The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I, along with other Bahamians, agonise over the fact that neither of the two major parties are completely acceptable. We are not card carrying members of either party and would gladly vote for another party. We would not, however, wish to wake up on the May 11, 2017, to another PLP government.

To those persons, and there are so many, I would wish them to consider this.

The PLP was a “minority” government from May 2012, in the sense that they did not gain more than 50 per cent of the votes. Because of our first past the post system they had 28 members of Parliament and the FNM 10.

The majority of the voters voted against the PLP in 2012 and it is more likely than not, the same thing will happen again in 2017.

We do not have a runoff system as in France, there are multiple political parties, you must get 50 per cent plus one of the vote to win outright, and the two top finishers face a runoff.

In France, the two major parties will go head-to-head in two weeks. Our next election will be May 2022.

The PLP made a big deal about going head-to-head with rallies against the FNM last week, they saw what happened and that strategy is no more a week later.

The two major parties are different, do you believe after recent revelations Shane Gibson, Allyson Maynard and Jerome Fitzgerald would still be cabinet ministers in an FNM government?

Unfortunately, our first past the post system permits the prospect of minority PLP government again on May 11, 2017 and the present cabinet being reappointed.

For the majority of Bahamians who do not wish to wake up to the nightmare of another PLP government headed by Perry Christie, this is our runoff, head to head, PLP against FNM.

In effect, a vote for a party other than the FNM is a vote for the PLP, there is no such thing as a protest vote or staying at home or spoiling a ballot if you don’t want the PLP.

EDROY DEVEAUX

Nassau,

April 27, 2017.