Published On:Friday, February 19, 2010

By ADRIAN GIBSON

ajbahama@hotmail.com

With no easily certifiable winner and throngs of voters who shunned the polls, the Elizabeth by-election has revealed voter discontent and, at this juncture, shown-up both the FNM and the PLP as poor political salesmen.

The Elizabeth by-election, featuring a virtual tie, ensuing recounts, hordes of lawyers and the possibility of an election court challenge, appears to have been the most contentious by-election campaign in recent history and has caused a political circus in that constituency.

The by-election was a nail-biter, initially yielding a razor-thin margin of victory for the FNM's candidate and a thoroughly inconclusive outcome.

The people of Elizabeth have not spoken definitively in terms of the election of a particular candidate (although in other ways) and the real winners of the race seem to have been the third party candidates--the spoilers--whose 141 combined votes siphoned off much needed votes to leave both of the mainstream parties short of triumph and in a statistical dead-heat.

As I wrote this column at 3.30 yesterday morning, the last report from sources at the polls, as well as a check of The Tribune's online, real-time updates, affirmed that FNM candidate Dr Duane Sands and PLP candidate Ryan Pinder, after respectively garnering 1501 and 1500 votes, were tied.

The Elizabeth seat is truly proving to be a political watershed.

Frankly, the fat lady had electoral laryngitis on Tuesday night and, with an uncertain outcome, could not sing.

Contrary to the views of party loyalists on both sides of the political divide, no torch (FNM symbol) was extinguished and there weren't any crabs (PLP symbol) being chased into the nearest hole.

Being an astute political luminary, undoubtedly Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham--win or lose--would realistically see the indefinite outcome of Tuesday's by-election as the electorate's evaluation of the FNM government thus far, a poll that has not yielded overwhelmingly positive returns.

While the hotly-contested race was not a ringing endorsement of the FNM, the PLP also could not capitalize on the dire economic times nor benefit in its capacity as a viable, major alternative.

The fact that approximately 1,800 registered voters spurned an opportunity to cast votes for any candidate is a clear indication that voters are possibly dissatisfied with both of the major parties and, contrary to Junior Social Services Minister Loretta Butler-Turner's fanciful on-air suggestion during ZNS's post-election broadcast, most of those non-participating electors, I believe, are eligible voters.

Indeed, in a nation where citizens bask in their participation in the electoral process, the low voter turnout (65 per cent) must be scrutinised so as to determine their rationale.

After all of the rallies and drunken carousing, where were the thousands of partiers? Or was it possibly, as I always suspected, that the vast majority of persons at the rallies were party-goers seeking a good time, party loyalists and persons who weren't even residents of Elizabeth?

At the time of this writing the final outcome of the by-election remained unknown, therefore I will discuss the third parties and return to the post by-election faceoff between the FNM and the PLP in a later column.

Admittedly, Bahamian voters appear to be still spellbound by the mainstream political parties, somewhat hooked on red and gold.

Although their involvement may have thrown the by-election into a tailspin, Workers Party candidate Rodney Moncur, BDM leader Cassius Stuart and NDP leader Dr Andre Rollins all lost their $400 deposits and, in terms of their own proclamation of victory at Tuesday's polls, were political non-events.

Cassius Stuart and crew have a bit more time to sail the ss BDM before the populace can truly--if they ever decide to--invest their trust in a third-party political captain. Although he received encouraging electoral returns, Mr Stuart is quickly being seen as a perennial loser and political opportunist.

In the Elizabeth by-election, Mr Stuart received 76 votes, just four more votes than 2007 BDM candidate Bernard Rolle who it appears would have probably garnered more votes in the district, where he also currently resides. Thus far, the BDM leader has run in three constituencies--St. Margaret (2002), Garden Hills (2007) and Elizabeth (2010)--which has led to the conclusion that Mr Stuart has a penchant for running in elections, seemingly more so than purposefully working an area and nurturing a seat. The fact that he was attired in an Easter-egg suit at the "great debate" was an ill-advised boo-boo. Although Mr Stuart appears to be quite intelligent and no doubt possesses leadership potential, he is being seen more and more as merely a political menace--simply a political pretender.

It does appear that campaign manager Dr Dexter Johnson's recent union with the BDM has reinvigorated this seemingly muted party after a period of near dormancy.

With the added exposure of the by-election, the BDM has re-emerged on the political landscape. However, I would not be surprised if Mr Stuart was entertaining the prospect of joining one of the major parties.

Now that the National Development Party has entered the political fray with its participation in the Elizabeth by-election, the party that continues to assert that it has no leader will perpetually be associated with newcomer and de facto leader Dr Andre Rollins, who has emerged as the face of the organisation.

Dr Rollins, whose ideas were impressive, claims to represent the new Bahamian. The NDP's internal democratic processes (e.g. a primary to select its candidate), ideas about national development and proposal of political term limits are noteworthy. I can appreciate Dr Rollins' passionate disposition as he espouses his view of a new political climate--one of accountability and sincere representation.

That said, Dr Rollins should refrain from trivialising the political process with quarters and continue to propose solutions and ideas to address the country's ills.

Dr Rollins' behaviour on nomination day, as shown on Cable 12's Newsbreak, was most unprofessional and inappropriate. Frankly, I thought the dentist's conduct led to a clash with PLPs, including PLP candidate Ryan Pinder, and he was too busy with diversions and gimmicks in a stagecraft that featured 1,600 quarters in a bag.

The new and intelligent electorate that Dr Rollins' has appealed to are anxious, I'm told, to know his plans for creating a better future for all Bahamians. Will the NDP simply be a pressure group, merely an instrument of compromise or will they evolve into an instrument of political fulfilment for the voting populace?

As an initial offering to the electorate, the NDP chose a bright and charismatic candidate who appears to have much to offer.

The inimitable, sometimes hilarious and dedicated death penalty campaigner Rodney Moncur has unquestionably raised his profile as a political activist in the wake of the by-election.

Mr Moncur is a maverick and one of the most genuine Bahamians I know, constantly demonstrating his zeal to protect and speak on behalf of the downtrodden.

The Workers Party leader appears to be a man whose heart is in the right place and I have come to respect him for the positive, old-school-Bahamian characteristics that he exhibits, which unfortunately have seemingly lost its prevalence in Bahamian society and our political culture.

At 53-years-old, Mr Moncur is multilingual, continues to be unafraid and well-researched and rendered an unforgettable performance at the "great debate" that at times was edifying and thoroughly amusing.

As I anxiously await the official by-election returns, I wonder if the Bahamian electorate will ever give a third-party a chance, and possibly prompt a coalition government.

All-in-all, it appears that the fringe parties don't ever entirely lose as the political stage presented by this by-election has yet again raised their national profiles.