The Tribune

A DAY after South Beach MP Cleola Hamilton chastised the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association for not rebuking remarks about female sterilisation from Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn, the group released a statement asserting its condemnation of the comments.

“The GBRHA is dedicated to the protection and enhancement of all facets of a woman’s reproductive rights; just as, in a broader sense, we vigorously support Bahamian women in all aspects of the ongoing struggle to cast off the shackles of second-class citizenship,” the group said in a statement.

“We sincerely hope that (Mr) Lightbourn has learned his lesson from the public backlash he has experienced, and will seek in future not only to pay more careful attention to his words, but also to the points of view and thought processes which lead to them.”

On July 28, during the Free National Movement’s televised convention, Mr Lightbourn suggested tying the fallopian tubes - a method of sterilisation - of unwed women who have had more than two children, as a means to curb crime and the strain on public resources. After intense backlash, he publicly apologised for the remarks.

The group also took issue with Mrs Hamilton’s “backhanded suggestion that the GBHRA favours certain causes over others.”

“We would firstly point her to the extremely hard work of our members in support of the ‘yes’ campaign in the lead up to the sadly ill-fated gender equality referendum.

“It is totally irresponsible and very discouraging, particularly to our younger activists, to have a member of Parliament disregard their heartfelt efforts so flippantly and publicly. Hamilton cannot claim she is unaware of our work in support of gender equality; she is on the GBHRA mailing list.

“In the second place, Hamilton, along with her female colleagues on the governing side, are in no position to criticise anyone for a perceived failure to stand up for women’s rights after their silence in the face of MP Leslie Miller repeatedly joking about savagely beating a woman.”

The group was referring to comments Mr Miller made in 2014 in the House of Assembly when the Progressive Liberal Party MP compared the opposition’s treatment of Bahamian fishermen to an abusive relationship.

“That’s like beating your wife or your girlfriend every time you go home,” Mr Miller said in 2014. “You just beat her for looking at her. I love you. Boom, boom, boom. I had a girlfriend like that. When I didn’t beat her she used to tell me I ain’t love her no more cause I don’t hit her.

“But seriously I had one like that,” he said, as some PLP MPs chuckled.

The GBHRA said rather than condemnation, Mr Miller’s “shameful remarks were greeted with laughter and amusement by Hamilton’s side.”

“Unlike governing members of Parliament, the GBHRA tries to be consistent in its positions. It condemns both the comments of both Lightbourn and Miller. And, while our members criticised both men in the media, Hamilton may notice that we did not issue an official statement in either case – as both MPs apologised and withdrew their comments in the face of public outrage.

“The charge of inconsistency and favouritism by Hamilton is totally unwarranted and shockingly hypocritical. We suggest that all elected representatives remove the beam from their own eye before seeking to discredit the good work of civic organisations in this country. Is Hamilton also willing to condemn Miller in the same terms as she did Lightbourn?”