The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

WAYNE Munroe, QC said yesterday Elizabeth MP Dr Duane Sands’ stance against an extension of the state of emergency is “late”, but he cannot be faulted for finally seeing that no one man should have the power to dictate what an entire country does.

Last week, the former Health Minister said he will not support an extension of the state of emergency as proposed by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, insisting to The Nassau Guardian that given the number of COVID-19 cases, the country is not a “whole lot better off” as a result.

He said the time has come to return the power to the people.

“I think his reasoning is late coming to a view that is set out in our action,” Mr Munroe told The Tribune yesterday. “He has now come to grips with that fact that the state of emergency and how they decided to run it created a one-man gang, but mind you, it didn’t need to have been so.

“The competent authority could have been the Cabinet of The Bahamas, not just one man but clearly he now sees.

“It’s unfortunate that it took this long for him to see it, him having supported all of the extensions to this point, but coming late to the right conclusion there is nothing wrong with that. You cannot criticise somebody for coming late to the right conclusion.”

Mr Munroe said he believed the decision on who would be the competent authority would have been made by Cabinet.

“I would have thought that the Cabinet would have looked at it because there are cases that say the competent authority ought never to be one man.

“So, I would have thought that if the Cabinet determined who would be appointed the competent authority, which I would have thought should have happened because the prime minister doesn’t have executive powers like the president of the United States or the governor like the States (does).

“So, I would have thought that the Cabinet would have made the decision and I couldn’t imagine how any president would sit around and determine that one man would be the competent authority. If they sat down and agreed to that, then they are more dunce than I thought.

“What argument could Dr Minnis have given them for him to be the sole competent authority?”

Last Thursday, Dr Sands said he didn’t see any reason why the country should continue to be managed by a single individual.

His comments came a day after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the intention to extend the state of emergency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic to October 31.

“There is the belief that we have surrendered our responsibility and concentrated it into a single person,” Dr Sands told the local daily.

“I don’t think the country is a whole lot better off because of it. As a matter of fact, with 3,000 cases, almost 90 deaths, some might say that we are certainly not better off.

“So, it is time now for the legislature to assume its rightful place as one of the pillars of democracy. Let us move from a situation where all of the decision making has been vested in the hands of the competent authority for now moving into seven months and return to the appropriate representation that the people voted for.”

Governor General CA Smith declared a state of emergency on March 18, granting wide-ranging powers to Dr Minnis as the competent authority. The move came three days after The Bahamas confirmed its first case of COVID-19.

Following this, lockdowns, curfews and other measures restricting movement were enacted.

Dr Sands added that currently there was no end in sight relating to COVID-19, as he questioned whether the vested power in one man would continue indefinitely.

“There is no end in sight to COVID-19,” the Elizabeth MP said.

“Are we going to surrender democracy indefinitely, or are we going to return the power to the people? We made a decision that we would vest responsibility for many things into the competent authority because there was an emergency.

“Our constitution allows for that. I am not sure that our constitution allows for it to extend beyond six months.

“But certainly, I don’t see anything that would suggest that this member of Parliament should vote to extend those emergency powers. And so, I would go on record to say that Elizabeth will not be supporting the extension.”

The Tribune contacted several Free National Movement officials to respond to Dr Sands’ position, however they all declined to speak yesterday.