Sidney Sweeting, DDS
Could there possibly be anyone in the Bahamas who is old enough to drive and is mentally competent enough to be allowed outside his/her home unaccompanied or left alone unattended, who would not be absolutely shocked at the announcement by Pricewell Forbes that Pleasant Bridgewater had been acquited, before the jury had finished deliberating?
The judge had no choice but to declare a mistrial and when we consider what this trial has already cost the country in money, the time given by a judge (one of the few available) and that it has to be done again we have to wonder how much further we have to go before there is no respectability left.
Surely there must be grounds for criminal charges for such an act – it has been suggested that he at least be put behind bars until the new trial is finished.
I feel hearty congratulations are due to Picewell Forbes… there should be some sort of award for such ignorant behavior!
He has successfully embarrassed himself, his Party, the Government of The Bahamas, and indeed Bahamians in general. More scandal in the world press – what must people think of this country when they read about this on MSN or hear it on the major Networks?
The attorney for Mr. Forbes, Anthony McKinney, said that his client was just repeating a rumor that he heard before his speech to the Progressive Liberal Party. Geez Picewell… with your background you don’t know better than this??!!
What about the time and expense for this debacle and retrial he has single handedly created? Not only to the Government of the Bahamas, but to the Travolta family, Pleasant Bridgewater and Mr. Lightbourne. I can only hope that the leadership of the PLP party will deal with Mr. Forbes for his irresponsible behavior within party lines and hope that our courts can find him in contempt. I agree with you Dr. Sweeting there must surely be criminal charges for something like this. How about obstruction of justice?
The irony for Pleasant Bridgewater is that if there was a shred of truth to this “rumor”, she really would have been a “free woman” today had Picewell not screwed it up for her!
I personally wouldn’t mind seeing him foot the bill for the new trial!
So Thank you Picewell Forbes… “Oh happy day…”
If there are no charges there sure as hell should be.What an ass.
What does not surprise me, is that some juror leaked info to the outside world.
The fact that he was ignorant enough to tell the world shows the real state of our political elite in that he is an accurate reflection of same.
We as Bahamians have no sense of propriety left, nor any respect of proceedures surrounding the law.
I feel that if justice is not served nor seen to be served, it will backlash on us even worse.
Courtesy of Hollywood, Mr. Travolta is a person with much sway.
Mind you, we all know how things work, or don’t.
Once again hear goes examples of why the penal code through reform to the Constitution is necessary in this modern time.
We need reform and we better get it soon – otherwise we will be slowly harmed of our ability to sustain ourselves.
The rule of law is essential for international respect – after all what does a person visiting our shores has to count on!! the caveat of lack of reliability and honesty of such people like the accused/defendants.
I wonder about reform though:
How on earth do we know the effect of reforming existing law when existing law is not followed or applied?
It could only be theoretical at best.
Like anything else, crappy legislation is written to “cover” some new real or percieved threat to society, (or to further empower the ruling elite)which is ignored with the same fervour as the existing laws.
Also, law should evolve somewhat naturally over time, by way of judicial review, which modifies existing law.
This is as rare as an honest politician and has not happened.
Let’s try applying the existing, before we start impinging on our rights as citizens, in order to curtail those who do not respect the law as is.
Chris you are spot on.
It’s really a farce.
I watched about 30 minutes of the PLP convention for example. They call themselves the party of the small man (whom I am still waiting to meet by the way) yet after they had 30 years in power, there are more “small men” than ever before.
How is that possible?
Then I’m sure the FNM will be patting themselves on their collective backs at their upcoming convention telling us how great they are, etc, etc…
The exact same thing with the laws. They create little fiefdoms and the problems get worse.
But just look how much fun we have jumping up and down and signing hymns at these conventions.
Rule of Law is essential for growth, sustenance, safety and development ….. without it- what will you replace it with …?
So, I say ….. the reasons that so many problems exists as you put it … comes from limitations on constitutional avenues to curtail the problems -Reform is necessary of the 21st century…. again reform is needed for protection for the majority of the land. Plain and simple!!
Dear Hanna:
Protection for the individual is paramount – not protection for the the majority.
Rick
Rick again you are absolutely correct.. The basis of our common law dates from 1215 and Magna Carta Libertatum. The rights of individuals were forced upon King John, and the great tradition of protecting individual rights had its humble beginnings. The concept of mass rights or “rights of the masses” has it roots in Marxism. Do some believe that this should be the basis for political change in our island nation? If so perhaps they should move to America where proposed health care reform is being introduced as a mass solution to the provision of universal health care with no regards to the wishes or needs of individuals. So be it. Socialism, or the rule of the masses, marches on debasing individual and human rights in its turbulence…
No No protection for the rights of individual is paramount …… and equals the protection of the land the context I used was poor at best …. aint no marxist here …. good dialogue and tradewinds I like it when you display your intellect absent emotions …..