The Tribune

NATIONAL Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage yesterday could not provide a new date for the government’s proposed constitutional referendum, which has been delayed several times.

The government has missed several of its deadlines for holding the referendum, with the latest being the promise that the vote would be held sometime last month. Dr Nottage has ministerial responsibility for referenda.

“I cannot tell you or give you a date,” he said when asked by reporters when the planned vote will take place. “I cannot say anything other than preparations are being made for the constitutional referendum. Draft bills have been prepared and are being looked at. There will not be a referendum until such time as they have educated the majority of the public and that process will begin shortly.”

Last October, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced that the government would bring the necessary bills for the vote to the House of Assembly before the end of last year. At the time, he also pledged that vote would take place before the end of June 2014.

However, the bills have not yet been brought to Parliament and the government has not started its long promised educational campaign ahead of the process.

Early last year, Mr Christie said the referendum that aims to reform the country’s outdated constitution was postponed to late November 2013 to “foster the widest possible dialogue and public education well in advance of the referendum”.

The prime minister had initially said the vote would be held around June 2013 ahead of the 40th year of independence celebrations.

Last year, Mr Christie had said that the government hopes to amend the citizenship provisions of the constitution “to achieve full equality between men and women with respect to the acquisition and transmission of Bahamian nationality.”

In 2002, the government, led by former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, held a referendum that asked voters, among other things, if they supported the removal of constitutional discrimination against women.

The majority of people who voted in that poll said no to both questions.

The Progressive Liberal Party, which was in opposition at the time and led by Mr Christie, urged the electorate to vote no citing a flawed process.