NASSAU, BAHAMAS — While the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supports the establishment of a permanent voters’ register, PLP Leader Philip Brave Davis said yesterday the process is “fraught with opportunities for serious mistakes” and could cause the electorate to lose confidence if not approached with meticulous care.
He made the statement during a press conference at PLP headquarters on Farrington Road.
Davis said if the government fails to advance the security mechanisms of the process while easing the access for voters to register in a safe manner, it would be “offensive to the legal construct and the constitution of our country”.
“It is clearly fraught with opportunities for serious mistakes as the exercise lacks the requisite population census required every decade,” he said.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prompted the government to delay the undertaking of the census.
It was slated to begin in September.
Davis continued: “The PLP warns that such a major undertaking ought to be approached with appropriate care and attention to detail to avoid unnecessary errors, causing people to become concerned for the integrity of such an important tool in our democracy.”
The PLP leader expressed concern with the Parliamentary Registration Department using “outdated information” to carry out its constitutional duties.
Davis said he wrote to the attorney general, prime minister, minister of national security, and parliamentary commissioner on the matter.
He said while there is no need for a new register for a general election that takes place before mid-October 2021, the government should be focused on registering citizens who have reached the age of 18 and become eligible to vote, and eligible voters who have been forced to change residence due to externals shocks over the last year, including the pandemic and Hurricane Dorian.
Davis said: “These two aspects are where the focus ought to be: providing a safe, secure, and convenient process for everyone not properly on the current register to be listed.
“We have indicated that [the] study has to be extensive in order to offer innovative registration methods, being mindful of the serious challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“No citizen should be placed in harm’s way or have cause for concern that participation in a process would endanger them in any way.
“We are required to produce a register of the highest standard of reliability and integrity.
“This is especially so in these uncertain times.
“It will be grossly irresponsible of any party or official to implement any procedure or process which people do not believe is dependable.”
Dorian decimated communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama last September, displacing thousands.
South and Central MP James Albury has called on the government to give special consideration to displaced Abaconians.
