BY DESTINY JOHNSON
Members of the Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) were at the polls on Wednesday (Sept.
27th ) casting their votes for the next slate of officers to serve on the executive team for the period
2023- 2026, and after the ballots were counted unofficial numbers revealed incumbent president
Kimsley Ferguson of the ‘Workers Team’ won convincingly.
Mr Ferguson and the ‘Workers Team’ defeated John Pinder of the ‘We Care Team’ and
Alexander Burrows of the ‘Power Team’ who were all vying for the post of BPSU presidency.
Mr. Fergurson has been BPSU president since 2017 and supporters of Mr. Burrows and Mr
Pinder said it is time for a change, but Ferguson’s supporters say otherwise.
On election day, vice presidential candidate for the Workers Team Renae ‘Sunshine’ Davis said
they were confident that they would win.
“Oh, our campaign went excellent. The trail and the response from our members was
phenomenal. I mean, listen, this was off the chain.
“I mean, I don’t want to go on and say why some of these people are coming back and why these
people who don’t know nothing want to run, but the campaign trail has been great, and I feel that
our team is going to be successful.”
Former director of Labour and Former BPSU President John Pinder was also confident in his
ability to win the elections. He was a long-time leader of BPSU before he entered politics and
eventually became Director of Labour in 2018.
Treasurer candidate for his team Livingston Ferguson said at the time John Pinder, if elected, will
take the BPSU to new heights. “Well, I feel confident. You know, our president to be is Mr. John
Pinder. He has a wealth of knowledge. He is very experienced. And know the same way he
would have emerged victorious in the past, he will be victorious today.
“I have no doubt about it. It’s time for a change. It’s time for a different view, outlook, as it
relates to the union. And I think that the ‘We Care Team’ is the team for the season. This is a
team that will definitely take the union and its members and the public service at large in a much
better direction,” said Ferguson.
Mr Burrows was also looking forward to a successful election in his favor. He has been vying
for the presidency for many years. Trustee candidate for the ‘Power Team’ Quincy Strachan said
Pinder and Ferguson would be beat. “People organizing with effective results, that’s what power
means, okay? It makes no sense having results if it ain’t effective. And we are out here this
morning and we’re gonna put a good beating on Mr. Ferguson and John, okay? This morning, it’s
a union war, all out union war.
Continuing he said, “See this hammer, this hammer is going to destroy John and Kimsley in a
positive way and repair the union what they destroyed in a positive way.”
The polls closed at 5pm on Wednesday across the country and once the ballots were counted
Ferguson was the unofficial winner, with his supporting slate also being returned in full.