Election Madness Continues in the Bahamas

by Craig Butler

The general election has been over for almost four months and we are still suffering from election fever.

The PLP have every right to seek to advance their constitutional rights in the courts and clearly they intend to do so. We know that the dates for the three cases have been set, and based on the number of witnesses that are going to have to be called in each matter it is estimated that we will probably be embroiled in this saga for the next year at least.

To complicate things, the issue of Malcolm Adderley retaining his chairmanship of the Gaming Board has tongues a-wagging that the FNM is courting him to cross the aisle. If that turned out to be the case then despite the outcome of the cases the FNM would retain the government in any event.

There has been much talk from many circles that the prime minister does not have the moral authority to call a snap election. Presumably this refers to the fact that the election court has yet to rule on matters which could cause a change of government.

I have thought about this over the last few weeks and have tried to figure out what would be the best scenario for the country. I have concluded that as long as these cases are pending and the issues about the numerous irregularities abound, neither this government nor any other can govern effectively. I truly wish there was another way to decide the many questions that exist, but a general election is the only answer.

The people have already had four months of the FNM and have seen what it is that they intend to do. They have also had four months of the PLP clamoring about the fact that they were cheated and the abuses and victimization being suffered by the people at the hands of this government either directly or by the cancellation of initiatives or contracts.

So what would be the point of an election? It would, in my humble estimation, give the winning party a mandate for the next five years. Of course, if the FNM wins then the PLP would have been silenced effectively, and if the PLP wins their claims would seem to have resonated with the public.

I don’t think either of the two parties really wants to have these questions answered - sometimes it is better to have doubts rather than certainty. A general election will render someone superfluous and that is one thing politicians try to avoid at all costs.

If an election were called the losing party would most certainly become irrelevant, as I don’t think the results would be as close as they are now. So despite the inconvenience and the expense can we really avoid this necessity? I say this also because the partisan bickering is not going to end. The accusations will continue and effective governance is going to be impossible.

The PLP will not cooperate as they feel that they have been cheated and that all of their accomplishments are being dismantled. The FNM appear to be on a perilous road and have yet to fully explain why it is all of the contracts are under review. In addition, they have yet to settle the issue in respect of some major developments as to whether or not they will go ahead.

Then there are all the individual supporters of each party who appear to be set about following a disruptive path. Don’t get me wrong - I am not endorsing the views postulated by some in the clergy that this is the reason for the recent upswing in violence, but what I am saying is that there are certain elements that aren’t allowing the process of government to take place because they don’t want to accept what the situation is.

We thus have a divided nation. Disbelieve me? Go into a barroom and listen to the average Bahamian. Their views are polarized. alk to an FNM and it's "oh you PLPs are disgruntled, greedy, power-hungry and feel as though only the PLP has the right to govern the country." Talk to a PLP and you will be told that the white establishment was jealous of the fact that the black masses were going to become enriched during this second term and they didn’t want the wealth of the nation to be distributed so they set about defeating the PLP at all costs.

For this very reason we have to call another general election. If it was going to die down it would have by now but the fact that it is still the major topic of debate leads me to believe that this will continue. I mean we still don’t have the 16th senator yet, and quite frankly it doesn’t seem as though we will get one either.

Finally, the FNM pledged to do many things during the run up to the election. Whilst I accept that the prime minister was clear when he said that all could not be achieved in one term there were some items on the agenda I though to be of paramount importance. Accordingly I call on the Mr Ingraham to update the nation on the timetable surrounding the pledges in his manifesto.