The Tribune

By CELESTE NIXON

Tribune Staff Reporter

cnixon@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was to fully blame for the failure of the 2002 referendum, Senator Allyson Maynard-Gibson said yesterday.

During her contribution to the Senate debate on amendments to the Immigration Act yesterday, Senator Maynard-Gibson said the referendum failed because Mr Ingraham “politicised” the issues in an attempt gain momentum for the upcoming election race, and attempted to change too many provisions of the Constitution at one time.

She said: “Here was the leader of the country, on such an important and fundamental matter, using the amendments as a springboard to win the election – now if that is not politicising our Constitution, which under no circumstances ought to be politicised; that is the document that is the genetic make-up of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, there is nothing political about that. It defines what and who we are as a nation and a people.”

The PLP always supported gender equality, said Mrs Maynard-Gibson.

She said what her party did not support was the “flawed process” and poorly drafted, unclear legislation that the then FNM government was trying to push through.

“Of course we want equality between Bahamian men and women but we must, one, respect our Constitution by not trying to pass 10 amendments at once, and secondly, on such a fundamental and important concept as the equality of Bahamian men and women, there must be certainty of intention.

“The process by which Mr Ingraham sought to amend the constitution was so flawed that it was the view of constitutional experts that the issue would might have to be resolved by the courts – when Bahamians go to vote for or against a referendum every single one of us should be able to understand what we are voting for, we should be able to pick up that legislation and read it and understand it ourselves, we should not need the courts to tell us what it means,” she said.

Defending the FNM’s record, Senator Desmond Bannister said in 2002, after 29 years of independence, the FNM government sought to amend the Constitution and eliminate gender discrimination.

“The FNM has an exemplary record when it comes to the rights of women and how we promote them,” he said.

The amendments to the Immigration Act was passed during the morning session of the Senate with the opposition supporting the Bill.

The amendments will eliminate the Permanent Resident permit limitation period of five years said Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell when he tabled the Bill in the House of Assembly last week.

Under the new amendment, persons already in the Department of Immigration’s system with spousal permits will also be allowed to apply for an extension.

Additionally, he said the introduction of this permit will be a financial savings of $250 for Bahamian families for an indefinite period, as opposed to every five years and will reduce and virtually eliminate long lines and crowds seeking services at the immigration office.

The current policy is that when the Bahamian spouse of a foreign national applies for a Resident Spouse Permit within the first five years of the marriage, the Department acknowledges receipt of the application in writing and invites both husband and wife to visit the office for an interview.

That application is then reviewed by the Director of Immigration who decides to issue a Resident Spousal Permit, a General Work Permit, or a Permit to Reside.

A General Work Permit, to be renewed annually at a fee of $1,000, is issued in cases where the director is not satisfied that the marriage is legitimate or if the department does not complete its processing of a spousal permit within six months.