By Nico Scavella
DESPITE the impassioned contributions by two PLP MPs expressing disagreement with the proposed constitutional amendment bills in Parliament this week, Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell said he is not concerned about any “dissension” within the ranks and dismissed the behaviour as “public posturing”.
When asked by The Big T yesterday about his concern over the statements made by certain government members, Mr Mitchell simply chuckled and replied: “There is no back and forth within the PLP.”
“The Progressive Liberal Party is united on this matter,” he said. “Now you may see some individual posturing here or there, but I take that just as public posturing. I think it was just what Parliament does. It comes from the French word meaning ‘to speak,’ so people spoke, and that’s how it goes.”
Mr Mitchell’s comments came after both Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins and Marco City MP Greg Moss clashed with several party members in Wednesday’s heated debate on the issue of amending the constitution, a debate so intense that House Speaker Kendall Major had to intervene several times to maintain order in the lower chamber.
Dr Rollins at one point shouted from his seat at Damian Gomez, Central and South Eleuthera MP, over the details of the fourth bill, which seeks to end discrimination based on sex.
After Mr Gomez said that those against the government’s push to eliminate gender discrimination “may have insecurities of their own sexuality,” Dr Rollins lashed out and called the statement a “most inane, most asinine” and “puerile argument, childish and shallow.” He also expressed his preparedness to step aside as “government whip” if the bills weren’t changed to accommodate his recommendations.
Mr Moss meanwhile stated his disapproval with the second bill because he felt that no person who marries a Bahamian should get automatic citizenship, something that prompted Mr Mitchell himself to rise to his feet several times to explain that the process to get citizenship is subject to approval and stress that “there are rules upon which someone is granted citizenship.”
Labour Minister Shane Gibson also challenged Mr Moss’ argument by saying that people who think that anyone can “just walk in and get citizenship (they) are absolutely wrong.”
Then adding to the tension on Wednesday, Free National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis declared that his party would not support any changes to the constitution after previously pledging the FNM’s full support of the bills.
Despite his minor part played in Wednesday’s row however, Mr Mitchell said that the focus should not be on the parliamentary discourse that is currently taking place, but rather on what is to come.
“We’ll see where people line up when the question is actually put,” he said. “That’s the important point. The constitution says on the third reading thereon, there should be a certain majority, and that’s the thing you look at, not what’s happening now.”
Debate over the four bills is set to continue on Wednesday in the House of Assembly, with the national referendum scheduled for November 6th.
Comments
SP 10 years, 3 months ago
22,000 Bahamian households sitting in darkness without power during the hottest summer on record, can't buy food pay mortgages or rent, Haitians taking business's and jobs from Bahamians left right and center and this government's main concern is a referendum securing gay marriage rights?
Thank you PLP & FNM!
PLP_Catastrophe 10 years, 3 months ago
hey “cis” – STFU !! you public posturing" piece of "sheeeeeetttttt"
PLP_Catastrophe 10 years, 3 months ago
DredFred PLP distraction tactics, deal with the EMERGENCY issues: VAT, BEC, illegal immigration, crime.
Tommy77 10 years, 3 months ago
What a mess.
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Well_mudda_take_sic 10 years, 3 months ago
What Mitchell, Christie, Butler and McWeeney are not telling the Bahamian public is that they are under incredible pressure from Atlantis, Baha Mar and all the other significant hotel players in our country today, as well as the U.S. airline carriers flying into the Bahamas, to amend our Constitution through the upcoming referendum in such a way that future discrimination against gays will not be possible notwithstanding the Christian beliefs of the vast majority of indigenous Bahamians who are (and will forever be) God faring individuals opposed to the lifestyle of the likes of Mitchell and his "friends". There is a whole helluva lot of "gay" money at stake for the hotel convention centers in Nassau, the hotels in the family islands and the U.S. airlines that fly to the Bahamas; accordingly, the PLP are hell bent on carefully wording whatever changes are necessary to our Constitution so that gays may flock to the Bahamas in massive numbers to line the pocket books of the hoteliers, the airlines and our corrupt politicians who know no bounds when it comes to their willingness to stoop to evil endeavours. Christian Bahamians who have read the Bible (Leviticus Chapter 20 Verse 13) know full well that they will forever be barred from finding salvation if they support the changes to our Constitution now being proposed by the PLP which are in substance no different than those that were previously proposed by the FNM in a similar referendum that led to the ouster of the FNM at the polls by an overwhelming landslide. More and more we see that the party leadership of the PLP and the FNM are really no different from each other. This corrupt alternating two party system is really why Christie and Ingraham remain the best of friends much to the detriment of our society and financial well being of our country. VOTE NO TO ALL OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO OUR CONSTITUTION AND DO NOT VOTE FOR ANY CANDIDATES PUT FORWARD BY THE PLP, FNM OR DNA IN THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTION. VOTE FOR THE RIGHT INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE WHO CARRIES NO KNOWN POLITICAL BAGGAGE OR PROPENSITY TO ENGAGE IN CORRUPT POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. DO THE RIGHT THING IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE OUR COUNTRY FOR THE SAKE OF OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN!!
Greentea 10 years, 3 months ago
this is ridiculous. gay tourists roll into the Bahamas every day and walk Bay Street. I don't see the socially anti- gay Bahamian Christians down there protesting them. voting for equal rights for women has zero to do with gay rights and if it did- the sky isn't going to fall. The way religion is being used and interpreted to hide the misogyny in this society is appalling. God must truly be angry. The hypocrisy in this country galls me.
Cobalt 10 years, 3 months ago
And your sexuality galls God!
concernedcitizen 10 years, 3 months ago
Get a grip ,that 2000 year old book also says if a women is not a virgin on her wedding night her family should stone her to death ,dam we would run out of rocks .i f the so called "Christians " here lived any sort of moral life i would respect them ,but most i know have sweet hearts ,out side children ,the rev is either a womanizer ,gay or bi ,,, they all think God is a numbers handicapper ,,Religion here is a show and trying to pay god for blessing and has very little to do w/ morals .85 % of sex here is transactional ,,what you ga gimme ..we are not blessed b/c of our morals or lack there of but b/c of our proximity to a large tourist market ,,we are not even the original inhabitents of these islands .If it was not for the slave trade we would be in that piss hole africa cutting off one another feet and hands in tribal warfare and mutilating womens genitals
Cobalt 10 years, 3 months ago
Agreed!
Both parties have demonstrated that they are both motivated by a "self-suited" agenda!
jusscoolin 10 years, 3 months ago
Can someone please tell me what rights don't women in the Bahamas have. The right to do what ? Put a man in jail if he doesn't pay child support or get kicks out of a lie to police about an assault . Heavy industrial companies have placed men and women side to side in this day and age. A lot of women have surpassed men on many jobsites . What right are they pushing for? They are truly trying to put one pass us . Let us not be fooled Bahamas!
TalRussell 10 years, 3 months ago
Comrades you 'bloggers' are treating Minister Freedy likes it was his PLP government and not the Hubert regime which bypassed much more pressing bills to hastily have rushed through a 'specially drafted amendment' to a bring to the floor of the House of Assembly and passed by a majority of House members, to make it all legal for boogery to take place aboard ships in Bahamaland's waters. First, before attacking Freddy, why not do your own research and come back and re blog, which red shirts cabinet minister moved the amendment on floor of the House?
John 10 years, 3 months ago
It is the Bahamian women who gonna defeat the referendum. They actually have more power when their foreign spouse does not have automatic rights to citizenship. They have a foreign husband under their control. You is hear them say all the time "da minit he do sh!t, i ger call immigration fer he a$$!"
wearedone 10 years, 3 months ago
It's funny how we are a christian nation and god fearing when it's convenient. What about all these people having sex and making babies out of wedlock? Adultrey? Alcohol? Gambling? Protecting criminal family members? All sins are equal so if you accept one you might as well be ready to accept them all. Not just the ones you do.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 3 months ago
i,m straight ,but this nonsense has nothing to do w/ sin ,its little insecure men in an extremely mysocanistic society that believe the crap there mummy,s told them about being Kings while mummy don,t bat an eye at the girls till they give them a grandbaby at 15
Bunni 10 years, 3 months ago
Real Horse S***!
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