The Tribune

By NICOLE BURROWS

Consumer protection?

Consumer Protection Commission Chair Jerome Gomez – and company – recently went to Jamaica to see what serious people do about serious problems, as regards consumer protection.

He is quoted as having said that the information received there was “invaluable”, but he did not say how his colourful stories will translate into a plan of action for real consumer protection in the Bahamas – or when.

In short, more of your money, Bahamian public, was wasted on yet another tour abroad.

Worse still, “the commission intends to encourage the establishment of private consumer advocacy groups to bring consumer issues to the fore”.

Well, what does that do? We already know the full range of consumer issues – we’ve told them to you already, Mr Gomez, and we should know as we are the consumers. We have lists upon lists. Where are your lists? Why are you planning and intending to have private advocacy groups do your work? It is not their responsibility to initiate consumer protection, it is yours. If not why are you/why do you represent the Consumer Protection Commission?

Bahamians don’t need awareness of the issues, they need recourse ... the very thing you yourself have repeatedly said. So stop slacking off and do the job you are being paid a handsome stipend to do.

Constitutional referendum

I’m still not buying the Constitutional Commission’s spokespersons’ reasoning about the “at birth” insertion in Bill number four, to end discrimination in the Bahamas on the basis of sex.

I don’t think that retired justice Ruby Nottage is necessarily trying to be sneaky or representing the sneakiness of others with the whole gay marriage possibility thing, but I recognise – and they need to be honest about the reality – that it does pose a question and can and most likely will become an issue at a later date. That said, I still don’t think it’s enough of a concern to cause me to sacrifice the entire balance of equality between women and men, voting ‘No’ ... like Louby Georges.

Georges is telling his sisters and brothers of Haitian descent to vote ‘No’ in the impending referendum. He says that as result of a ‘Yes’ vote to Bill number two, foreign men who marry Bahamian women will have first rights to citizenship versus persons of Haitian origin born in The Bahamas. He says the government is “giving more value to persons who probably don’t even know about The Bahamas, by way of allowing them an easier access to citizenship here in The Bahamas, or Bahamian citizenship, by way of simply marrying a Bahamian woman”.

And on the basis of that he wants to sabotage the entire effort. He says “Hell No” to Bill number four, and claims he’s not opposed to them but still won’t support Bills one and three.

Well, how is it that you don’t fundamentally oppose the bill but you say ‘vote no’ against it? To oppose is to go against, and to go against is to oppose, no? What am I missing?

Furthermore, because you “know” about The Bahamas and plot to have your babies here, should that give you more right to citizenship than a foreign man who marries a Bahamian woman, who didn’t plot to have his babies here? Because if we want to get into real crazy talk, we could say this and much more. Don’t let’s go there.

I don’t think foreign men or women should have access to Bahamian citizenship by marriage or any other process without going through rigorous tests of time and character.

It is said that these foreign spouses have five years before they can apply for Bahamian citizenship as compared to ten or more years for persons born in the Bahamas to non-Bahamian parents, and the first group is not granted citizenship where it’s a marriage of convenience (good luck proving that) or if the foreigner is convicted of certain crimes. I’m not saying that this is not an inequity or that it is fair but until it changes, until Fred Smith throws himself on the ground in front of the courthouse, thrashing his body around for another news report, petitioning for shorter wait times for foreigners who want Bahamian citizenship, then that’s how it is and will be.

Georges goes on to say that to process all these foreigners who marry Bahamian women and men will put a strain on the already burdened immigration department. Let’s see ... tens of thousands of Haitian Bahamian applicants versus a few hundred foreign spouses? How does that burden immigration any more? A tad misrepresented.

My opinion? The Bahamas government needs to suck it up, after they have allowed the problem to spiral out of control for decades, and naturalise these persons Georges speaks of (so he can stop trying to sabotage equality for all), with appropriate citizenship tests, and simultaneously implement an immigration policy that prevents illegal immigrant landings in the first place. But perhaps that is just too simple an idea to implement.

I can’t swear for them all, but I don’t think any sensible person advocating for constitutional changes via these bills thinks discrimination will disappear upon enactment of law. Discrimination does not go anywhere; but what does happen is that the law clearly provides that opportunities cannot be denied on the basis of your womanhood or your manhood, and there is legal recourse if they are. One can only hope that over time, in actual, everyday life, things will become more equal between Bahamian women and men.

In any event, if ‘vote No’ is the message Georges is pushing and if the number of Haitian Bahamians with voting rights is as large as we’re made to believe, they’ll be following Georges’ commentary as gospel.

Fred Smith and the Cubans’ lawsuits

Why does it seem like Fred Smith is always defending the rights of everyone in the Bahamas but Bahamians?

Moreover, he files lawsuits on behalf of his Cuban clients but he has no idea where they are? Okay then.

All these things they say foreigners in our country are being subjected to, unlawful detention, excessive force and physical abuse at the hands of law enforcement, Bahamians are subjected to on a daily basis. Who is standing, arguing, and suing on their behalf? Yet they are the ones who will foot the $10m bill.

Cabbage Beach protest

Don’t lie ... when you see all them people in that group of vendors and their supporters tearing down the Access Industries (am I the only one who finds that name ironic?) fence blocking access to Cabbage Beach, feverishly protesting, coming your way on a public beach, you ain’ gon’ be lil’ scared? Will you still want to be on that beach ‘relaxing’?

Admittedly, I’m a little torn between supporting them and opposing them. My vendor-on-the-beach experiences haven’t been so good to date.

These same vendors have often assumed that because of what I look like I must be a tourist. In fact, my own people assume I must be a tourist ... nothing like coming through customs as a Bahamian when they’re trying to point you to the visitors’ line. Yup - my own people are racially profiling me.

On the beach it goes ... “Pretty lady, you wan’ your hair braided?”... in their best American accent. Geez man.

So you get to profile me, instantly, but when I feel like you are harassing me on the public beach, and I decide to relocate to another spot or leave altogether, I’m profiling you, discriminating against you and I hate black, poor, or black and poor people.

My people can be really stupid sometimes.

If you really care to know, the fact of the matter is I don’t want to be harassed by 50 white people, 50 Hispanic people, 50 black people, 50 Asian people, 50 aliens ... When I’m relaxing, I don’t want anyone to bother me for any reason.

All that said, I don’t belittle the women and men who put up a fight for something they believed they had to fight for. In particular, beach access has always been a problem and probably will continue to be a problem as long as we have kiss-ass governments and as long as foreign developers’ money trumps Bahamians’ rights.

There are multiple voices speaking out against the way the protesters presented their grievances; many think civil disobedience means everything must be calm and quiet and follow protocol. My question is: how much disobedience is needed before it’s no longer considered civil?

The protesters got their message out and proved a point they wanted to prove. What comes next at the will of our incompetent leaders is anybody’s guess. But you really think anything less would have been effective?

To those who didn’t like how the protesters handled their business, get ready for more of that. It is only the beginning. When people get tired, I mean truly laboured, burdened and falling over with frustration, that is what they do. And every problem in the Bahamas points to that method of obtaining attention. Nothing else will. You’ve seen where silent protest has got us today.

If Bahamians want to be number one in their country, they will have to seize that position by nothing less than force. Make of that what you will, but it is coming, whether you approve of it or not.

Send email to nburrows@tribunemedia.net