HOUSE Speaker Halson Moultrie yesterday. Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff
HOUSE Speaker Halson Moultrie is to hold “Open Parliaments” for the public each Wednesday starting next week.
While the House is not set to reconvene until September 22, Speaker Moultrie said most of the discussions with citizens will be held with himself and Chief Clerk David Forbes.
These sessions will be held for the most part at the Senate building, Parliament Square and the House of Assembly from 10am to 1pm.
This will continue either until Parliament is dissolved or until sittings of Parliament continue in September.
The Speaker’s announcement came as part of an attack on the continuation of Emergency Powers.
“The chains fell off in 1833 but we are witnesses of new chains of bondage, guised as Emergency Power Orders that discriminate, infringe Bahamians’ constitutional rights and challenge the very essence of our being,” Mr Moultrie said.
“As the countdown to end this unprecedented encroachment on civil liberties, in the form of COVID-19 protocols, approaches - the 13th of August, Bahamians face further threats to our freedom and additional concerns of our nation’s wellbeing.”
He pointed to a comment Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis made back in Julylast year when Bahamians travelled to the United States when the borders reopened that month. Dr Minnis admitted the administration considered prohibiting residents from leaving the country.
“Governments will be placed in situations where at some point in time they will have to make what they call discriminatory or unconstitutional decisions against their people in the interest of the advancement of their nation.”
Those comments came before parliamentarians passed a resolution extending the state of emergency to September 30, 2020.
The Speaker further also questioned the government on vaccinations.
He said: “If taking the COVID-19 vaccines is a matter of choice why are unvaccinated persons being denied while the vaccinated persons are given clearance when they are equally likely to contract the virus and more likely to inadvertently spread the virus?”
“… The fact that the government is permitting the intrusive emergency law and orders to expire on 13 August in my estimation is proof that government had available to it less intrusive means to serve public health purposes that need not violate civl liberties as the Emergency Orders have.”
Nonetheless, Speaker Moultrie said he would not stand in the way of government doing what it felt was necessary.
“I would not stand in their way because the government has a mandate on behalf of the people and once the government decides it wants to do something the Speaker is not to stand in the way. The Members of Parliament - that’s a resolution that the government would have to bring to the Parliament. The Speaker is a facilitator,” he explained.
The Speaker noted the current recess deprives duly elected members their privilege of effective representation and the Parliament “constitutional obligation to supervise and have oversight of Cabinet’s interim activities, expenditures and policies.”
He hopes the open parliament would deepen democracy, be educational and allow people to voice their grievance as the parliament is in recess.
“If they have grievances during this recess usually Parliament would be the place to ventilate those grievances by the representative members for each constituency but there’s no opportunity for that now because effectively Parliament has been prorogued and I say that because this is an unprecedented period since I became speaker. Ninety days in the midst of a pandemic and with the possibility of a snap election being called within the period but the Parliament is in recess during the period?
“I think that is most undemocratic and most unfortunate that we find ourselves in that circumstance.
“What I’m hoping to do is to cause Bahamians not to feel that the Parliament and executive is out of their reach and that they don’t have the kinda of access to Parliament particularly as a result of our COVID-19 protocols when we had to convert the gallery. So, there’s really no public participation in terms of even sitting and viewing the proceedings. So, I felt we should not go all the way to September without persons having the opportunity to voice their concerns and to at least access the parliament of The Bahamas because once they access the Speaker, I have a good relationship despite me trying to enforce certain changes with most of the members of parliament.
“When people come to me all the time from different constituencies outside of Nassau Village that I represent and I passed those concerns onto the various members.”
Comments
IslandWarrior 3 years, 4 months ago
"The faces may have changed, but the policies and structure of the past system of oppression have not dismantled the oppressive economic and ugly political structures of the past that divided Bahamians into (have and have nots). The secrecy of how we are governed is still the nemesis in the darkroom of political corruption. The politics of state victimization and petty disregard of anything Bahamian is still the old enemy of The Common Good. As a result, the people are losing faith in our democracy."
@coakley4mical 3 years, 4 months ago
@IslandWarrior: I contend that the people haven't lost faith in Our Democracy, that is the lie that the Minority Lead Parties in specific a particular party, wants everyone else to believe for political mileage. The simple fact is that the Bahamian electorate is losing or have lost faith not in Our Democracy, but in those that represent us in the Honorable House of Assembly (HOA), where our needs are suppose to be put first and foremost! That is what has been lost! The system works, its just that the gatekeepers and gate controllers are abusing the power, because they have became drunk with power. And absolute power corrupts absolutely !
Chucky 3 years, 4 months ago
It’s a brutish based system (parliamentary democracy). Look at Britain’s history, they have been nothing but evil conquerers.
There is no reason , if not for the propaganda to assume we are governed for the good of the people.
The British enslaved much of the world , and parliamentary democracy is designed to continue the status quo with the pen instead of the sword. The only noteable difference.
Sickened 3 years, 4 months ago
The black man now has a chance to be a slave master and he is loving it!
JokeyJack 3 years, 4 months ago
This Moultrie guy thinks he has the right to speak in this country and calls himself a "Speaker" also. Always going on about rights for Bahamians and other rubbish. Bahamians have no rights and no voice. Parliament has been shut, so he should shut his mouth and obey.
The mask in front of your mouth is a good enough hint for anyone with brains. Shut up and do as you're told. Besides he is black and should know better than to get "uppity".
I myself follow the instructions of the Most Honorable, the Competent one known as the Competent Authority. He is an MP an MD and a PM. How much more alphabets do people want? Mussy eatin alphabet soup and ya know das a lie cause nobody can't afford to buy dem Campbell's. Ramen good enough for me.
This is foolish. No speaking is needed as advised by a leader in Australia just last week. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and shut ya mout'.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 4 months ago
The 90 days makes sense because there's no point in showing up. imagine if you had a job where you had to dress up then sit around all day doing nothing, that would get boring pretty fast. I'd ask for 90 days off too.
TalRussell 3 years, 4 months ago
Excellent that the Honourable Speaker is opening House as a forum for the noticeable increase in Concubines activities over the 16 months COVID. They too need a voice for an after COVID pathway towards becoming regularized within Sanctity and Respect which church, the marriage act, and society show to married people, yes?
JokeyJack 3 years, 4 months ago
Tal i love you brother, but you lost even me on that one. What u sayin?
@coakley4mical 3 years, 4 months ago
First of all what Halston Moultrie is talking - Let me explain it in terms of a plate of food.
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