The Tribune

PRIME Minister Perry Christie encouraged parliamentarians to work together during a two-day seminar held at Atlantis on March 27-28.

The event was held with the objective of exposing Members of Parliament to the proper procedures of the parliamentary system. The seminar –“Deepening Democracy Through Parliament” – was the second time in less than two years that ministers met for an event such as this.

Prime Minister Christie said the he was “pleased” to participate in the workshop.

“I am more than pleased that this type of ongoing exposure to the workings of our parliamentary system has become a feature of the Parliament of the Bahamas,” Mr Christie said.

“We have a Parliament of relatively young members, young both in age and in terms of involvement in politics. There is, therefore, the need for a thorough grounding in all the important aspects of our parliamentary processes and procedures and this seminar will enhance this process.”

Speaking as a parliamentarian with nearly 40 years of experience, Mr Christie said that Parliaments and parliamentarians should not always be adversarial. He said that there is a time and place for adversary, however, it is important to also appreciate the time for “constructive and sound” contributions from all sides of the political divide.

“I think, instead, that Parliaments ought to be a venue for the debate of substantive issues. Yes, I appreciate that it is the duty of the Majority – the Government of the day – to bring forward proposals and to enact legislation in support of their policies. But this process should not result in the constant acrimony that we seem to have brought unto ourselves.”

During his address, Mr Christie also said that an important feature of the history of the Bahamas is the central role that a representative assembly has played in terms of the country’s political and social development.

He said that as the country celebrates 285 years of having representative assembly, it is important to reflect on the process of deepening democracy.

“In 2029 we will be observing the 300th anniversary and it will be to our eternal credit that we will have continued the evolutionary process that will lead to a strengthening of our democracy,” he said.

“I am hopeful, therefore, that this parliamentary seminar today will explore themes that will point us towards the myriad of ways in which we can foster a deeper sense of democracy.”

Mr Christie encouraged parliamentarians to perform a careful review of the parliamentary Rules and Standing Orders in line with the changing nature of the Bahamian society and the growing modernity in media, communications and technology.

He said special emphasis should be placed on the country’s system of Select Committees – which he believes is a key element of reform. To this end, he encouraged the establishment of additional permanent Select Committees covering areas such as: Foreign Affairs and Trade, Law and Justice; Business and Commerce, Education and Science, the Environment and Government Administration.

In addition, he encouraged members to support the government in committing to the provision of office accommodation in the next few years from which Members could work and do proper research which would be different and serve a different scope from the present arrangements for constituency offices.

Finally, he said that he supported frequent exchanges and visitation with fellow parliamentarians around the world.

“There is a lot going on in terms of practices and standards relating to Parliaments in other jurisdictions and we can return home with new ideas which can make its ways into our current practices and knowledge base. The objective in this type of approach is to adapt and refine best practices from other jurisdictions that will best serve our purposes; the CPA has been a leader in this type of visitation and I would encourage the Secretary General to make this a cornerstone of our relationship with the CPA.”

Mr Christie also spoke of the importance of new buildings for the parliament and the construction of an official residence for the Prime Minister.