The PLP, and Mrs. Allyson Maynard Gibson in particular are challenging the results of the May 2007 election on the grounds that people voted in the Pinewood Constituency and they did not live there, making their votes invalid.
Should the Court agree, Mrs. Gibson will be declared the winner of the poll and she will take the Pinewood seat in the House of Assembly with her colleagues on the Opposition bench and Mr. Byran Woodside, the FNM representative would have to vacate his seat.
It seems rather disingenuous for this case to go to election court for a several reasons.
First. The PLP was the government of the day and they appointed the people that prepared the Register for the election.
Second. Having worked in several campaigns over the years, each candidate is provided with a copy of the register of voters for their constituency so their election teams can verify that those persons on the register are actually resident in the area.
Third. If a name appears on the register and that person cannot be found the poll workers challenge that voter when they attempt to cast their vote on election day.
In addition to these, I understand that the PLP are complaining that Haitians born in The Bahamas registered to vote using their Bahamian identification cards. It is claimed this is an illegal practice that has been going on since 1996.
I realise I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but if it was illegal for allegedly allowing Haitian Bahamians to register in 1996 with no more than a Bahamian identification card, I wonder why the PLP only choose to raise this issue now?
Should they have raised it in 1997 when they lost or in 2002 when they won?
This all makes a mockery of democracy in my not so humble opinion.
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