The Tribune

IT IS not illegal, but is it right for a prime minister to be within the precincts of a polling station while citizens are voting — particularly when those citizens are government employees?

It is customary for the police and those civil servants whose services are required on election day to cast their ballots at least a week before the public.

In Coopers Town on Monday, October 8, the police went to the polling station.

For about two hours on that day Prime Minister Christie stood, cell phone in hand, under a tree across from the Ingraham Park and the polling station. Various persons went up and talked with him. It was even reported that Mr Christie watched as a PLP supporter went across to antagonise a group of FNMs, resulting in a full blown argument. According to reports, Shane Gibson and Melanie Griffin, left Mr Christie to go across to the arguing group, which eventually had to be broken up by the police.

However, the point is: Why should the Prime Minister of the Bahamas be in the vicinity of a polling station, especially at such a sensitive time?

Was this a silent reminder – as he told supporters at a recent rally in Abaco — that he was the prime minister and it was to him they had to go to get things done?

Regardless of the intention, the impression given was one of silent intimidation. Several Abaconians called us on the matter. They were extremely disturbed, some of them wondered why a prime minister would be standing under a tree so near a polling station when there were so many more pressing matters to be dealt with in the country.

Apparently, there are different points of view on this matter. It is understood that Mr Christie – as did his mentor, the late Sir Lynden Pindling – sees nothing wrong with circling the polls during an election. For Mr Ingraham it is crass intimidation. Mr Ingraham’s absence from around the polls was a talking point in the Elizabeth bye-election in Nassau on election day.

Whatever the point of view, it is a practice that should be immediately stopped. Intimidation is the only possible interpretation.

A photo of Mr Christie under the tree was posted on Facebook as was a police officer entering the police station wearing a yellow PLP shirt. The choice of shirt by the officer at the station was highly irregular. As a matter of fact it is against civil service rules, and should be immediately nipped in the bud by Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade. For many years now – under PLP administrations — many civil servants have broken the rules, and been patted on the back by certain PLP politicians for doing so. But for the police to show party colours is a big no, no. It should result in immediate disciplinary action to make certain it never happens again.

An unseemly incident at Los Chico’s Sports Bar in Treasure Cay involving PLP chairman Bradley Roberts and a group of FNM supporters on Saturday night has also left several Abaconians with different impressions. We also were called about this incident.

Apparently, a ZNS team arrived at the bar to interview patrons about former prime minister Ingraham’s legacy. Many thought this a strange topic in view of the pending election Monday morning. But what they found even more unusual was when Mr Roberts with a party of three pulled up just behind the ZNS team and entered the bar. The interview went on with Mr Roberts watching. An argument then broke out between Mr Roberts and one, if not more of the patrons. ZNS was still there with their cameras, but it was certainly one news reel that the public will never see.

The argument got heated. “Mr Roberts lost his temper and started to cuss,” said a patron. “That night he certainly walked into a wasps’ nest,” said another. “They told him about himself and sent him packing.” By this time the ZNS team had left, followed shortly after by Mr Roberts.

There were several interpretations of this incident. One person thought the arrival of Mr Roberts behind the ZNS team was a coincidence. Another thought that Mr Roberts was directing ZNS staff in who they should interview. Still another noticed that one of those on the ZNS team was a staff member who was instrumental in the recent staff shakeup at ZNS when experienced reporters, thought to be of the wrong political persuasion, were relegated to the back room, while persons like the staff member on duty that night took their place. However, whatever the point of view they were concerned that the government controlled radio station was now firmly in the hands of the government.

Although there were many unsavoury, even irregular aspects of this bye-election, the despicable party machine that goes out of its way to smear a person’s reputation by deliberate lies is the worst.

At 10:15 Sunday night a news flash from the gutter press crossed our computer screen.

Reports, it said, “at this hour confirm the former Prime Minister and resigned MP for North Abaco is at a spot in Coopers Town drunk as a bat.”

Immediately we called Abaco to check the report.

“A Category 10 lie!” steamed former House Speaker Alvin Smith. “I was with the man the whole afternoon. He wasn’t even in Coopers Town. We were in Blackwood attending a social — there were families and their children where eats and drinks were served. I was with him from about 7:15pm to 9:30pm when we left the social and went to our cars to go home. He drove himself.

“During that time,” said an increasingly angry Mr Smith, “he had nothing to drink. I offered him a drink, but he said he wanted nothing.

“In fact,” said Mr Smith, “Mr Ingraham spent at least half an hour talking with a bright 9th grade student who is in the same class as his eldest grandson, a grandson of Sir Lynden and a son of Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald.”

It was about 10:30pm when we called Mr Ingraham at his Cooper’s Town home to find out if he wanted to comment on the report. As usual he answered the telephone. Although he sounded tired, he certainly was not drunk.

And as usual he would not lower himself to dignify such calculated lies with either his attention or a comment. Mr Ingraham believes in letting skunks find their own level.