The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

NEARLY 200 Democratic National Alliance supporters, led by DNA leader Branville McCartney, protested in Rawson Square yesterday over what they called a “death of democracy” caused by the Christie administration.

Wearing green DNA shirts, holding picket signs and with a makeshift coffin symbolising democracy’s death, protestors gathered in front of the General Post Office on East Hill Street agitating for “change”.

The crowd later moved to Rawson Square, while parliamentarians debated legislation in the House of Assembly.

Protesters even sang an altered version of the chorus of the hymn “It is finished,” with lines such as “Democracy is over” and “this government is a big flaw.”

Mr McCartney said the protest was held against the government’s lack of “transparency and accountability” regarding the fate of Parliamentary Secretary Renward Wells as well as the government’s decision to pass the legislation regulating web shops despite the majority of Bahamians voting “no” in the 2013 referendum.

However, he said, the protest goes “deeper than someone being fired” and is a “cry on behalf of the Bahamian people for this government to do what is right by them.”

“We’ve had a government that has been just totally disrespectful to the Bahamian people, throwing in their face democracy and trampling on it, not living up to what democracy is all about with regard to the recent passing of bills on the web shops, notwithstanding the people of this country voted ‘no,” he said.

“We have a situation now almost three months ago where a letter of intent worth $650 million was signed by (Wells). We have had words from the prime minister, words from the deputy prime minister regarding what was going to happen in regards to this and today we have not heard anything. That is over half a billion dollars we are talking about, and this government has the audacity to say to the Bahamian people ‘Well we will do it in our time.’ Well this is our country – it’s not their country.”

He added that the government has “lost its way” and has been dogged with scandal after scandal since assuming office in 2012.

Last week, Mr Christie said that Renward Wells would address the nation on the Letter of Intent (LOI) controversy. Mr Christie said that he told Mr Wells he would have to speak on the issue before the House breaks for the summer and pointed for calls by the Opposition for a select committee on the issue.

However, Mr McCartney said he does not accept Mr Christie’s decision to allow Mr Wells to address the matter.

“The prime minister is the prime minister,” Mr McCartney said. “The buck stops with him. We look to him to give us answers. He is the prime minister, not Mr Wells, not a parliamentary secretary. We expect him to answer.”

He said this underscores the need for the implementation of Freedom of Information legislation.

PLP MP Greg Moss made his way through the swarm of supporters yesterday and spoke to the media about their actions.

He said the protestors had the right to voice their views.

“I don’t think the PLP is killing democracy at all,” Mr Moss said. “I believe this sensitivity to people’s expressions of their points of views in a manner which may be inconsistent with another person’s point of view is bad for democracy. I believe we need to mature out of that. We need to mature our democratic muscles. Forty something years into independence we should have done this by now, but certainly it has to be done now.”

DNA supporters also addressed their concerns with the government.

“We don’t really have a voice,” DNA member Stephanie Lightbourne said. “They had a (referendum) against gaming and then they turned around and still made their own decision. They’re not listening to what the people have to say and it’s scary because at the end of the day, if in the middle of this term they decide that they’re going to do what they want now. We have two and a half more years. By time as next election the whole country would have been changed into what they want and then we would have nothing for ourselves.”

Luisa Jorrin, a member of the Montagu constituency, said she would give the government an “F” for its performance thus far.

“There’s no transparency, there’s no accountability,” she said. “You cannot sell the Bahamian people dreams anymore. We are waking up. The sad reality is there is no stimulation of this economy, there is no stimulation of renewable energy. They dropped the ball on everything.”

According to DNA officials, the party plans to address other issues such as crime, immigration and the Bahamas Electricity Corporation in later protests.