THE FNM HAVE BECOME POLTICAL DRAMA QUEENS

Every day, there is some emergency press conference and manufactured crisis by the Free National Movement. When the dust and smoke clears, it turns out that it was much ado about nothing. Fred Mitchell, Chairman of the PLP issued the following statement after Michael Pintard claimed in an emergency press conference late on Thursday 7 May 2026 that the Parliamentary Commissioner and the government were trying to pack the register with people who were unqualified to vote. That is a lie. Here is the Chairman’s statement:

8 May 2026

We thank the Parliamentary Commissioner’s office for clarifying the issues relating to the register. I have cautioned PLPs that whenever Michael Pintard issues a statement, please count to ten and backwards before you believe anything be says. He is becoming the country’s greatest crier of wolf since that fairy tale  was first  written.

The facts are exactly the opposite of what he has charged. He claimed that there was some vast conspiracy to pack the register with unqualified voters. It was highly irresponsible of him and alarmist in the extreme to throw out the numbers that he did, knowing that the truth was nothing of the sort.

The truth is quite different. What has happened is there are folks who have valid voters cards, purple cards and biometrics cards and their names have not turned up  by misadventure on the  certified list. Unfortunately, it appears that the law does not provide an instant remedy.  It was thought that there must have been a way to remedy it administratively. That is the advice sought. We are advised and  verily believe that there was no attempt to get around the law.

The policy of the voting laws is that a voter should at all times be given the best opportunity to vote and not be disenfranchised by resort to technical rules.

It appears that the list if not amended would disenfranchise the voters who are otherwise fully qualified to vote but for the mishaps. The numbers are not statistically significant.

It may require a private citizen who finds themselves in this position to move the courts for an order of rectification if they anticipate that when  they turn up to vote and they are refused or directed to vote on a coloured ballot.

The PLP or the government had nothing to do with this matter and like all parties were notified by the Parliamentary Commissioner of the issue and we sought to ensure that the rights of Bahamians to vote were protected and not denied them like the Leader of  the Opposition and his colleagues were insisting.

This is yet another attempt to create a pretext for their losing campaign.

End