March 23, 2013Dear Sir,I had a call from a Hamilton businessman this morning regarding my letter ‘Stacking the deck’, which was published in The Royal Gazette on March 22, and the fact the business owners cannot vote in the Corporation of Hamilton’s elections.He went on to say, when this was first put in place, he called the Chamber of Commerce thinking they must have been flooded with calls from irate business owners, only to find out that he was the first one who had called.Mr acting Editor, this Hamilton building owner and business man is responsible for the welfare of 200 staff — 200 staff that depend on him for their livelihoods, and yet, he does not have the right to vote in the Hamilton of Corporation elections. Do you think it is fair?It is time for the business owners of Hamilton to take serious action against this rule, that was put in place for obvious reasons by the previous PLP Government, as it is a clear act of discrimination and political exploitation against the business people of Hamilton.In retaliation, they should withhold their taxes from the Corporation of Hamilton and if they had any gumption, they would march en-mass on the City Hall with the support of the Chamber of Commerce.As I stated in my previous letter, it is the businesses in Hamilton that keep the city alive, and vibrant, with the taxes that are collected by the Corporation. Otherwise, the city would be a non entity and the Corporation would have to close their doors. One has to ask, where is the justification for the business owners’ non-participation in the city’s election process?To the business people of Hamilton — if you sit back and do nothing about your rights, then you will get the results that you are now being subjected to. So, stop complaining and get off your passive duffs and fight. Just remember that back in the days when people were fighting for civil rights, they even had to fight to sit on a public toilet, now why don’t you fight to get off that toilet. When you think of it, nothing has changed much when it comes to one trying to rule over another, and that’s why one has to keep on fighting for what is right.PAT FERGUSON