The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TWO independent candidates vying for re-election yesterday predicted there will be “mass confusion” and “chaos” on Election Day given the many voting and health concerns that have not yet been addressed by government officials.

Halson Moultrie, incumbent independent candidate for Nassau Village, fears the government’s silence on several important electoral matters not only poses a threat to democracy, but puts the integrity of this year’s elections into question.

“We’re less than 24 hours away from the advanced polls and we have not heard from the government what the protocols will be in respect to the physical distancing around the poll,” Mr Moultrie told reporters at Parliament yesterday.

“We don’t know if you have to dip your finger into the ink yet. We have major concerns about sanitisation of the pencils and so on.

“The government has not said anything and we believe that the government has an obligation to the people because they, the prime minister themselves, put the country in this circumstance where he called the election in the middle of the worst surge.

“And so it’s very concerning to me, particularly as the Speaker who is the first commoner of the land, that the people are not getting the type of democracy (they deserve). You cannot expect a fair election in this circumstance. And I expect on Election Day there will be a lot of challenges.”

Health Minister Renward Wells has said there will be protocols and sanitisation in place to safeguard against the spread of the virus when people vote.

Mr Moultrie also did not shy away from giving his views on allowing people in quarantine to vote.

Although the Minnis administration has yet to make a final decision on the matter, health officials have recommended such people not be allowed to cast their ballots.

Mr Moultrie does agree that insisting people cannot be prevented from voting according to the law regardless of what anyone else says.

“Well, first of all, I respect the health officials and I respect the advice that will be given but their advice could not be inconsistent with the law and if the law gives every registered voter the right to vote, no health official or prime minister or minister of health or minister of national security can circumvent the law and the Constitution,” Mr Moultrie said.

“Once you fall within the legal framework and there’s nothing legally in the Parliamentary Elections Act that says a person in quarantine should be disenfranchised or not entitled to vote. There’s nothing in the Parliamentary Elections Act that says a person has contracted a virus is unable to vote...”

Reece Chipman, incumbent candidate for the Centreville constituency, said the government’s lack of planning ahead of the election speaks to their poor “management” and “governance” skills.

“They were not able to cohesively direct our economy. They were not able to cohesively direct our healthcare system or our education system and so what I see on Election Day is mayhem, confusion, people don’t even know what to take to the polls to vote, if they can vote or cannot vote with the purple cards,” Mr Chipman said.

“This administration brought a new piece of legislation to have the old register put in place. A week later, the parliamentary commissioner was fired or was let go. This is the sort of inconsistency and it’s a pattern with this administration.”

He added: “Outside of that, they have a lot of people in acting positions. In acting positions, you can’t hold people accountable or anyone responsible because the law speaks to the position so we are in a quagmire in this country where we have politicians or leaders believing they are almost entitled, and I mean this form of entitlement goes beyond even the law because they are constantly breaking the law.

“If you were an administration that follows the law, we would’ve been in a much better position in terms of preparation, so I do expect a lot of confusion. I expect mayhem because that is the nature of this administration.”

On Monday, the Progressive Liberal Party issued an ultimatum to acting Parliamentary Commissioner Lavado Duncanson, saying he had 36 hours to confirm if quarantined people will be allowed to vote on September 16 or risk facing “litigation.”

When contacted by The Tribune on Tuesday, Mr Duncanson refused to answer questions about voters in quarantine and also would not respond to the party’s threat.

Health Minister Renward Wells has said the government is looking at ways to allow individuals in quarantine to vote, though he noted that a final decision will be announced by the competent authority.

The advanced poll is set for today from 8am to 6pm.