by Adrian Gibson
First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here…
FIRSTLY, let me sincerely express kudos to the Christie administration for introducing a compendium of Bills meant to eliminate all forms of gender inequality and discrimination that has for far too long been representative of some of the most discomposing blemishes in our Constitution.
I think that passage of these Bills through both Houses of Parliament should be simple and garner the support of all members. However, the fact that the government has proposed a referendum in the wake of last year’s gaming referendum – that was thereafter not adhered to and held to be a non-binding opinion poll by government representatives -leaves many Bahamians to question the sincerity of the newly-proposed referendum set for November 6.
Frankly, whilst I believe that all right thinking Bahamians should vote ‘yes’ in support of a Constitutional Referendum that seeks to level the playing field for men and women, the people’s experiences with key figures in the governing party during the last Constitutional Referendum in 2002 and with the conduct of last year’s opinion poll has led to calls in some quarters for some to boycott this year’s referendum, with some persons openly stating that they refuse to “ink up” their fingers for a “another phony referendum.”
That said, I do not share that view and would discourage any Bahamian would thinking along those lines.
According to Prime Minister Perry Christie, the first Bill being introduced would allow for any child born outside the Bahamas to a Bahamian mother and a non-Bahamian father to have citizenship; the second would allow a foreign man married to a Bahamian woman to seek Bahamian citizenship; the third Bill would allow an unmarried Bahamian father to pass his citizenship to a child born to a foreign mother, whilst the fourth would end discrimination in the constitution based on gender.
Disappointingly, the referendum held by the Ingraham Administration in 2002 was overwhelmingly rejected, in large part due to petty politicisation of the entire process by the Church and members of the current governing party. At that time, 64 per cent of Bahamians voted “no” to removing discrimination against women, their children and spouses from the Constitution.
What’s more, in the 2002 referendum, the electorate voted against questions that spoke to the creation of a national commission to monitor the standards of teachers, the creation of an independent parliamentary commissioner, the creation of an independent electoral boundaries commission and that sought to increase the retirement ages of judges from 60 to 65 (or 68 to 72 for appellate judges).
Whilst I was not of voting age at the time, I think that the electorate made a grievous mistake in 2002 – caught up in the emotionalism of political partisanship – and I, as one member of today’s electorate, intend to support any sensible, principled change to the Constitution that could advance our nation, foster greater egalitarianism and modernise our legal framework.
Quite honestly, I think that the government should move to address more of the recommended changes made by the Constitutional Commission in a series of staggered referenda, inclusive of those previously advanced in the 2002 referendum.
Having read the Commission’s report, I was disappointed that there weren’t any recommendations to institute term limits on a Prime Minister and implement an electoral recall system, which would allow the voting public an opportunity to rid their communities of lousy representatives with, say, a petition reflecting the signatures of at least 75 per cent of constituents.
This is what democracy is truly about, this is what putting power in the hands of the people is truly about as opposed to the current set-up where Bahamians have a voice – with their votes – only once every five years.
Indeed, the passage of Constitutional reforms has been delayed by 12 years and whilst that is recognised, the proposed November 6 referendum seems a bit rushed and – unless a massive public relations and educational campaign is conducted – Bahamians are unlikely to rush to the polls or could commit the grave mistake of voting ‘no’ yet again.
I am pleased to see that my former law lecturer, retired Supreme Court Justice Ruby Nottage, will head the education campaign. I do think that the campaign should be launched immediately, in order to maximise the time available for discussion and dialogue throughout the country in advance of the national poll.
One also notes that the government must streamline some of the major issues it is addressing, since to attempt to tackle all at once could overwhelm the wider public (think gaming, national health insurance, Value Added Tax, constitutional reform, etc). Moreover, the outcome of last year’s referendum could be spoken to a bit more in depth by the Prime Minister and respectable representatives to whom the people would listen, with a view to explaining in greater detail the about-face concerning the webshops and to seek to reduce much of the suspicion of the public relative to the November 6 referendum and whether their views will be respected and adhered to.
I think that constitutional reform is long overdue and I, for one, welcome such a gesture.
