Former BHCAWU President Talks About Court Ruling

Roy Colebrooke told the Bahama Journal Wednesday that the recent Supreme Court ruling, which declared the May 28th elections null and void, offered his team another chance to lead the almost 6,000 member strong organization.

Mr. Colebrooke said that his team is ready to head back to the polls to usher in the “right representation.”

“[Based on the court’s ruling], the only thing we could do [was to] set new dates for the nomination and elections, to ensure that all of the members have an opportunity to vote in a fair election,” Mr. Colebrooke said.

Ms. Martin recently said despite the court ruling, Mr. Colebrooke has not been restored to lead the union. However, Mr. Colebrooke disagrees.

He said the ruling gave the union’s former administration the authority to decide on the dates for nominations and elections.

That team includes former First Vice President Kirk Wilson, General Secretary Leo Douglas and Treasurer Basil McKenzie.

“The fact of the matter is that if the elections on May 28th were made null and void and the certification on June 2 was null and void, that would mean that the elections never existed,” the former president said.

“The only [position] Nicole Martin would have [held] inside the hotel union was [a position as an] organizer. She was not an officer and so she would have no part when it comes to the date for the new nominations or new elections,” he said.

Questioned as to whether or not the court ruling could mean a victory for his team, Mr. Colebrooke said he remains optimistic.

“Well I would not speak to that at this point because there is much to be talked about before the upcoming elections. [People now] have to get back in the campaign mode and so there is much to be talked about,” Mr. Colebrooke said.

He added that the executive council is expected to meet sometime soon to decide on the respective dates for the union’s nominations and elections.

Source: The Bahama Journal