The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A GROUP opposing three of four Constitutional Amendment Bills that are part of the upcoming gender equality referendum has invited the YES Bahamas Campaign to debate on live television.

Pastor Cedric Moss, of Think Bahamas! wrote a letter to YES Bahamas’ Co-chairs Senate President Lady Sharon Wilson and former Senate President Lynn Holowesko on Sunday to participate in joint discussions where both sides of the “yes” and “no” vote could be heard on the issues ahead of the June 7 referendum.

“I believe that you share the view that the best voter is an informed voter and we should therefore do our best to educate voters about the four bills they will be voting on,” Pastor Moss wrote.

“In keeping with this view, I thought it would be beneficial for voters across the Bahamas to hear simultaneously from the YES Bahamas campaign as well as those on the vote ‘no’ side. Therefore, this week I communicated with representatives from both Citizens for Justice and Save Our Bahamas (groups who oppose some of the referendum questions) to find out if they were interested in engaging in two publicly broadcast discussion events on the four bills with representatives from both the YES Bahamas campaign and the three vote ‘no’ campaigns. For various reasons, both Citizens for Justice and Save Our Bahamas declined.”

“Accordingly, I am now writing to invite both of you or any two representatives from the YES Bahamas campaign to participate with me and another representative from Think, Bahamas! in these two public discussions on the four bills.”

Pastor Moss proposed that both sides sit down for a two-hour televised round-table discussion hosted by veteran JCN journalist Wendall Jones and a public town hall meeting held at the College of The Bahamas to be hosted by a female journalist that would be broadcast live on radio.

“Since you are aware that the government is currently only funding the YES Bahamas campaign, I propose that the YES Bahamas campaign through the government take responsibility for the costs related to these events,” he added.

“There is no cost for me and the other representative of Think, Bahamas! to participate. We can mutually agree to the dates and rules for both events, and I’m open to modifying any aspect of this proposal to ensure your participation.”

The gender equality referendum will be held on June 7 and three of its questions deal with the transfer of citizenship.

The first Constitutional Amendment Bill seeks to give Bahamian women who are married to foreign men the right to pass on their Bahamian citizenship to any child of that union no matter where that child is born.

The Constitution currently says that only Bahamian male citizens by birth have that right.

Bill two as written would allow a Bahamian woman married to a foreign man the right to secure for her husband the same access to Bahamian citizenship as a Bahamian male has in relation to his foreign wife. However this would not be automatic and applicants would have to satisfy certain conditions.

Bill three would grant any unmarried Bahamian man the right to pass on his Bahamian citizenship to any child he fathers with a foreign woman with proof of paternity.

Bill four seeks to end discrimination based on sex.

Think Bahamas! supports bill one and opposes the other three.