By CANDIA DAMES ~ Guardian News Editor candia@nasguard.com:
The Free National Movement is delighted that the Progressive Liberal Party gave up the Elizabeth seat so the FNM can pick it up, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said Saturday.
Ingraham spoke to reporters as the FNM launched its Elizabeth campaign.
The seat became available earlier this month after attorney Malcolm Adderley resigned from the House of Assembly, citing disaffection with the leadership of the PLP.
Asked whether he was in a position to say whether another event is yet to unfold in the House of Assembly in terms of the numbers in the FNM or the PLP, Ingraham said he was not.
"I take these things one day at a time," he said.
"The people of Elizabeth trusted the PLP with their seat in the last election. The PLP cashed in; threw their hands in and said they don't want the seat. The man that they put in the House of Assembly has decided he wants to resign, which has put Elizabeth now back in the election place.
"The FNM has come along and said 'let us have it please, we know what to do with it, you can trust us with your seat.' We will not be cashing in our seat: We will not be throwing our hands in. We will hold it, we will defend you, we will promote you, we will represent you and we will govern in your best interest. And so we are delighted that the PLP gave it up, so that we can pick it up."
Adderley won the Elizabeth seat over the FNM's Elma Campbell by 45 votes.
Ingraham was asked how he felt about his party's chances of winning the seat.
"Ever since the election of 2007, indeed since January of this year, some 290-plus persons have either registered to vote or have been transferred into this constituency so that essentially, this constituency has probably five or six percent more voters than it had the last time," he noted.
"Of course, some people would have moved out also. I do not know what the net result is going to be at the end of the day. We think it is a competitive seat, and we are going into it hopeful that the people of Elizabeth will join the FNM's Trust Team.
"We have selected a first-class candidate, we think that we have provided good governance for The Bahamas, and we think that we have the programs and the vision for The Bahamas and that we are the better of the two major parties to represent Elizabeth and to govern The Bahamas at this time."
He said the party has a national message for Elizabeth - "that we are the government in these tough times, that the Bahamian people have trusted us to lead them and we have demonstrated that we are compassionate, considerate, concerned, focused, and prepared to be accountable and transparent in the governance of the affairs of the people of The Bahamas. "
Ingraham said he had no idea how much money the FNM will spend in Elizabeth.
"I know we have very little money," he added.
"We have to buy posters - we are not like the PLP, as you see they have posters left over from the last election because their posters came in late. And so they can plaster [PLP leader Perry Christie] all over the place telling the Bahamian people that he is still the right choice for The Bahamas.
"They are arrogant. They couldn't care less about how the people felt - they say they are still the right choice. Well they will find out whether they are still the right choice. The people told them already [that] they are not the right choice for The Bahamas. He is not the right man for The Bahamas. He might be the right man for the PLP, but not for The Bahamas."
Ingraham told reporters he could not say whether the response from voters in Elizabeth will be overwhelming, but he said the FNM hopes to motivate a large number of voters to vote.
"Generally speaking, many people don't view by-elections in the same way they view general elections in that at the end of the day, the government will still be the FNM and they would have a change of membership in a seat," he said.
"But we hope to convince them that it is just as important to vote in a by-election as it is to vote in a general election, and Elizabeth ought to have its voice heard in the Parliament of The Bahamas and its representations heard by the Government of The Bahamas."
January 18, 2010
thenassauguardian
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
