The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

In the September 15 Nassau Guardian editorial titled “Pintard must stay focused,” the writer, who I strongly believe could be Juan McCartney, took aim at Coalition of Independents Leader Lincoln Bain for leading a protest against the Progressive Liberal Party’s plan to amend the Bahamas Nationality Act. I have lost count of the number of times this editorial has referenced Dr Hubert Minnis being rejected by the Bahamian people. I recall McCartney’s vociferous opposition to Minnis, which is his democratic right. However, I am under the assumption that media professionals should demonstrate some modicum of impartiality when it comes to politics. Based on the anti-FNM tenor of these opinion pieces, Michael Pintard might be inclined to take The Nassau Guardian’s advice with a grain of salt.

If I am interpreting the September 15 Tribune article on this subject correctly, the PLP is planning on amending this Act through Parliamentary legislation, rather than through a referendum. The 2016 constitutional referendum was outright rejected by the Bahamian people. The talk on the ground was that Bahamian women who had children for foreign men did so on the basis of their children acquiring the nationality of their fathers. Even today, many pregnant Bahamian women are flocking to the US in the third trimester in order for their babies to acquire the citizenship of that country. No matter how you slice it, this is a rejection of The Bahamas by these Bahamian women. This proposed legislation seems to be an attempt to ram Bahamian citizenship down the throats of people who don’t want it. And then there’s the issue of handing out citizenship to illegal aliens like candy at Christmas. This would, in my opinion, incentivise illegal immigration.

Any Bahamian who opposes this approach would be labeled xenophobic. It’s my opinion that this is a smear tactic utilised by Black Lives Matter Marxists in the US towards individuals who have legitimate concerns about the Leftist Woke and social justice movement. The COI protestors are fully aware of the failed gaming referendum of 2013 and the subsequent legalisation of the sector via the legislative process by the PLP in 2014. Based on what Attorney General Ryan Pinder said in his 20022/2023 Budget debate, the Constitution gives Parliament “the ability to make provisions for the acquisition of citizenship of The Bahamas”.

Again, if I am interpreting The Tribune correctly, Pinder seems to be saying that his administration will do what the Christie administration did with the gaming sector in 2014, which will mean that the voice of the Bahamian people in the 2016 referendum will be ignored as it was in the 2013 referendum. It must be stressed that the issue here is Bahamian citizenship. Concerning The Nassau Guardian editorial, the following was written: “And the current administration has released no such draft legislation related to citizenship for public consultation but has pledged to do so. The protestors might or might not have known this, which is understandable given the lack of depth of investigation and the proclivity to opine on rumour and myth that proliferates on social media.” I view the last part of that sentence to be very condescending and disingenuous. The writer just as well had said that COI protestors are uneducated.

If The Nassau Guardian concedes that this administration is planning on tabling a citizenship legislation, what is the point in taking a condescending swipe at the Bain protestors? Isn’t the planned legislative move to amend the citizenship laws the reason many Bahamians are in an uproar? The Nassau Guardian seems to be saying that because no draft legislation has been presented to Parliament, Bain and his supporters are protesting a non-existent issue. But this is like saying Dietrich Bonhoeffer was overreacting when he objected to the election of Adolf Hitler in 1933 -- some eight years before the German Holocaust during World War II.

One can legitimately assume that, based on what Pinder stated in the past, COI supporters decided to take to Parliament Square. They are seeing exactly where this proposed amendment will lead to. Kudos to Bain and COI supporters for being proactive. They should be applauded for utilising a preemptive strategy.

KEVIN EVANS

Freeport,

Grand Bahama.

September 19, 2022.