The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ORDINARY Bahamians expressed confusion about the upcoming referendum and alarm over the fourth bill in interviews with The Tribune yesterday, with even those who plan to vote for all four amendments saying they expect the referendum to fail.

Of the dozens of people The Tribune spoke to in the Shirley Street and downtown area, those more educated were likelier to say they will vote for the bills.

The less educated were pessimistic about the government’s intentions, raising concerns about the contradictory opinions that have been aired by commentators.

In terms of numbers, both the “yes” and “no” groups paled in comparison to the number of people who said they don’t plan to vote at all.

Enthusiasm for the referendum did not appear to be high among men or women.

So widespread was the fear that the fourth bill would lead to same-sex marriage that some interviewees believed this topic is what the referendum is about.

One woman launched into a tirade about the need to satisfy the United States on gay issues when asked her opinion about the referendum, for instance.

“I wouldn’t vote but I can’t say nothing because the States doing it,” the woman, who did not want to be named, said, referring to same-sex marriage even though the topic wasn’t raised by The Tribune.

“If we don’t do what the States doing, we doomed. If the States say gay (men) can’t get touched, then the gay (men) can’t get touched.”

The mood in the downtown Straw Market towards the referendum was overwhelmingly unenthusiastic.

Numerous women - none of whom wanted to be named - said they either won’t vote or they will vote no.

“I gon’ vote and I gon’ vote no because I have children,” one vendor said. “Think this a game hey? I have small children.”

Said another: “I don’t believe in me and a man using the same bathroom.”

When told that the referendum is not about transgender rights or same-sex marriage, she said: “That’s what they say but it will lead to that.”

Another vendor said: “I voted no for the gambling thing and they still do it so I ain’t voting. I ain’t wasting my time.”

The attitude of people working in stores on Bay Street was not much different.

Natasha Bar, 47, said the referendum is confusing.

“I plan on voting but it seems like it’s a lot of mix up going on and everyone seems to have their point,” she said. “For all the uncertainty I’m going to vote no for all of them.”

Ms Bar said providing greater rights to women is not a pressing issue.

“For me, we are not like the Middle East,” she said. “This gender equality and all that, for us, women aren’t being held from being what we want to be. We can be doctors. We had a female governor general, so what are we complaining about?”

Her colleague, Patricia Seymour Bowleg, agreed and said she is concerned about “alimony”.

Outside the store where the women worked, Albert Bell, 66, said he would vote for the first three bills but will reject the fourth one because he fears it will lead to same-sex marriage.

“As I understand it, the first three they don’t need to bring but the fourth one is the questionable one and seeing as how I don’t understand it, I will reject it,” he said.

“If they are holding to a position that says there’s nothing wrong and there will be no gay marriage in The Bahamas, that’s not an assurance because governments lie. But the first three bills is a yes for me.”

A woman named Rose, an accountant, said she won’t vote for the bills because she’s concerned they will give too much power to foreigners.

“What concerns me is the fact that we have such a large foreign population that this provides an opportunity for us to be outnumbered and even though they say a man would have to prove that that child is his I think there will be loopholes,” she said, adding that she has never read the Constitution.

Sheleta Collie also expressed confusion about the referendum, although she said she doesn’t plan to vote at all.

“They asking Bahamians to vote for something we never read,” she said, adding she resents attempts to make it seem like persons like her are uninformed.

Cheriane Johnson and Natasha Court, a pair working in the Shirley Street area, said they would both vote for the first three bills, but not for the fourth.

“I wouldn’t vote for the fourth bill because I have kids,” Ms Court said. “When you have kids you have to set moral standards to bring them up under the right way. This supposed to be a Christian nation.”

One woman, Victoria Fitzgerald, said she will likely vote “yes” to all the bills, but she said she began having second thoughts after former Court of Appeal President Joan Sawyer dismissed the bills earlier this week.

For his part, Dorsey McPhee, a lawyer, predicted that the referendum will fail even though he plans to vote yes to all four questions.

He said he wants to pass on greater rights to his daughters.

Calling the issue of same-sex marriage a red herring, he said: “Bahamians, particularly women…will vote against themselves, which they’ve done in the past.”