A majority of respondents in a poll conducted by Bahamian research firm Open Current seeking to capture the "approval rating of possible governor general candidates" said they would prefer former Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia "Mother" Pratt to become the next governor general of The Bahamas over several other prominent Bahamians whose names were listed on the survey.

Five names were offered as answers: Pratt (who scored 6.28 on a scale of 0-10); Ruby Ann Darling (who scored 5.89); A. Loftus Roker (who scored 5.41); Bishop Neil Ellis (who scored 4.27) and George Smith (who scored 4.18).

Roker and Smith were members of the 15-member Bahamian delegation who negotiated Bahamian independence with the British in December 1972.

They are among five members who are still alive and both served in Cabinets of the late former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling.

Darling, a former parliamentarian, is best known for being the first woman to register to vote in The Bahamas.

Ellis recently retired as senior pastor of Mount Tabor Church.

Respondents were asked, on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being strongly approve and 0 being you do not approve at all, how much would you approve of each of the following people as a potential governor general?

Pratt scored highest among males and females.

Smith edged out Ellis as being slightly more popular among males, but Ellis was slightly more popular among females than Smith.

Pratt was more popular in several other categories polled, including among people 18-34, among people from households earning under $30,000, and among people from households earning $60,000 and over.

Darling was slightly more popular than Pratt among the 35-54 age group.

Darling also scored higher in the 55 and over group. And she also edged out Pratt in the $30,000-$60,000 demographic.

Ellis scored lowest among those with a household income of over $60,000, slightly lower than Smith's score.

Ellis and Smith had a tied score among people in the $30,000-$60,000 bracket, but the score was not as high as those received by the other "potential candidates".

Pratt has served on numerous occasions as deputy to the governor general.

The current governor general, Sir Cornelius Smith, who is 85, has been in the role since June 2019. There has been no announcement that he will leave the position soon, though there is an expectation in some circles that it could happen before the observation of the 50th anniversary of independence in July.

There is also no indication that any of the people whose names were mentioned on the survey are even interested in the position.

Smith told The Nassau Guardian the survey was clearly some kind of a distraction.

"It is designed to focus attention off what the real issues are in this country that we have to face," he said.

"We have a serious problem in immigration, crime; we have great challenges in education; we have great challenges in healthcare; we have great challenges in empowering Bahamians and we are being diverted by a poll that is not at all relevant.

"And I believe that the selection of a governor general has to do with what individual can best serve the needs of the Bahamian people as we progress into becoming a republic, and I'm most disappointed that people who are allegedly smarter than this exercise gives them credit for became involved in such a BS exercise."

Smith said he felt "used".

Regarding who should be the next governor general, he said, "It does not occupy my time, my attention or my interest and at a time when I'm known for speaking candidly and openly in the interest of the Bahamian people to include me in what I call a BS exercise, it's tantamount to my being used, for what purpose, I have not yet figured it out."

Smith has long supported The Bahamas becoming a republic.

The last constitutional commission, which was headed by former Attorney General Sean McWeeney, did not recommend that there should be any change in the British monarch as head of state and the Office of the Governor General as the representative of the monarch under a constitutional monarchy.

However, the commission said the government should embark on a process of public education to prepare the public for a possible change to a republican form of government "at some point in the future".

That was a decade ago.

Regarding the Open Current survey, The Nassau Guardian was unable to confirm who funded it.

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