PLP Fires Back At Turnquest

Over the weekend, Minister Turnquest told a local daily that he identified the operatives.

"What I do also say is that the Parliamentary Registration Department and its workers have gone throughout the constituency knocking on doors to identify persons in the constituency who are on the register, so they have also been trying to find out those people who do not live in the area," he said.

During a press conference yesterday, Mr. Roberts said the problem stemmed from a funeral that both he and the minister attended.

Further, PLP Vice President of the South Beach branch, Ricardo Smith, was also at the funeral.

Mr. Smith told reporters yesterday that Minister Turnquest attempted to intimidate him.

"I attended the funeral of Chad Farrington, who was a childhood friend of mine and at the funeral, Minister Turnquest said to me that he knows that I am registered to vote in the Elizabeth constituency and my reply to him was ‘you sure?’ I responded to him that I know that you were going to arrest me on the 15th. He said ‘no, I am going to arrest you on the 17th’," he said.

During the press conference Mr. Smith took out his voter’s card and said, "I am registered in Englerston. I still reside in Englerston. I am not registered in Elizabeth; I have no intentions of voting in Elizabeth and I am not in any way afraid of Mr. Turnquest or the FNM or whatever they intend to do in this line of intimidation."

Mr. Smith claimed that the FNM is using intimidation tactics because it knows that it will not win the Elizabeth by-election.

"There are three known Ricardo Smiths that are on the register, but I am not one of the persons registered in Elizabeth," he said.

Meantime, Mr. Roberts said, "The minister has created a serious breach of the sacred obligation to the Bahamian people."

"To make a baseless, groundless accusation, when he . . . could have drawn a reasonable conclusion that this Ricardo Smith who is seated at my left is not one of the three registered in Elizabeth," he said.

Mr. Roberts said it is very simple for someone to identify any Bahamian who has registered to vote.

"Either you are a customer of BEC, BTC or Water and Sewage Corporation," he said. "The parliamentary commissioner has the ability to check every single voter on the list throughout the commonwealth. Our team is doing just that. We have found some people and we are looking for the rest. The minister has decided to muddy the waters by putting the blame to the Progressive Liberal Party for having people register who are not residents in Elizabeth."

"A minister is to be responsible. A minister is not to be reckless. A minister is not supposed to cast blame unless he has the facts and can justify what he is accusing other people of. It is wrong, morally, illegally and any otherwise to do so."