By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie might go down in history as the prime minister “who attempted to destroy democracy” by allowing web-shops to “try to buy voters”, according to FNM leader Hubert Minnis.

Speaking last night after the gambling referendum results came in with a majority “no” vote, the Killarney MP also called on Bahamians to “return” to the church and pledged his party would also “move even closer” to the church.

“This would be a resounding victory for the Bahamian people,” Dr Minnis said. “Though the numbers may have been smaller than we normally see in terms of voting processes, they’ve spoken resoundingly.

“The church played a significant, most important, role in this and this is a message that the Bahamian people must appreciate the role the church has. This has galvanized the churches and I asked and urge all Bahamian people to move back, those who have deviated from the churches, must go back to the church.”

The church has not only a role in morality, the party leader said, but an “even more significant role” in ensuring that governments “do what is right” for Bahamians.

“Those who have deviated, need to return to the church because that would help to resolve a lot of the problems that we face today in terms of crime and other issues,” Dr Minnis said.

“The FNM saw what the church was doing. The church was trying to show the Bahamian people that we must maintain our moral standards, we must not deviate from the church and the FNM will most certainly move even closer to the church and encourage all Bahamians, FNM as well as PLP, to embrace the church and move this nation forward.”

Dr Minnis also gave his opinion on the current government and accused web-shop operators of “buying” voters.

“Perry Christie will probably go down as the prime minister who attempted to destroy democracy when he allowed the web-shop owners to literally go out and try to buy voters, bribe voters, put their money on voters’ web accounts, etc,” he said.  “That is overtly playing and trying to destroy democracy.”

Deputy Leader of the FNM, Loretta Butler-Turner said last night that the results show a “total rejection” of the prime minister and the referendum’s process.

“It certainly shows a lack of confidence in the leadership in the country. Especially the prime minister who promoted this particular referendum and did not listen to the people,” the Long Island MP continued.

“Certainly the church has a very important role in this and I think at the end of the day, this is certainly a demonstration that people will not be bought and they will not be bullied into doing what they are not comfortable with doing. I think this is a total rejection of Perry Christie.”

Attorney and former PLP chairman Raynard Rigby also weighed in on the referendum results and questioned if the government will now move to close the country’s web-shops.

“The question now is does Perry Christie have the moral authority to govern the Bahamas. That’s the issue because this is clearly a rejection of him and a rejection of a policy which he advanced,” Mr Rigby said.

“The Bahamian people spoke loudly and clearly... I think the prime minister has to search deep within himself. One of his major planks, that his party campaigned on, has been rejected by the Bahamian people. It’s a resounding no.

“The prime minister certainly made a promise. He said that if the people vote ‘no’, the next day he will move to close down the web-shops. The Bahamian people take him at his word and we therefore expect that he will do as he promised.”