Former Chief Justice Sir Michael Barnett.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
TO help salvage the June 7 referendum, leading PLP figures should apologise for encouraging Bahamians to vote “no” to the 2002’s constitutional referendum’s questions, former Chief Justice Sir Michael Barnett suggested yesterday.
Sir Michael was speaking to members of the Rotary Club of East Nassau where he provided his rationale for urging Bahamians to vote “yes” to the four proposed amendments to the Constitution.
He noted that he supported similar amendments when they were brought by the former Ingraham administration in 2002 and when they were urged by two Constitutional Commissions since then.
“To some in our society, gender equality may be an anathema,” he said. “To me, it is not. Others may wish to vote ‘no’ simply to express their dissatisfaction with the government. That would be unfortunate.”
Sir Michael acknowledged that some Bahamians may be confused by the government’s push to vote ‘yes’ to the amendments when the same figures pushed for a ‘no’ vote in 2002, arguing at the time that consultation was poor. “As one who supported and actively campaigned for these amendments as far back as 2002, I am not surprised by the human reaction to vote ‘no’ as a payback against the PLP government for the stance it took in 2002,” he said.
“I also understand the reluctance of those who voted ‘no’ in 2002 to now vote ‘yes.’ They are now being asked to vote ‘yes’ to proposals they were advised to vote ‘no’ to a few years ago.”
Referring to a quote from PLP Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell in 2002, Sir Michael said: “The public record will reflect that some in the PLP leadership advised the public in 2002 to vote ‘no’ because: ‘Mr (Hubert) Ingraham does not need to amend the Constitution to…give rights to the children of Bahamian married women who are born overseas.’ Bill number one does exactly what they were told in 2002 was not necessary to do.”
“It may well be that some contrite admission that it was a mistake to advise the electorate to vote ‘no’ 14 years ago would go a long way to persuading a reluctant electorate to vote ‘yes’ in June,” Sir Michael continued.
“Decisions on matters of public policy should not be made out of prejudice, anger, bitterness, revenge or spite. They must be made responsibly having regard to the best interest of our country and in particular the generations who succeed us. We cannot abdicate our duty as citizens to responsibly participate in these decisions.”
Sir Michael said he is afraid that if Bahamians do not support the amendments next month, “it is not likely that they will be made for a long time.”
“These inequalities will remain as part of the laws of the Bahamas. This, I suggest, would be a travesty.”
While in opposition, PLP parliamentarians supported the bills for the first constitutional referendum on the floor of the House of Assembly, but later urged the electorate to vote against all six questions on the ballot. Several of the questions on the 2002 ballot sought to end discrimination against women. In July 2012, Prime Minister Perry Christie defended the PLP’s position against the failed vote, which was held in February 2002.
He said the party changed its position on that referendum after several religious leaders said they had not been consulted by the Ingraham administration.
“I think the PLP’s opposition to the referendum was that you should never do something against the will of the people, and the FNM was actually acting against the will of the people,” Mr Christie said in 2012.
“It was not a question of a judgment as to the substance of it; it was a judgment of the process. We attacked the process and we were successful in attacking the process.
“Now the by-product of it was that you say it wasn’t passed. Yes, it wasn’t passed, but we were never motivated against any issue on the referendum. We were motivated against the fact that it was being imposed on the Bahamian people against their will,” Mr Christie added.
Bill one would 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 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.
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 addresses discrimination based on sex, which has been defined as being male or female.
Comments
ohdrap4 8 years, 6 months ago
Sorry?
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER
I have never felt sorry for others.
and the only time i felt sorry for myself was when I lost election.
sheeprunner12 8 years, 6 months ago
No one is sorry for the Pingdomite PLPs .... they are crooks, parasites, hooligans, scammers ............ they need to be eliminated from this country henceforth ...... Perry knows exactly what he was doing in 2002, but he did it to get POWER and more GRAVY ........ now they intend to look out for other special interest groups like they looked out for the Numbers Boys in 2014 ............ Let us just Vote NO to this Referendum and Vote NO to the PLP in 2017
Zakary 8 years, 6 months ago
This still has a good chance of passing since they only need more “yes” voters to show up at the polls than “no” voters. In terms of getting the majority to show up, that’s doubful. The gaming referendum had about 40% ~ 45% turnout. The referendum back in 2002 had about a 59% ~ 61% turnout if I remember correctly.
The gaming referendum was a failure in democracy because they could not convince the majority to enter the voting booth. Will this one be a failure too?
Honestman 8 years, 6 months ago
"Sorry" is not in the PLP vocabulary.
jackbnimble 8 years, 6 months ago
Sir Michael said he is afraid that if Bahamians do not support the amendments next month, “it is not likely that they will be made for a long time.” - That's the whole point of this exercise in democracy. To get them to leave the Constitution alone. A no vote will ensure that.
“I think the PLP’s opposition to the referendum was that you should never do something against the will of the people, and the FNM was actually acting against the will of the people,” Mr Christie said in 2012. - What hypocrisy! Isn't that what this fool did when the majority voted no against the gaming referendum - sorry - opinion poll? Did he not still go against the Will of the people. Mr. Christie needs to sit small!
sheeprunner12 8 years, 6 months ago
Barnett is a mouth-for-hire turncoat .................. he will sing for the highest bidder ($$$$$$) ........ you must have principles in public office not a canary for massaging senior PLP egos
Sickened 8 years, 6 months ago
In a way I hope that these bills pass 'cause I want my son to shower with the girls at school. That way he will learn anatomy 101 - no problem. And, the school can't discriminate on the sports field either because the constitution won't allow it. Poor girls - they won't stand a chance and won't make any school teams so... they can focus on their studies and leave the sports up to the big boys. EQUALITY SURE WON'T BE FAIR ON FEMALES.
birdiestrachan 8 years, 6 months ago
It will be wise to move forward now if he feels the YES vote is the right thing to do as for saying sorry he and his FNM party has a lot to tell the Bahamian people they are sorry about.
Publius 8 years, 6 months ago
Jesus Mary and Joseph get over this political foolishness and move on. "I'm sorry" changes nothing, educates no one and fixes nothing. Both the PLP and the FNM played politics with the process in 2002, leading to the failure of the referendum. Are we going to get the FNM to apologize for its actions? No. And at this point it really does not matter. So sick and tired of everything in this country coming down to politics.
John 8 years, 6 months ago
Before he apologizes for voting "NO" in 2002 can the former Chief Justice show the defeat of the 2002 referendum has (negatively) impacted the lives of the average Bahamian, male or female? Of some 75,000 marriages taking place in the Bahamas, barely 700 involves a Bahamian being married to a foreigner and of that number some 140 are Bahamians marrying Jamaicans. Countries that have passed these bills are now in battles for LGBT rights, including the rights to use rest rooms and including the rights of same sex couples to marry and to adopt children and for persons to determine their own sexual indentity and to have the right to change it as often as they wish and to not have children declared either male or female at birth. God created male and female, he created the races, and ethnicities and languages. They want to change all that and make everything as one . A state of control and confusion.
jackbnimble 8 years, 6 months ago
I do believe he said he voted yes in 2002. In all other points I agree with you 100%. One handful of Bahamians married to foreigners and they want to enshrine their right to citizenship in our Constitution? I wonder what the hell this Government signed us on to? Not on my watch! I will be voting HELL TO THE NO!!
SP 8 years, 6 months ago
............. 2016 Constitutional Referendum True Unabridged Translation ...................
Bill one would give Haitian Bahamian women who are married to Haitian men the right to pass on their Bahamian citizenship to any number of Haitian children of that union no matter where those children are born.
The Constitution currently says that only Haitian Bahamian male citizens by birth have that right.
Bill two would allow a Haitian Bahamian woman married to a Haitian man the right to secure for her Haitian husband the same access to Bahamian citizenship as a Bahamian male has in relation to his Haitian wife.
Bill three would grant any unmarried Haitian Bahamian man the right to pass on his Bahamian citizenship to any number of Haitian children he claims to have fathered with any Haitian woman claiming to have proof of paternity regardless if the Haitian children are those of relatives, friends or paid guardians.
Bill four addresses deviants based on unnatural sexual appetites, which has been defined as being gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.
This clearly translates into 100's of 1000's of new Haitian Bahamian citizens with absolutely no love for our people and culture, no respect for our laws and not an iota of care for future generations of indigenous Bahamians!
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 6 months ago
Re-post: Bahamians had better mark their "X" on the ballot next to the picture of the gate, as it represents (1) the gate to keep thousands of foreigners (wanting Bahamian status) out of our country and (2) the gate to keep same-sex marriages from happening in our country! The corrupt Ingraham-led FNM and Christie-led PLP governments of the past three decades think we are all fools. Even though many of us are either unemployed or under employed, our corrupt government is now hell bent on granting thousands of foreigners Bahamian status in exchange for their vote down the road. We can't afford to let this happen. Bahamians must show up at the polls on June 7th and vote a resounding "NO!" to all four of the proposed amendments to our constitution. Remember....just mark your "X" next to the picture of the gate on your ballot. You must vote "NO" otherwise you and your family will really be sorry when the wave of foreigners come to our shores to take your job for less pay!
EasternGate 8 years, 6 months ago
Vote No!
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