The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

FNM leader Hubert Minnis yesterday cautioned Bahamian voters not to sign a “blank cheque” for the government at the polls on Monday.

Claiming a lack of public education on the upcoming gaming referendum, Dr Minnis reiterated his party’s call for Bahamians to vote “no” and demand a fair and transparent process.

“I urge Bahamians to come out and vote, but we would like them to make determinations as to what they’re voting for,” he said.

“The decisions they make today impact us moving forward and we should not be making decisions in isolation. We have to think about our kids, our grandkids, and the type of Bahamas we want to leave for them. It is difficult to make a decision without information, and in the absence of information we would urge Bahamians to vote no and have the process done properly.”

The two questions for the January 28 referendum are: “‘Do you support the regulation and taxation of Web Shop gaming’ and ‘Do you support the establishment of a National Lottery?’”

Yesterday, Dr Minnis said his party opposed the referendum on the grounds that there was a “complete lack of education”.

He also called for greater scrutiny into how individuals are compensated for working with the “Vote Yes” campaign.

“I was appalled to see at the rally they were giving out gifts, that’s a form of bribery,” he said.

“Individuals working on the campaign are getting money paid to an account at the different gaming institutions via their online mechanism, that is a form of bribery.”

Dr Minnis said: “Our forefathers fought this, in the old days individuals paid rice and flour for votes, we are going back there.

“If this is not checked, democracy is under siege.”

Dr Minnis said his party was committed to advocating for transparent governance, and equal access to entrepreneurial opportunities for all Bahamians.

“Every Bahamian should have an opportunity to become an employer in this country, an opportunity to own a piece of this country. We want to ensure that will happen in an transparent manner so that every Bahamian knows that these opportunities exist.

“It cannot be that only a handful know of the opportunities that exist.”

He added: “They are asking [Bahamians] to make decisions in a vacuum. We are making decisions for the kids, we should have some idea of the impact it will have on the Bahamas. Allow the public to make an intelligent decision.”