The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

According to a secretary (- not in this office) the no vote was because of:

Confusion/Trust:

1. The confusion over the bills – the wording wasn’t clear enough and the ministers - ( church and politicians) talk about the gay marriages, etc, made it too confusing and they could not trust what they were voting for.

2. REVENGE:

a. For the gambling “referendum”

b. For the VAT - which has caused businesses to close and jobs to be lost, and could have paid off the debt by now, but hasn’t - we don’t know what has happened to the VAT.

c. For the people who worked at Carnival last year, and have yet to be paid.

d. Because of the foreign performers who were paid for this year’s Carnival already and Bahamians haven’t been paid.

e. Because the government has visited hardship on the same people who voted for them.

1. The MONEY:

• How could it cost $7m to put on this referendum?

• They - the government - just did this now because it was a last chance to dip into the till before the next budget comes into effect at the end of this month.

• And also because the PLP are great at floating ideas, but have yet to bring any about. They promised, but haven’t delivered.

1. Citizenship promises:

2. The rumour is that the government has promised citizenships to the Chinese and wanted to use this to deliver - so the Chinese workers here could marry Bahamian women and stay.

3. They can and will achieve this by legislation and didn’t need the referendum.

These are the reasons that I have been given.

LEANDRA ESFAKIS

Nassau,

June 8, 2016.