I am very concerned for our democracy. The government, led by Prime Minister Perry Christie, is clearly determined to win the Coopers Town by-election through fear and intimidation. Clearly he and his government have no respect for our democracy.
After the government was called out on their intimidating election campaigning in Abaco, first at Thursday night’s North Abaco Town Meeting and later at the FNM Rally on Friday night, I thought that government members would seek to tone down their antics. That has not been the case.
Monday morning’s newspapers were filled with Prime Minister Christie expressing sadness at his candidate’s stepmother’s heart wrenching experience with alleged victimization at the hands of his first government; but that did not stop him, without skipping a beat, to warn North Abaco voters that if they expected to get anything done for themselves and their community over the next three years they had better vote PLP.
In classic ‘Christieze’ he is quoted in the media giving this warning to voters: “If Hubert Ingraham or [Hubert] Minnis, if they want something to happen for you, listen now, I know they want something to happen for you, if not this year, next year or even the year after. But guess what? Do you know who the prime minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is? You could go to Hubert. You could go to [Greg] Gomez. You could even go to Hubert Minnis, but they all got to call me.”
That is not democracy; that is intimidation. And it is intimidation that today, the prime minister of The Bahamas has made it his business to be in North Abaco to stand watch over the advance poll of some 80 registered voters.
All decent Bahamians must call on the governing PLP to stop their dictatorial and unconstitutional behavior immediately.
By: Kirkland Turner
