Reader poll
Which political party do you think has had the strongest message so far in the general election campaign?
- PLP
- FNM
- DNA
- Independent/Other
924 total votes.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
SOME traditional supporters of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the Free National Movement (FNM) in the Elizabeth constituency see no reason to change their preference when they vote in eight days, they told The Tribune yesterday.
The PLP has won the constituency in every election this decade, yet the perception exists that the constituency could be a toss up this time around. The area is also hotly contested, with eight candidates vying for the seat.
For the PLP’s candidate, Alex Storr, he’ll likely receive no boost from his association with Ryan Pinder, who served as the area’s MP since the 2010 by-election.
Mr Pinder is unpopular in Elizabeth, with even staunch PLP supporters struggling to say positive things about his representation in the area.
Many say Mr Pinder abandoned the constituency around the time he resigned from Cabinet as financial services minister in 2014 to take up a lucrative job with a bank.
“Ryan Pinder never treat us good,” said an elderly woman who has historically voted for the PLP and plans to do so again in 2017, though she hopes Mr Storr will perform better than his predecessor.
“We had so much things happen here,” she added, pointing to the roof of her home that was badly damaged by Hurricane Matthew but has since been fixed. “We had the hurricane and (Mr Pinder) never came to ask us how we did.”
When she moved into the community 35 years ago, it was home to mostly devoted PLPs, she said.
Now she senses more than ever that there is significant political division.
When she went around her neighbourhood several weeks ago with PLP paraphernalia, she said, some residents told her not to bring them near.
“I think what people are really upset about is that VAT,” she said. “I went to the store a couple weeks ago to pick up two boxes of salad and it came out to nine-something. I said ‘What?’ They said ‘Miss that’s VAT.’”
Her neighbour across the street, Marco Roberts, is also a traditional PLP supporter.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force officer considers himself a “generation PLP” and said while Mr Pinder has been absent from the community ever since he resigned from Cabinet, this won’t stop him from voting for Mr Storr, whom he said has presented a vision and direction for the community that he supports.
“There is confidence on both sides,” he said, “and there are problems on both sides. Anybody who says they know for sure what will happen doesn’t. It’s going to be close in this constituency.”
The Tribune also met a retired couple that was working outside their house on Trinidad Avenue within Elizabeth Estates, a traditionally strong community for the PLP.
The two residents said they are undecided.
They know they won’t vote for the PLP but they appeared open to supporting the FNM.
“It’s time now for new leadership,” said the woman, Mrs Johnson. “Perry has to go. Nottage (was incoherent) the other day and the question is, what is there for the young people?”
Her husband, Mr Johnson recounted a story about a suicidal man he encountered several weeks ago, who considered taking his life because he had no job.
And Mrs Johnson, unprompted, defended FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis from criticism that he “can’t speak,” insisting people said the same thing about former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham when he first sought to lead the country years ago.
The Johnsons’ children were educated at the university level in the United States but struggled to find work once they returned to The Bahamas, colouring their parents’ impression of the state of the economy.
Not far from the pair, another Elizabeth resident, Terricita Ferguson, said she’s undecided but is leaning toward the FNM despite supporting PLP’s Renardo Curry when she lived in North Abaco five years ago.
To win Elizabeth, swing voters like her are the kind Dr Duane Sands, the FNM’s candidate, will need to win over.
He lost Elizabeth by a small margin to Mr Pinder five years ago, receiving 1,925 votes to Mr Pinder’s 2,049 votes.
His job in this year’s race is perhaps made difficult by the fact that polling divisions in the 2012 race that were strongest for him were removed from the Elizabeth constituency by the Constituencies Commission and added to Yamacraw, an act Dr Sands believes was intended to wound him.
He had won those polling divisions–numbers 10 and 12 respectively–by 98 and 83 votes, by far his best showing in the area.
Despite losing such divisions, he hopes to benefit from voters disgruntled with the PLP.
For now, however, he can’t count on a vote from a resident who identified herself as Ms Ferguson, in part because although she’s registered, she’s not sure she will vote at all.
“I’ve seen no candidate in the area,” she said. “I know Dr Sands because he was here the last time but I’m undecided because I have no one to talk to.”
In addition to Mr Storr and Dr Sands, other area candidates include Jay Armbrister, Independent; David Bastian; The People’s Movement; Craig Bowe, Independent; Terneille Burrows, Independent; Rozanna Moore, Democratic National Alliance and Dione Pratt, Bahamas Constitution Party.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 11 months ago
May be the voters of Elizabeth Estates have figured out what the political game is all about. Five years from now Minnis and the FNM would be doing exactly the same thing as Christie and his crew are doing now....buying votes any way they could to leave the Bahamas as financially crippled as possible after the refilling of the public purse with another round of new taxes and borrowings that would be quickly pillaged and plundered through waste, fraud, corruption and outright theft. The aim is always to make it impossible for the next government to govern so that five years later the previous set of crooks are back for their turn again. And around and around we go.....sinking further down the proverbial toilet. Yes fellow Bahamians, this is the game that continues to be played in Bahamian politics today. It's a game with a select few very corrupt winners and with the vast majority of Bahamians as the big time losers. Everyone supporting the FNM today would be supporting another political party five years from now after Minnis, Symonette and D'Aguilar would have had their turn at that most bountiful trough....the public purse refilled yet again with even more government taxes, fees and borrowings.
tell_it_like_it_is 6 years, 11 months ago
Could not agree more. Both parties have had corrupt practices over the years. That is why I hate the term "DIE HARD" supporters. The voting public who subscribe to be Die Hard PLP, FNM or DNA means that they see that whatever party they support as capable of doing no wrong or even worse, whatever wrong they do will be excused.
I hope we can be mature enough in the general public to look at our CANDIDATES and if they have proven themselves, select accordingly. I personally, am tired of placing "faith" in a particular political party. It would be amazing to have all hard working candidates get in only and the chip falls where it may as far as which party actually wins (but I guess that would only happen in an Afterschool Movie Special ). lol
Greentea 6 years, 11 months ago
8 people running? I wish more constituencies were this clogged. If I lived in Elizabeth, I would vote for Terneille Burrows. She is from a younger generation seem to have sense and a heart for the country.
Regardless 6 years, 11 months ago
Pinder is nothing but an opportunist. Its in his DNA. Hopefully this constituency and all others are wise enough to choose representation which is the lesser of two evils.
John 6 years, 11 months ago
There are several categories of voters: (1) The staunch party supporter, the 'one and done' voter, the one that has made a clear choice. These are the voters who are determined to vote one way and one way only. Usually it will be for one of the major parties, but admittedly, the DNA has garnered loyal supporters who will only vote DNA . . (2) The FED UP (with them) voter. These are the voters who are fed up with the major parties (PLP and FNM) and will note for either of them. They will vote either DNA or independent, even if they have no expectation of their candidate (or party for that matter) winning. This way if things go wrong they can say, "don't blame me, I didn't vote for any of them you see." . (3) The disenchanted and ticked off voter who is not only fed up with the major parties, but frustrated with the entire system. So much so they want to vent their anger. They want someone else to know how they feel. So they would go through the process of registering, get in line to vote come election day. But they will spoil their ballot: deface it, not mark a vote or do anything to ensure their ballot does not count. "Their way of saying y'all waste my time, now I'm wasting yours." Without prejudice these are usually female voters. . (4) The NON VOTER: These persons go thru the process of registering, but for some reason they do not get to the polls to vote. They do not have enough drive, they cannot be bothered, they don't feel the election is important enough to interfere with their regular schedule, or they were just convinced enough to get out and vote. They bury their talents in the sand so to speak. . (5) The NON Registered Eligible VOTER. Does not even be bothered to registered. Some do not register for religious reasons. Others do not register because they do not have ready access to required documents. These persons are prepared to leave the fate of their governance to other people. The religious ones claim ti is not their duty to elect worldly governments and are prepared to go along with whichever government is elected.
sheeprunner12 6 years, 11 months ago
Alex Storr got run out of Long Island in 2012 ........... Ryan Pinder just quit on the Elizabeth constituency in order to make millions of dollars .......... Malcolm Adderley before that quit on them ........... What is the matter with this area??????? ........... At least Doc Sands has been committed to the area for 7 years ......... Should they give him a try???????
alfalfa 6 years, 11 months ago
So, if all of the political parties, and their leaders are corrupt, what do we do "well mudda, an tell it"? Will we continue on with the same PLP, or try the FNM, or DNA. Or do we call on mother England to rescue us from our "corrupt" politicians, and tell them we can't run our country; so come in and take over like in Turks and Caicos? What are the solutions? We will never have the "good" winning candidates from the FNM join hands with the "good" winning candidates of the PLP, and form a unified coalition. Should we do away with political parties altogether, and go back to the way it was prior to the UBP days. I, for one, believe that the FNM is the best option right now. They MAY prove to be corrupt, OR NOT, but the PLP HAVE PROVEN to be corrupt.
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