The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE question of whether public funds should be used to fund constitutional referendum campaigns is dividing Bahamians, with former parliamentarian George Smith saying the government should spare no resource to ensure Bahamians vote “yes” to the amendments.

However, Free National Movement (FNM) Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest says public money should not be used at all, aside from funding the Constitutional Commission.

The government has not said whether public funds have or will be used for non-operational purposes related to the referendum, such as helping to fund the YES Bahamas campaign.

However, Constitutional Commission Chairman Sean McWeeney said on Monday that he expects the government will provide such funds, adding that proponents of the vote “yes” and vote “no” campaigns should have equal access to public funds.

Responding yesterday, Mr Smith said he sees no legal rationale for using public funds to fund both campaigns, adding that he believes Mr McWeeney may have been making a “tongue-in-cheek comment.”

If the referendum fails, Mr Smith said the government will regret not offering enough resources to convince Bahamians to support it.

“If you have an occasion to do these things that are right in advancing our Constitution and you fail to do it by not providing money but then you provide money to fund Junkanoo Carnival or for ridiculously costly trips, that would reflect terribly on your priorities,” Mr Smith, a former Progressive Liberal Party Cabinet minister, said.

The government should not give money to the vote no campaign, he said, adding that as elected representatives, parliamentarians voted almost unanimously to pass all four proposed amendments, reflecting the direction the government should choose.

“If the government supports doing something it should be strong enough to see it through,” he said. “The government has the authority to spend public money on what’s in the public’s interest. If they decide to initiate a project that they believe is in the public’s interest, they can’t give money to the people who say we don’t want money used in that way.

“It would be right to throw your entire weight behind the “yes” vote and wrong to provide funds to the other side on this.”

For his part, Mr Turnquest said no public funds should be used for non-operational and non-educational purposes, adding that money should only be provided to the Constitutional Commission to educate Bahamians in an impartial manner.

“Once you get into providing money, I think the argument that is being put forward by the vote ‘no’ people becomes very legitimate,” he said. “What we want is an educated population making an educated decision. We don’t want someone to decide based upon a campaign sponsored by the government that is one sided or biased.

“If you say you will give $100,000 to fund the yes campaign, then my mind says you have to give the no campaign the same amount. It’s a competition of ideas. No government has a right to push one side.”

On Sunday, the Save Our Bahamas Committee, a group which opposes the fourth Constitutional Amendment Bill, said it would ask the government for funding for its campaign.

On April 10, Prime Minister Perry Christie launched the YES Bahamas referendum campaign, which is co-chaired by Senate President Lady Sharon Wilson and former Senate President Lynn Holowesko.