The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

FNM DEPUTY leader Loretta Butler-Turner yesterday slammed the government over its handling of the proposed referendum on changes to the Bahamas constitution.

Mrs Butler-Turner accused Prime Minister Perry Christie of failing to make good on his promise to Bahamian women, responding to the assertion by Constitutional Commission chairman Sean McWeeney that the referendum will not be held in November.

The deputy leader also hit out at Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson over the absence of public discussion on the issue of marital rape.

Mrs Butler-Turner charged that Attorney General was “every bit as culpable” as Mr Christie given her representation before the Constitutional Commission in his stead.

She said: “I don’t know which of questions will be put forward, but I said to Mr Christie that it’s always useful to go with areas of least resistance. It appears to me that the question of gender equality, constitutional equality for Bahamian woman would have been the question that Mr Christie would have dealt with.

“Early in the calendar year during the reenactment of Doris Johnson’s speech to parliament, Mr Christie stated that we would have dealt with this matter by the 40th anniversary, that Bahamian women would have enjoyed the same equality of men in this country.”

Mrs Loretta Butler-Turner said: “In reality, they picked another date out of the hat when the Constitutional Commission produced their report early summer. There has been no movement to bring that matter before the House of Assembly for [referendum] in November.”

With just one month to go from the deadline confirmed by Prime Minister Perry Christie earlier this month, Mr McWeeney explained that it was highly improbable that the country would be ready to vote on the likely issue of gender discrimination.

Last week, Mr Christie underscored the importance to have political unanimity on the referendum, adding that there could be embarrassing repercussions from the international community if the vote was not in favour of gender equality.

Mrs Butler-Turner said: “What consensus does he have to build? The track record is there, the FNM presented in 2002 a referendum to the Bahamian people, one of which we wanted to bring equality to Bahamian women. The PLP went back on their word and vote in parliament and encouraged the Bahamian people to vote no.

“What game is he playing with the minds of the Bahamian people? Mr Christie needs to get on with the business of governance, he needs to stop talking and going off script.

She added: “We are now in reverse, not even in neutral, so whenever he brings [the referendum] I guess it will come. I’m not pinning any hopes on this.”