By JOHN ISSA
THIS column continues to be amazed that the basic human right of all Bahamians to be equal under the law is a matter for partisan debate in the Bahamas.
The Bahamas has a proud history of fighting for social justice and political equality for all its citizens. Yet, today, half of all Bahamians are less equal than the other half.
Or to quote from George Orwell’s Animal Farm, “some are more equal than others”.
I suspect readers already know that I am referring to those sections of Bahamian law where women do not have the same rights as men. And this is the 21st century in a modern, western, predominantly Christian nation.
I ask, how can this matter of basic human rights become a political football? If we can’t have concensus on this, is there anything on which we can achieve it?
• John Issa is executive chairman of SuperClubs. He is writing regularly in The Tribune.
Comments
TheMadHatter 9 years, 7 months ago
Women in the Bahamas don't want equal rights, because it would interfere with their ability to get money from their several baby-daddies. When the baby-daddies die, the ho's would be entitled to something if the equal rights thing passes. As it is now, the true wives want to keep all and are happy with getting their 100% even though they know their husbands have so many outside children.
It's a social thing. Women who can't afford the children they have - having to ho to feed them - and they know the new law would take away that ability. So they would rather stay inferior.
They dress up every Sunday and go to church, and the pastors make them feel "loved" and like children of God - and so this allows their thin moral fabric to not be completely ripped to shreds. The church knows better than anyone the true status of the social structure in the Bahamas, and their response is to just build more churches - LOL.
This was fully discussed when the PLP tried this several years ago (2002?)
The Bahamas is just Saudi Arabia without the burqas.
TheMadHatter
jlcandu 9 years, 7 months ago
MadHatter,
Sadly some of which you say is true. But I can assure you that there are many women in this country who are not common "ho's" and would like to be treated equally.
It is the right and decent thing to do. Don't blame the decent women for the actions of the lousy.
Sign in to comment
OpenID