The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

A RECENT headline in The Nassau Guardian stated that “All MPs should be outraged”.

The writer was quoting Dr Kendall Major, the Speaker, who was referring to Indra Charles’ ruling that Jerome Fitzgerald breached Save the Bay’s constitutional right by reading their private emails in the House of Assembly in March.

At the core of this matter is parliamentary privilege. But how far should MPs be allowed to go in the matter of public discourse? Should they be allowed to go in their ‘political garbage can’ and read private emails of private citizens where there is obviously no threat to national security? Where and when does it end? Does parliamentary privilege allow MPs to say anything they want to say in the House of Assembly?

The divide between politician and the average man in society is clearly drawn as politicians seem to be able to get away with mismanagement of public funds, corporate malfeasance and any number of illegal acts. Most of them don’t even declare their assets on time and, in many cases, not at all. Some of them even carry handguns to protect themselves. The average Bahamian will never be afforded this same courtesy.

And now they want to just read law-abiding citizens’ private information in the House of Assembly without recourse. Isn’t the average Bahamian defenceless enough?

We are in the digital age and the rules of engagement have changed. Indra Charles, I believe, made the correct interpretation of the law in her ruling. We have seen recently where a number of persons have had their reputations permanently damaged because someone released their private information into the public domain.

Are MPs now going to go into their political garbage can and release nude pictures in parliament of average citizens and then say that they have parliamentary privilege? That is what can happen.

I think all right thinking Bahamians should be the ones who are outraged at the temperament of some MPs because their actions in this instance are an affront to modern society.

DEHAVILLAND MOSS

Nassau

August 10, 2016