The Tribune

ACTIVIST group Out Da Box called on the new governing party, the Free National Movement, to fulfil its campaign pledges of strengthening anti-corruption mechanisms and increasing the fairness of elections.

The group also expressed alarm at “abnormalities” reported to have taken place on Election Day and “at the blatant disenfranchisement of voters in the Family Islands” during the advanced poll.

In a statement, the group also thanked those persons who “as act of conscience” chose not to endorse a candidate in the 2017 general election, but instead chose to “protest” with a spoiled ballot.

“The FNM achieved its largest margin of victory ever in terms of seats won,” a statement from the group said. “We call on Prime Minister Hubert Minnis to act early in his term to initiate the kinds of constitutional reforms that already enjoy almost universal public support, including term limits for the prime minister, a set election date, an independent (Constituencies) Commission or fixed boundaries and a recall system.

“Finally, we call on the FNM administration to reform the registration process, which in itself is an instrument of disenfranchisement. The requirement that every citizen of voting age must first initiate his or her own registration is a barrier to full universal suffrage, discriminating against those who are elderly, ill, disabled, or reside far away from the capital. Our nation has the tools to identify and register eligible voters automatically as they come of age, and we urge the Minnis administration to move swiftly to legislate their use.

“We call on the prime minister to follow the OAS’ recommendation and the recommendation of successive Constitutional Commissions to further strengthen the independence of the attorney general or give true autonomy to the director of prosecutions.

“In terms of legal reforms that will increase accountability, we call on the prime minister to gazette the Freedom of Information Act and introduce legislation to regulate political parties as the OAS has recommended. We believe a UK-style Electoral Commission is sorely needed in our country. In our view, the Public Disclosure Act of 1976 is clearly ineffective and we call for more stringent rules regarding the financial reporting of public officials, including independent auditing of all representatives, judges and senior officials.”

The group also said this is an opportunity for the Progressive Liberal Party to reform itself in the wake a resounding defeat at the polls.

“The Progressive Liberal Party’s defeat in this election was resounding. It is clear that rank and file PLP voters wanted new leadership, but the party ignored their wishes. If the party had not avoided a convention for (eight) years and had held an open and fair leadership race with wide citizen participation, it would not have suffered such a major defeat.

“If it had been able to discipline MPs within its ranks whose public conduct harmed the country, and not just discipline MPs whose public conduct harmed the leader, they may have won the 2017 election. Nonetheless, this defeat is a once in a lifetime opportunity for PLPs to fashion a more democratic and trustworthy organisation, one that returns the party to its 1953 core principles.”

Ahead of the election, Out Da Box called on voters to “participate in civil disobedience” and spoil their ballots instead of choosing a particular candidate.

The Parliamentary Registration Department has not indicated how many persons took this route.

Yesterday, the group encouraged Bahamians to remain vigilant in the wake of the recent election and engaged in the democratic process.