The Tribune

IN August 1992 the late Sir Lynden Pindling cut a sorry figure as he admitted — in almost incredulous disbelief — that after 25 years his party had lost the election that year because it had lost touch with the Bahamian people.

“I think,” said Sir Lynden, “what we were overcome by was the depth of hardship in the two main metropolitan areas. We knew the people were hurting, we knew that homes were being sold, we knew that parents were taking kids out of school, but we didn’t think that this would have affected them so dramatically in determining what they would do during the election.”

It would seem that history is now being repeated under the Christie administration as it faces an election in three months time with little success to show for the past five years of its administration.

Imagine introducing the Interception of Communications Bill so soon after Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald stood on the floor of the House and shocked the nation by reading the private e-mails of an environmental group — arguing that he was justified in doing so under the protection of parliamentary privilege.

Didn’t the Christie government realise that introducing this new Bill - under the guise of catching criminals — so near an election would arouse suspicion? Or is this just a sign of their arrogant smugness so assured are they of victory? This attitude should shake up the opposition forces and make them aware, not only that at this time there is strength in unity, but also that Bahamians are fed up with their petty quarrels. If they don’t quickly stop tripping over their ridiculous egos, they can take all the credit for having returned a failing government to a party that in the past five years has proven that it is not — and never has been — up to the task of governing.

This proposed Bill brought former Court of Appeals President Joan Sawyer out of retirement long enough to express her concern and question the motives and the timing.

Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson agreed to a postponement of the Bill long enough for a “period of consultation” on the legislation. She maintains the public is being “misled very substantially” about the content of the proposed legislation. She listed all the safety measures put in to protect the average citizen’s privacy — pointing out that a judge in the Supreme Court would have to grant the police permission to intercept any citizen’s communications, and “if the judge finds that reasonable suspicion is justified and the Supreme Court sets a time limit for the duration of the interception. Any extension beyond that time limit must be granted by the Supreme Court.”

“And the Supreme Court can also give instructions as to how and when those records should be destroyed when the threat is removed. These new protective steps safeguard citizen’s privacy in a way that meets concerns raised in a recent Privy Council case on the Listening Devices Act, which specifically recommended that consideration be given to providing greater protections to Bahamian citizens.”

Words, words, words… what the good Attorney General does not understand is that Bahamians have lost confidence in all segments of their government. And now that they see the battering rams of the legislature at the doors of the judiciary – the protector of their rights — they are no longer in the mood to believe anyone.

Yes, you can get protection from the judges, but when Bahamians see the latest brazen attempt to bully certain strong members of the judiciary these empty assurances are just so many words strung together. No, no matter how softly, or sweetly you now speak, Bahamians, in the main have lost confidence.

Last August, in a landmark ruling, Supreme Court Justice Indra Charles declared that Mr Fitzgerald was not legally justified when he tabled the Save the Bays e-mails and therefore could not be protected by parliamentary privilege, as he claimed at the time.

The Marathon MP was ordered to pay $150,000 in damages for the breach. He has appealed this ruling.

However, the ruling brought the judiciary and the legislature on a collision course. Chief Justice Sir Hartman Longley denounced parliament’s attempt to decide whether a Supreme Court judge could be held in contempt of the House of Assembly. The judicial and legislative branches of government faced a constitutional crises.

At the last minute it was decided that the House’s Committee on Privilege would postpone its probe until after a ruling was made on Mr Fitzgerald’s appeal.

None of this helps build confidence. Most Bahamians do not trust their politicians and now that all the wheels within wheels are suddenly being revealed, they have lost faith in everyone. It is now time for a responsible Opposition to step into the breech and lead the charge.

Tempers flare at Fox Hill rally

Some of our politicians rolled up their shirt sleeves and wallowed in a verbal gutter at a Fox Hill rally Monday night with Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell calling civil rights lawyer, Fred Smith, QC, an “ass” and our prime minister displaying an angry third finger at his detractors.

Mr Mitchell recounted the Biblical story of Jesus sending his disciples to find him a donkey. When they found the donkey — which Mr Mitchell said was also called an “ass”– Jesus sat on the ass. “You may sometimes call a donkey an ass,” said Mr Mitchell. “But whatever name you call it, even if you call the donkey Fred Smith, it is still an ass.”

We would refer Mr Mitchell to Gilbert Keith Chesterton’s poem in which even the ass had its glory moment.

“The tattered outlaw of the earth,

Of ancient crooked will;

Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,

I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;

One far fierce hour and sweet:

There was a shout about my ears,

And palms before my feet. ”

And so also does Fred Smith have his hour in the spotlight despite the likes of Fred Mitchell.

As for Prime Minister Christie, we have learned to expect such unfortunate behaviour from US President Donald Trump, but here in the Bahamas, no matter how hot the political arena we do not expect such lewd behaviour from our prime minister.

An explanation and an apology is in order.