By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE a term in office defined by controversy and criticism, Prime Minister Perry Christie insisted yesterday that his administration has done an “outstanding job” for and on behalf of Bahamians.

While the nation’s leader said he wouldn’t describe himself at this point as “confident” headed into the impending general election, Mr Christie said he believed that if justice is done Bahamians will see that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has earned their confidence in being able to govern the country for the next five years.

Asked whether he was any closer to announcing a date for the 2017 general election, he suggested that the Constituencies Commission has prevented him from making the decision. He went on to urge Bahamians to register to vote.

He was responding to a question from The Tribune during a press conference to announce that The Bahamas successfully negotiated ownership of its own airspace from the United States. He was asked whether this development or movement with the Baha Mar resort made him confident headed into election season.

“Constitutionally the prime minister has to play a role in the redistricting, if it takes place, of the Constituencies Commission. Ultimately the report goes to the prime minister who has the responsibility of reviewing it and if necessary using his own powers that exist to make decisions with respect to what has been recommended,” Mr Christie said yesterday. “That process for example has not been completed and you could not even conceive of having election until we have reached a point where we have determined which constituencies will exist as is and what constituencies will change. That’s a process that the Constituencies Commission is now involved in.

“We anticipate (it) will soon be brought to a conclusion and so therefore the second point that I’d like to make is to urge people to recognise that it is important that they register. That the prime minister and the government obviously has an agenda that is rapidly arriving at its completion stage and that there are no secrets to what time we have left between the month of January and the month of May. Therefore people are best advised if they want to exercise their constitutional right that they could only do so if they are registered and that is what I would say in respect to that.”

On Monday, House Speaker Dr Kendal Major, who is also chairman of the Constituencies Commission, said he was “disappointed” that the group has not completed its report, while revealing that several factors, including low voter registration numbers and “contention” among members, delayed its progress.

He explained that the contention among the rank and file of the commission was sparked by the leak of information into the public domain and published in local newspapers and social media. This, he said, was displeasing.

Mr Christie continued: “As to confidence you know we are observers as a government of what is happening in the country. We read and we listen. We attend to our duties as members of Parliament as best we can. We believe that regardless to what has been said and what is believed by some, that we have done an outstanding job for and on the behalf of the Bahamian people. We believe in the fullness of time that it is our responsibility to allow the Bahamian people to see why we are able to say that we think we have done a great job for them. That is our duty and our job to do that. My colleagues know that we are unable to control opinions of the written press nor should we be. People have the right to arrive at their own conclusions and their own recommendations.

“All I would do is urge my colleagues to understand is that we have a responsibility for ensuring that the people of The Bahamas understands the truth as we see it so that there is balance in what people are able to decide upon and that’s our obligation as well to ensure that whatever assets we have as a government to enable people to arrive at a fair and just decision about events in their countries.

“We do not hesitate to use them to the maximum advantage to enable people to have access to information such as this what we have done, such as Baha Mar what we have done, without it being clouded by a political opinion and negative political conclusions, which will come about by people who are partial to their point of view,” he said.

“So I don’t think confidence for me is the word I would use at this stage. I happen to have a conviction that if justice is done that the people of the Bahamas will see that we have earned the right for their respect in how we have gone about governing and that we have earned their confidence in their being able to determine that we ought to be given an opportunity to form a new government after the next general election.

“What I want to conclude with is that we have protected the democracy during our term and that we have a wonderful democracy in our country and every day that we have the privilege to govern ourselves feel privileged that the Bahamian people have given us the opportunity at this stage in our history,” Mr Christie said.