The Tribune

We want a fixed election date. The Free National Movement promised a fixed election date. It was one of its 2017 campaign promises. It, along with many others, has not received any attention from the Free National Movement administration. It is, to most of us, no surprise that we are here today, speculating on the date of the next general election, fully aware that it can be called any day.

The Prime Minister obviously takes great pleasure in wielding this, and many other powers that come with his position within a woefully flawed system. Already having failed to follow through on the promised fixed election date, one would think the Prime Minister, if he cared at all about democracy and the day-to-day lives of the Bahamian people, would announce an election date so that we could all prepare. His refusal to do this and the way he relishes the confusion is another piece of evidence that he is not as concerned about the Bahamian people as he is about his position of power. Add to that the failure to set term limits for Prime Ministers and it is clear to see that hoarding power is the priority.

It is not unusual for people to guess at the election date. We need to start looking for those shabby voter’s cards. Those of us who do not use them as photo identification have no need to keep them close at hand and they do not fit in a wallet, so they may end up tucked away in a book, in a grandmother’s drawer of important documents, in storage, at the bottom of the glove compartment in the car, or any number of other places.

The card is neither handy nor hardy, so rumours of the general election being called sends people into what we might call a tizzy. This can, of course, be alleviated with a series of sensible changes. The permanent register is a good start, but we need so much more.

We should definitely, at the very least, have proper voter’s cards, printed like driver’s licences and NIB cards. In fact, why is it not integrated into an existing card? Everyone had to supply documents to facilitate the printing and collection of new NIB cards in recent years. Why haven’t they been used to record constituencies so they could be used for voting as well?

As the Prime Minister continues to laugh at the confusion caused by his refusal to announce the election date, others are speculating, spreading rumours, and motivating people who have not yet registered to do so. There are also many people who have moved since the last general election and need to change their constituencies. To do this, they need to present the old (purple) voter’s card along with a utility bill (with the new address) in their name or a utility bill along with a letter confirming their place of residence, signed by the person whose name appears on the bill.

For those who cannot find their voter’s cards, police reports are required. Police reports are not made available on the same day or even on the next day. At this point, it would be helpful to have these reports expedited so people can get everything done in time for the, apparently, secret election.

It should come as no surprise that people are showing up in large numbers to register to vote or to replace lost voter’s cards since speculation about a snap election has been going on for weeks. This was increased by the statement made by the leader of the opposition who suggested the date would not only be announced this week, but that the House would be prorogued, meaning the register would close.

It is irresponsible, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, to leave people guessing about the election date. We are supposed to practice social distancing and avoid crowds, but this uncertainty is causing panic. It is causing many people to gather in limited voter registration locations. It has become clear those operating many of these sites are ill-equipped for the job, reportedly taking more than 20 minutes to register one person. People stood in lines for hours on Monday and Tuesday to be registered to vote or change constituencies. Yes, they could have done it earlier, but we have also been living through a pandemic for more than a year.

Circumstances have changed tremendously since March 2020 with many people losing their loved ones, jobs, and homes. Before then and up to now, survivors of Hurricane Dorian are still trying to rebuild and find some semblance of normalcy.

These factors are discussed regularly, but not often considered when decisions are being made that affect everyone, but especially those most impacted by these crises. It is unfair to suggest that the people trying to register or transfer from one constituency to another is just another “last minute” person. There are reasons, not all known to us, and even if the reasons did not exist, we all have the right to vote and participating in the process should not feel like throwing dice. We deserve to know the date.

Some say the Prime Minister will call an early election, then lock the country down again. Some say he will wait for the emergency orders to expire, then try to benefit from the joy expected to come with the freedom that gives people to do as they like. Some say he will call an early election before making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory (or creating conditions that make life miserable for those who do not get the vaccine).

Everyone seems to agree that the secrecy is manipulation. It is an abuse of power. It is a way to use existing power to create conditions as favourable as possible to the current administration and, possibly, delay measures likely to draw ire.

Mandatory vaccinations are being discussed all over the world in a wide range of ways. In many of these conversation, people talk about the COVID-19 vaccination as if it is the only one or the first one. It is as though vaccines have not always be required for various activities including enrolling children in school and traveling to certain countries. When these points are raised, those against the vaccine are quick to talk about the emergency use authorisation. Every now and then, people bring up the right to choose.

I, of course, find this particularly interesting since many of those people do not believe in women’s right to choose what happens to our own bodies. If we are suddenly concerned about bodily autonomy, great. Sadly, it is more likely that people are using the easiest, quickest arguments that they think others cannot strongly oppose. There is, however, a conversation to be had about what the government can and cannot mandate.

Before we discuss mandatory vaccines, we need to talk about information and how it is disseminated. This has been a concern since the beginning of the pandemic. In the early days, there were a lot of unknowns, but communication was clear. We were relatively certain that we were being given accurate information and the updates were coming as quickly as possible. As the months went on and more information became available, it seemed the communication from government officials to residents of The Bahamas became less frequent and less comprehensive. This has not improved with the introduction of the vaccine.

To be clear, I am fully vaccinated after doing my own research. I based my decision on the information I was able to access by going beyond the news, delving into studies and having conversations with people in the medical field. It took a long time to make the decision because I wanted to be clear on what I knew, did not know, and could not know. I wanted to properly assess the risk of not being vaccinated, the risk of taking a vaccine and the risk of taking one instead of another. It was a lot of work, and it was worth it.

Does everyone have the time and other resources to do the same work? Absolutely not. Whose job is it to provide the kind of information that would help people to make the best possible decisions? The same people who are simply saying, “Get vaccinated,” while giving us incorrect dates for the arrival of vaccines.

There needs to be a COVID-19 vaccine information campaign. People need information. We cannot, one hand, complain that people do not take a more active role in governance, their own health, and other areas of life while insisting they simply take the word of authority figures, do as they are told, and ask no questions. We need to abandon that way of thinking and being.

We need people who can think for themselves, who can do light research, who can identify credible sources, who can access risk, and who have the capacity to consider not only themselves, but the people around them. These people do not just pop up out of nowhere. They learn, they practice and they teach others. We have to start developing these kinds of people, and we do not do that by scaring them into taking a particular action or making demands, requiring them to submit rather than to think.

A COVID-19 information campaign needs to start with the basics. What is a vaccine? How are vaccines made? What is the purpose of a vaccine? Vaccines are among the things we think we understand until we are asked to explain it someone else or it is put in a context different from the one in which we first encountered it. Let’s get clear on vaccines first, then let’s get into the ones available to protect against COVID-19.

We need to understand why there are so many versions of the COVID-19 vaccine. What is the difference between them? What does it mean for a vaccine to be approved for emergency use? In our context, we need to know more about the AstraZeneca vaccine. Why is that the one we got in The Bahamas? Why have other countries refused it? When will other options be available here?

There has to be a response to the arguments against the vaccine. Where arguments are valid, be honest. Where there are misunderstandings and misinformation, provide the facts and point to credible sources. Breakdown the process of developing COVID-19 vaccines. How long have they been in development? How long were they tested, how extensive was the process, and how does the process compare to the development of other vaccines?

We need to know what the government is considering at this stage based on progress with vaccinations. What is herd immunity? How do we reach it? What happens if we don’t have enough people vaccinated by September, December, or March? What else can we do to protect ourselves?

The government has waited so long to provide clear, comprehensive information that it has lost the trust it gained last year. Its message has been drowned out by misinformation. It now has to work even harder to combat the misinformation, even while it tries to regain the trust of the people. It needs to partner with non-governmental organisations, engage creatives, and meet the people where they are. Dodging questions does not work. Belittling people, suggesting they are stupid for being sceptical, is counterproductive. Get the information out there. We can’t do much without it.