This statement is made in response to the very foolish utterances issued by the F.N.M. through its Chairman on the recent election court decisions in the Pinewood and Marco City Constituency cases.
The statement by the F.N.M. is a pathetic exercise in public relations which seeks to distract from some very important issues. First the avenue of challenge to election results is governed by clearly defined principles of law of constitutional import and the right exercised by both applicants in their respective cases is the very right the F.N.M. Chairman availed himself of in 2002 when he challenged the MICAL election result.

There, as in the two most recent cases, the results were very close and in both recent cases findings of law and fact made which have brought to the fore major issues relative to electoral fraud.
In particular, in the Pinewood case, the court found what it called the “most egregious failures” in the Parliamentary Registration system and noted that the Parliamentary Registrar failed for whatever reason to ensure the integrity of the registration process in Pinewood. Ultimately the Court recommended a comprehensive review “of the practices and procedures of the Registration Department with a view to ensuring that what happened in Pinewood does not reoccur “because it threatens to undermine the fundamental basis” of our Parliamentary democracy.

It is more than interesting that the Government has yet to comment on the findings of the Supreme Court Justices with a view to bringing the recommended review and reforms in the interest of our Democracy.

The Boundary Commissions of 2007 has no relationship or relevance to findings of non Nationals voting in our elections nor to the issue of persons who live in completely different constituencies knowingly voting in another constituency altogether as was at issue in both recent cases.

It is disgraceful, however, that the F.N.M. has sought to disguise its incompetence and monumental failing in the Attorney General’s Office in bringing accused persons to trial within a reasonable time and hence the increasing number of persons on bail for serious offenses (the very thing for which the Prime Minister in Parliament castigated members of the previous administration as “wutless”) by suggesting the election cases prevented trials of criminal matters. Clearly this is an attempt to run from its own responsibility and feed upon the fears and frustrations of our people in a seemingly out of control crime situation in our country.

Having made such an assertion, however, I now call upon the Government to disclose to the Bahamian public the number of serious trials that have been completed since May, 2007. I believe the record will show an abysmal record which had nothing to do with the two judges hearing election court cases but has much to do with governmental failure.

Finally, for the record again, the Progressive Liberal Party has accepted the will of the People and will continue to be the voice of the people. This may not be to the liking of our ineffective and visionless government but it is something they will have to live with.

It is in fact the F.N.M. Government which is shamelessly searching for scapegoats and smokescreens to deflect from some very fundamental issues and from its own duties and responsibilities. Rather than telling the Opposition how to be an opposition, the Government should behave like a responsible government with the power and control of the machinery of state. The Government ought not to be seen to be criticizing the use of lawful process to resolve serious disputes and should instead advocate and seek to uphold and celebrate our Constitution and the rule of law and fundamental principles of democracy.
More importantly, instead of trying to make political points it should be undertaking an urgent review of the findings and recommendations coming out of these cases.