The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

DEMOCRATIC National Alliance Leader Arinthia Komolafe alleged Monday the arrest of herself and other party leaders had been carried out on the instruction of higher ups.

She told reporters there were concerns that “political vicitimisation” could ramp up as the next general election nears.

The group was held at Central Police Station on East Street North for several hours and questioned about the events that unfolded on March 3.

“It’s been a very long day,” Mrs Komolafe said from the steps of the Central Police Station. Her husband, DNA members and supporters flanked her as scores of other supporters spilled into the street. Mrs Komolafe’s mother also flew in from a Family Island in a show of support for her daughter.

Supporters cheered and clapped as she emerged from the station.

“It’s just unfortunate that we have gotten to this point, but our spirit is not broken. We’re very strong. We’re very resolute with what it is that we’re doing and pushing this message of change in the nation,” she said.

“We were brought in this morning for questioning and when we arrived we were told that we were under arrest for unlawful assembly. The matter is still pending at this time but our team, as you see, they have all been here since this morning.

“We all went through a series of questioning one behind the other and now we have been released but the matter is still pending. It will have to go to headquarters, as we have been told.”

The DNA’s chairman Omar Smith was contacted by police last Thursday, while Mrs Komolafe was contacted the following day and asked to come into the station as soon as possible for questioning.

While she told reporters she had no issues with police who were “very professional”, Mrs Komolafe asserted their arrests were ordered from “somewhere higher”.

As a result, she said they had no choice but to believe they were being politically victimised.

“Absolutely,” she said while also explaining how the arrest affected her family. “It is a very unfortunate moment because I carried the moment for them. I left my children at home. They were very upset. My daughter asked yesterday what was the purpose of this process.

“She was very concerned that I would be arrested. They obviously don’t understand the process. But, I thank God that he has given us the strength to be here and to bring us to this time and to bring us to this season but again as I said our spirits are not broken. We’re very resolute and we will continue this push for change.”

Asked about concerns the situation was connected to gender bias, she said: “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard in the history of this country where a male leader of a political party has been arrested for expressing their voice.

“This is the first in our country. We have had four Prime Ministers. They have all been male and Dr (Hubert) Minnis himself was a part of a protest in 2016 with the We March and Dr Minnis was never brought in for questioning to our knowledge. He was also a part of the protest on Paradise Island where there was actually destruction to property and to our recollection Dr Minnis was not brought in for questioning… there has to be some level of gender bias in this entire situation.”

Mrs Komolafe further asserted that Dr Minnis has sought to minimise the female voice in politics.

“We understand what the modus operandi of this current Prime minister is and this is a Prime Minister that has one female member in his Cabinet and came under pressure only recently to replace the one female member that resigned.

“Again, I do not run a campaign based on gender, but I do not ignore the realities that one is being faced with these challenges, one just because of gender, but also because of my youth as well as because of the message that the Democratic National Alliance and its members is carrying and has been carrying for the past 10 years.”

The DNA leader said after Monday's events it was clear political bias could continue.

“Many of you would have known that we applied, for example, to host a motorcade and we were denied, but at the same time the members of the Free National Movement were able to host a motorcade.

“We also understand the fact that even in movement throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas it is very challenging. It is very difficult. Some of the leverage that the Prime Minister has, some of the minority parties do not have.

“We believe that this is a targeted attack on minority parties, but it is an attack on parties such as the DNA that is pushing a message of change outside of the status quo.”

Mrs Komolafe gained the support of Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis, Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin and former Opposition Leader Loretta Butler-Turner, among others.

For his part, Mr Davis said the situation was frightening. He called it hypocritical that Dr Minnis had participated in a large protest while in opposition, but allowed parties doing the same to face investigation.

“It is a frightening trend and pattern that this government has been engaged in,” Mr Davis said. “It started off with the victor’s justice in prosecuting opponents. The Prime Minister himself not listening. He’s clearly carrying this country down a path that will be clearly undemocratic.

“It is very sad that peaceful protests are now being turned into criminal activities.

“. . .There is a constitutional right to assemble,” he said. “There is a constitutional right to have freedom of association and she indicated that it had something to do with what they called an unlawful assembly and if they assembled and what was the purpose of that assembly to make it unlawful again it’s questionable and this is just another attempt by this government to silence the opposition.”

Mrs Hanna Martin sat with the group inside Central Station for some time Monday.

“I am a part of her legal team, her citizenship team, her woman team. Any kinda team. I am standing with her today,” Mrs Hanna Martin said outside the station.

“We stand with them today. I think that the fact that she is a woman cannot be overlooked. It’s something that me as a woman identifies instantly. But I think there is a deeper issue here and it’s the issue in which political power is being exercised in a way that is very questionable and that I am wondering if they are trying to crush the spirits of the Bahamian people.

“I just want to let them know it ain’t gonna happen,” she said.

Mrs Butler-Turner was also adamant that this situation was not solely political.

“This appears to be about our democracy when Bahamians are not able to assemble freely and peaceably and to be offended in such a way as to be apprehended and held by the police, it makes me wonder whether or not we are now living in a military state,” the former MP said.

“And the truth of the matter is we are not a military state, we are not an authoritarian state and if in fact this gathering took place some three weeks ago and these people committed an offence they should have been arrested then.”

The group’s lead attorney, Khalil Parker. said the police’s actions Monday were proof that policing in the country and handling of politics still has a long way to go.