The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

MAY 10 is already more than a week past and the smoke and mirrors of the campaign have disappeared and reality is now the issue - reality in can Prime Minister Hubert Minnis deliver ‘It’s The People’s Time’?

Immediately as with all elections, a new Administration has the enormous financial issue to face. The total madness of two successive General Elections, being on the eve of when a Budget has to be presented, is just that but that is a reality, so we face it. Minister Peter Turnquest probably will go to Parliament with a request to borrow $300m to $400m to meet short-fall responsibilities of the Treasury (bills needed to be paid, plus the Police arrears of $28m and long considerations of meeting fiscal borrowings etc will also have to be met).

The People’s Agenda - Good Governance page (1) of Manifesto. I suggest PM Minnis has to deliver on at least four of those issues. He can and must, or he will be on the failing route, immediately missing the popularity hype post-election, when a PM cannot make a mistake but delay problems.

So I expect by November, 2017, there will be a Referendum to Amend - Term of Prime Ministers, Recall of MPs, Independent Boundaries Commission, Fixed date for Elections, Campaign Finance, as well as donations to MPs reform.

Is it possible? Possible should not be a consideration. If PM Minnis does not take this challenge, he and the Free National Movement (FNM) will never bring these basic reforms of the People’s Agenda.

For a fixed day for Election - the date should only be in February or November - the PM should retain the right, subject to Parliament’s approval, to call an Election earlier (UK system). Term limits for PM … logical is two consecutive terms.

The Speech from the Throne on Wednesday should say this: that in November there will be a Referendum on these issues. Let us see if the FNM believe in their People’s Agenda?

TRICIA HUMES

Nassau

May 20, 2017