The Tribune

PRIME Minister Perry Christie said his Cabinet will decide today whether there will be one or two questions on the gambling referendum form that is scheduled to be voted on on January 28, 2013.

Speaking with The Tribune at Police Headquarters yesterday, Mr Christie said he also will be meeting with members of the church and “elements” of the “Vote Yes” committee later on this week.

The issue surrounding how many, and which questions are expected to be presented to the public has repeatedly been raised by the Free National Movement, which has called into question the government’s impartiality on the matter.

FNM deputy leader Loretta Butler-Turner said it is still troubling to her that the government, at this late date, is still formulating the question or questions that will be up for consideration.

With just over a month before the referendum, Mrs Butler-Turner said voters are still being kept in the dark on the questions on which they will be asked to vote.

“Despite his vociferous defence and arrogant display in attempting to shed his cloak of incompetence, Mr Christie’s handling of this referendum and the related process is a replay of his last disastrous term in office. Mr Christie’s confusion and indecision is further demonstrated by the fact that at this point he has yet to meet with certain groupings before the questions are presented.

“The Prime Minister has been the lead agent in creating a climate of confusion surrounding the referendum, and is on a trajectory for a crushing defeat should he proceed in this manner. With each passing day the odds of Mr Christie delivering a victory on web shop gambling is diminishing, and so is any prospect of him being a better prime minister than he was in his last term in office. A reliably incompetent Mr Christie is as weak and as bumbling as he was from 2002 to 2007,” she claimed.