The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder expected ministers to discuss how children born to unwed Bahamian men and foreign women could satisfy questions about paternity and other citizenship issues during yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting.

Last week’s landmark Privy Council citizenship ruling created the expectation that the Davis administration would soon satisfy the interests of people affected by the verdict and fulfil its long-promised plan to address other discriminatory citizenship matters.

Mr Pinder said the Privy Council’s ruling that people are automatically citizens if born out of wedlock to Bahamian men and foreign women substantially impacts the administration’s proposed bill, which has not been released publicly.

“Well, certainly that (ruling) affects the bill substantially because one of the elements of discriminatory treatment has now been extinguished by the Privy Council,” he said before a Cabinet meeting.

“Today, we’ll discuss in Cabinet what measures are in place. One, how to evaluate under Article 6 and the biological father in the case of the illegitimate children, and secondly, the way forward with remaining elements of discriminatory treatment and primarily discriminatory treatment when a Bahamian woman marries a foreign man and has that child outside of the country. But there are a couple of other (issues), including matters with adopted children and the like we’re looking at so hopefully we’ll have some clear direction from Cabinet shortly.”

Mr Pinder has repeatedly said the administration would not remedy discriminatory citizenship policies until the Privy Council ruled on the matter involving children of unwed Bahamian men.

Citizenship issues were at the centre of referendums in 2002 and 2016. Bahamians rejected those efforts to amend the constitution.

Mr Pinder said last year there would be no third referendum on the issue and that the government would amend the Bahamas Nationality Act to equalise citizenship access for children of men and women.

“Look at what happens in referendums,” he said last year. “A lot of time the right thing doesn’t get done. We are about governing for the right thing. We will do it and do what is correct. And the judgment in this instance is that in this we go by legislation. And that’s just my opinion. I have detractors in that opinion and I have people with contrary opinions. That’s fine too. Everybody is entitled to their opinion but that is the opinion and my recommendation to the prime minister.”