By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham broke with his party on Friday and said Returning Officer Neil Campbell should remain in place for today’s Golden Isles by-election.

His comment came a day before Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson confirmed he is keeping Mr Campbell on and is confident the vote will be conducted with “transparency and without bias”.

Mr Thompson’s position came in response to Free National Movement chairman Dr Duane Sands, who wrote two letters outlining what the party called multiple conflicts that make Mr Campbell “wholly unsuitable” to oversee the by-election.

Mr Campbell told reporters on Tuesday he regarded Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis as his “adopted father”, a remark the FNM said strengthened its concern about his political proximity to the governing party.

Mr Thompson, however, said he attended the press conference where Mr Campbell “voluntarily” revealed his connections to the prime minister, FNM Leader Michael Pintard (his cousin), and candidate Brian Brown.

“He did not have to do this, but did so in the interest of transparency,” he said. “Having looked at all of the facts in this matter, including the fact that The Bahamas is a small country where it is difficult, if not impossible to find people of any standing who are not connected with, or in some way familiar with each other, and given the fact that I have had the opportunity to observe Mr Campbell, a highly respected public officer, and his professional ethics for a considerable period of time, I do believe that Mr Campbell will execute his public duties as Returning Officer (as he has done before) without fear or favour.”

“I agree that the world is watching and we must not be seen to penalise persons just because of who they are or know. In the circumstances, I have decided that we will have elections conducted with transparency and without bias.”

Meanwhile, Mr Ingraham, speaking to The Tribune on Friday night, said Mr Campbell’s mistakes during the advance poll showed inexperience but not wrongdoing.

“I think he’s inexperienced,” he said. “I don't think he's ever conducted a poll before.”

“I think when he said that he wasn't going to put the envelope in the box, that caused the FNMs to become very suspicious because the rules are that they were supposed to go in the box and then when he said he was gonna put them in a vehicle by itself, that further exacerbated the situation. But no, I don't think he was trying to do anything untoward, and there’s nothing he could do untoward.”

Pressed on whether Mr Campbell should stay, he said: “Yes, he’s learned his lesson. He’s learned what to do and what not to do, how the ballots ought to be handled at the end of it and sealed in the box. We expect that to happen on Monday. No problems.”

Mr Campbell has said he served in five general elections, seven local government elections, ten labour elections, and several Bahamas Union of Teachers elections, and has international training in election observation.

Mr Ingraham addressed FNM supporters at the party’s final rally before today’s vote and dismissed concerns about Mr Campbell’s relationship with the prime minister.

“I want to tell FNMs, don’t be focused on who the returning officer is,” he said. “The returning officer has good reason why he calls Brave daddy. That’s his business. He has good reason. People who call me Papa have good reasons for that too.”

“On election day, you focus on getting your voters out. Don't concern yourself on whether they gone thief an election from you. You can’t thief an election in The Bahamas. We got too many guardrails. We got too many rules and what not, too many experienced people for that to happen. Just be sure of that. You get your voters out, get those ballots in the box, get them counted.”

He said the country has repeatedly overseen fair elections under every governing party.

“The Bahamas was able to conduct an election to elect the PLP when the UBP was at its peak, and then they conducted an election when the PLP was at its peak and the FNM won, and then the PLP won, then the FNM won and the PLP won,” he said. “So whoever wins on Election Day will win. Don't concern yourself because an inexperienced returning officer messed up on the pre-polling day.”