Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday said he did not know exactly how many people are employed in web shops across the country but was confident that the number amounted to the thousands.
His comments came after a member of the Vote No group suggested that Christie was simply repeating inaccurate employment figures provided by web shop bosses. Yesterday, Grace Community Church Pastor Lyall Bethel claimed that he had been informed by an official at the National Insurance Board (NIB) that web shops pay contributions for fewer than 700 workers.
Bethel questioned if web shop bosses were inflating employment numbers to appeal for support ahead of the referendum.
"I heard a pastor say that I was just mouthing what the web shop operators said as to the amount of people who work in this business," the prime minister said after he voted in the advanced poll at The College of The Bahamas' Tourism Training Center. "They're going to be shocked to know the [number] of people who work in this business. The government can't afford to be shocked, we have to be in a position to deal with the outcome of this vote and there are going to be a lot of people who are displaced if in fact there is a negative vote.
"We have to deal with it. I can't run away and say, 'The Lord will provide.' Yes, the Lord will provide, but the government is expected to govern this country in the right way."
When asked to respond to Bethel's assertion that only a fraction of the reported 3,000 workers have NIB contributions paid for them, the prime minister said, "Not everybody registers at NIB. Most of the people who the Ministry of Finance was dealing with - web shops - had business licenses and [were] paying National Insurance contributions.
"I'm saying that the number [of web shop employees] amounts to thousands; exactly how much, I don't know," he said. "I was relying on figures given to me by the financial secretary who had been negotiating with them from 2010, who had prepared the legislation, who had accepted the figures. So all of the information I provided Parliament was based on the advice I got as a minister of finance from the financial secretary."
Christie added: "My intelligence told me last night that they had over 1,000 workers at the Crystal Palace who are employed at the web shop who came together in a meeting last night.
"All you have to do is drive around New Providence, count the [number] of web shops. . .then look at Grand Bahama and the amount of web shops, then look at what is happening at each of our islands. You don't have to be a scientist to know that there are numbers and numbers of people who are involved in this business."
People pushing the Vote Yes campaign have said web shops employ more than 3,000 workers across the country and pay out more than $14 million annually in National Insurance contributions.
More than 6,500 people were eligible to vote in the advanced poll. Acting Parliamentary Commissioner Sherlyn Hall said there were no major challenges and preliminary reports were positive and indicated a good turnout from all stations, including eight overseas.
At both polling stations in New Providence, dozens of gambling supporters wearing Vote Yes t-shirts outnumbered those from the Vote No group. At the polling station at the Kendal G L Isaac's Gym, several Vote Yes workers were bussed into the site and sat under a tent as voters slowly trickled into the center.
After he cast his ballot, the prime minister said he hoped people will vote based on their conscience, just as he did. Christie said whatever the outcome of the vote, the government would abide by the will of the electorate.
After the polls closed, Vote Yes released a statement which commended voters for a smooth process.
"Based on our exit poll results, we are confident that the Vote Yes Bahamas campaign has won the day," the statement said. "We are encouraged and believe that Bahamians will overwhelmingly vote to regulate and tax web shop operations and to establish a national lottery next Monday on referendum day."
The group also said that its campaign pledge to allow Bahamians to buy shares in web shops if the sector is regulated, will be honored after the vote.
"We look forward to next Monday's polling during which we are confident that the Bahamian people will vote yes, in the best interest of the country," the statement continued.

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