http://www.thenassauguardian.com/national_local/338393309887842.php




Gomez: Let's start anew.



By KRYSTEL ROLLE , Guardian Staff Reporter

krystel@nasguard.com

Just one week following the revelation that the Progressive Liberal Party would contest five seats in the election court, Archbishop of the West Indies and Turks and Caicos Islands, Drexel Gomez, warned Bahamians to stop fighting over the outcome of the May 2 general elections.

This warning was delivered during the Bahamas Christian Council's National Service of Repentance, Healing and Unity on Sunday, shortly before the Archbishop prayed for unity in the country.

Last week The Guardian learned of the PLP's plan to contest five seats in election court in hopes of reversing the five-seat majority that permitted the Free National Movement to form the government.

Included in the seats to be contested are: Pinewood, Blue Hills, Golden Isles, Marco City and Seabreeze, all of which were lost by less than 64 votes. After several recounts following the May 2 general elections, the FNM was declared the official winner with 23 seats to the PLP's 18.

MP elect for Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador Philip Brave Davis, Wayne Munroe and Neville Adderley are the attorneys reported to be challenging the FNM in the election court. If the PLP were to win three of the five seats, they will regain power.

Archbishop Gomez said that following the elections he got a "chill up his spine", as he became concerned that the nation had allowed politics to "get out of hand".

"Although election is resolved, people are still fighting the election and we have to leave the election behind us," he cautioned. This statement received resounding applause from the attendees, which included Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and the majority of the FNM cabinet.

"We must take note of something that has happened (preceding and following elections)," he said. "I believe that the temperature in last election rose a higher than I have ever experienced. As the temperature rises within political parties there is the danger of polarization. When we become polarized, then we are saying that our political affiliation is an overriding fact – that is a dangerous act," he warned.

If we don't regularize our politics, we are headed for trouble, he continued, advising the leaders of the country to better manage the election process.

"When the day comes that I lose my friendship and friends because of political affiliation; when in families people stop speaking to one another because of political affiliation; when our institutions – one set [of individuals] are not speaking to other set because of political affiliation, we are in trouble," he continued.

Gomez also gave two "very glaring" examples of the after-effects of allowing politics to become "absolute." He noted that Guyana was almost destroyed because of political conflict and to a lesser extent, Jamaica, is a country that is very divided over politics.

Leaving a final warning before he prayed for unity, Archbishop Gomez reminded the crowd that Bahamians must come first and political parties second. "When being an FNM or a PLP is more important than being a Bahamian then we are in trouble," he said gravely.

"Bahamians must work assiduously to create an environment in which people are free to hold their own political allegiance or persuasion and not allow that to serve as a barrier to working for the common good, working for the building up for a better Bahamas.

May 29th 2007

Some one with sense and influence needs to say it. Hopefully the other religious ministers will have some guts to say the same.

It is time this nation come together and start to heal in the wake of a contentious election. Let us all hope that common sense and decency will prevail.

"We must take note of something that has happened (preceding and following elections)," he said. "I believe that the temperature in last election rose a higher than I have ever experienced. As the temperature rises within political parties there is the danger of polarization. When we become polarized, then we are saying that our political affiliation is an overriding fact – that is a dangerous act," he warned.


So true.
Lets move on......

forcing someone to 'heal' or move on is as traumatizing as the event that has caused them to 'be stuck'...
that's not what healing is about...
and perhaps thats why even when you offer advice with sincerity they are unable to recognize your compassion...

Healing will be difficult for some as long as the cloud of uncertainty hangs out there.

Should there be an extremely STRONG sense that someone messed with either Registration of voters who were unqualified to vote, or intimidated voters who stayed away from the polls, then perhaps questions are in fact appropriately being asked.

On the other hand, if certain seats are being looked at when there is little or no chance that irregularaties took place, then that is assinine.

The Country should hold its breath while this is played out. Should seats be contested before the Election Court, and there are NO CHANGES, then the PLP will have to square this with Bahamians, and take whatever consequences befall them.

On the other hand, should it be determined by The Court that crookedness went on, should we not want that to be fleshed out? No one should want to be declared the winner of anything and not deserve it.

As in 2002 in the MICAL Const., which was taken to Election Court, we should allow the process to work its way through the Courts.

Whatever the outcome, less than 50% of Bahamians will be happy, so let us yield to the majority, and have the process continue. That is what the courts are for.

Truth will always prevail, I think!