Rick Lowe
Bahamians love politics. Or should I say we love the games that are played, particularly the name calling.
With the recent resignation of Mr. Malcolm Adderley, former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Member of Parliament for the Elizabeth Constituency in the Eastern District of New Providence, residents there will be voting in a By Election on February 16, 2010.
The governing Free National Movement (FNM) has named Dr. Duane Sands, one of the finest surgeons in the country while the PLP have fielded young Mr. Ryan Pinder, an attorney specializing in US tax law.
Other serious groups to field candidates are the Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM) who will be putting up their leader, Mr. Cassius Stuart as their flag bearer, while the newly formed National Development Party (NDP) were to elect its candidate tonight.
There are apparently a couple other groups that are rumoured to field a candidate.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Sands from a distance and have met Mr. Pinder on a couple of occasions (although we are distant cousins I'm told) and believe them both to be worthy candidates.
It seems that both political parties have no "dirt" on either of these gentlemen so the campaign is focusing on the two party leaders. Mr. Hubert Ingraham, Prime Minister, and Mr. Perry Christie leader of the Opposition.
That being the case, based on the five years (2002 - 2007) Mr. Christie was Prime Minister, choosing Mr. Ingraham would be the obvious choice.
However, bearing in mind Elizabeth has traditionally been a PLP seat, seems to me it is an uphill climb for the FNM to win it. Having said that, the FNM is the government of the day, so it would be in the best interest of the residents of Elizabeth to vote FNM if they expect to get anything done by the government for their constituency until the next General Election in 2012.
What would be interesting though is if a truly independent candidate wins. That would serve a couple purposes.
The two major political parties would sit up and take notice and we could possibly get a Member of Parliament that could be pragmatic when legislation is presented to Parliament. In other words, they would not have to agree with everything the FNM does as an FNM will have to do. Nor will he have to oppose everything like a PLP would have to do in Opposition.
Whatever the outcome of the election lets hope the winner understands that they should be guided by the Constitution of The Bahamas, something that successive governments have forgotten from time to time.
