The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I write in response to your column of September 1, 2021, entitled “Why is there no plan for the Quarantined?” Good question! The answers that have been offered by the “powers that be” thus far lie somewhere in the range between pathetic and paralyzed.

The eligible citizen’s right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights in a democracy: in fact, it defines democracy. I have been shocked and dismayed, therefore, to listen to not one but two Cabinet Ministers – and the Chairman of the incumbent party – cavalierly and sweepingly dismiss this right, potentially disenfranchising hundreds if not thousands of Bahamian voters in the process.

National Security Minister Marvin Dames, who should know better, has the gall to compare the quarantined to the incarcerated. No, Mr Dames, the sick are not criminals. They are not paying a debt to society, and if they are registered and wish to vote then they have a right to do so.

Health Minister Renward Wells says his Ministry thinks the quarantined should not be allowed to vote because they pose a danger to the public.

No, Mr Wells, your job is not to determine who may or may not vote. Your job is to find a way to facilitate access for those who are eligible. Free National Movement Chairman, Mr Carl Culmer, asks why a person in quarantine would want to “jeopardize” others: I don’t know, Mr Culmer! Why did your party call an election in the middle of a pandemic, at the height of a surge?

We have processes in place that allow Bahamian citizens living in foreign countries to cast their vote. Why can’t we find a way to allow people who want to respect public health concerns – but also want to exercise their right as citizens – to vote? If eligible citizens do not have full access to the democratic process, then the process is flawed.

The Bahamas has a proud heritage as the second-oldest functioning parliamentary democracy in the Western Hemisphere. To Messrs Dames, Wells, and Culmer et al, I say: Shame on you, gentlemen! We have the processes, we have the resources, and we should have the desire to make a plan for the quarantined. Please, get it done!

CATHY RAMSINGH-PIERRE

Nassau,

September 1, 2021