The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Perry Christie believes that the “enormity” of the country’s COVID-19 crisis will propel Bahamians to vote for the Progressive Liberal Party in the 2021 general election.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mr Christie leveled criticism at Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, insisting that he made a “disastrous” decision to call a snap election during a pandemic.

This election is the first time since 1977 that the former prime minister has not run in a general election.

Despite moving away from front line politics following a humiliating defeat in the 2017 general election, Mr Christie had much to say about the PLP’s chances in the September 16 poll.

“I’m so happy that history is on the side of the Progressive Liberal Party insofar as no party has won a consecutive election in the last 20 years, since (former Prime Minister Hubert) Ingraham in 1997 and so history is on the side of the Progressive Liberal Party,” the former Centreville MP said.

He spoke after voting in yesterday’s advanced poll at Gambier Primary School in the Killarney constituency.

“Now that’s a statistic one can overcome. The interesting thing for me is that Brave Davis notwithstanding immense provocation in terms of attacks on his personal reputation has been able to manage a campaign that has taken the high road by and large and that has tried to observe the protocols during this pandemic.

“Well the challenge for the country is that the political directors of our country have not seemingly worked together. They have different views, very strong divisions as to how they would go about managing it.

“In looking at the obituaries in the newspapers this morning and recognising as everyone does that you cannot now just have it in the supplement dedicated to that, newspapers have to put them on now into the general paper. The enormity of this crisis I think will propel people into understanding that maybe this is the time for a different path.

“That being the case a week from today I will be in the process of recognising that Brave Davis is the next prime minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”

He said once Dr Minnis called a snap election in the middle of a COVID-19 surge, it was logical to conclude there was a risk of a super spreader campaign.

“So, it is really a disastrous decision to do that but under our Constitution he has the right to call it when he thinks it’s best for him and he thought it was best for him. The people of The Bahamas again will respond, and the results will say whether or not they approve of what he’s done.”

Mr Christie further blasted the government for its handling of the pandemic.

“Listen when you have your hospitals being overrun and you live in an archipelagic country, and you know that if someone gets sick on one of these islands there is no capacity to deal with them. That means they have to be brought in if you are going to try and save their lives and so you’re now well beyond that and so there is no doubt that the country has to dedicate more money to the fight. Brave Davis is right in the sense that testing has to be free, all of the protocols have to be reinforced and established contact tracing, you are in a war and therefore you have to treat it that way.”

He said with Mr Davis’ leadership there would be a marked difference with how the situation is handled.

Other senior members of the PLP did not mince words when it came to the advanced vote.

Among them was former Attorney General Alfred Sears, who is vying for the Fort Charlotte constituency. He was at the H O Nash Junior High School where he expressed concern that voters were made to stand in the blistering hot sun for hours to vote.

He said poor planning contributed to only two schools being used for 11 polling divisions. He said a country with resources such as The Bahamas could have done a better job. Mr Sears said many people were discouraged and did not vote because of this.

Former Cabinet minister George Smith also took issue with the wait time, blaming what he called an “incompetent” government. Mr Smith arrived at the school at around 7.45am. It took him nearly two hours to vote at around 9.30am.

He too was of the view that the Free National Movement government’s time in office was in its waning days.