype new party Mr. Fahy said after the December election result he had met with a small group of MPs, which included Wayne Furbert, to discuss the result and what could be done to make the UBP electable.

"Discussions included many things including splitting and even the possibility of forming a new party.

"We discussed what kind of constitution and structure a new party might have and I volunteered to head a group that might draft a constitution of a new party if something like that would be viable.

"After further discussions and considering many options available, it was my advice that every effort should be made to make the UBP electable to form the Government since a party structure is in place, as is a constitution that contains excellent core principles – although some changes within the document needed to be made.

"I decided to stand for chairman to try and put into effect some of the proposals made by the so called 'reform' group – me and others – and to encourage discussion on moving forward.

"There is no doubt in my mind that that Party must continue to evolve to attract younger voters, both black and white and to shed the perception that the Party is out to protect the white elite.

"It is my view that, like the PLP and other political entities that find themselves in opposition, change can happen without disbanding if people are willing to unite behind the cause and a common theme, and be disciplined in their approach in doing so. "The process takes time but in my view all the MPs are committed to change as is the Party's central executive."