By TANEKA THOMPSON

Tribune News Editor

tmthompson@tribunemedia.net

TWO weeks after he expressed concern about proposed amendments to the Constitution that would allow a Bahamian woman to pass on citizenship to a foreign spouse, Tall Pines MP Leslie expressed a change of heart over his “ignorance.”

Speaking in the House of Assembly during debate on four constitutional amendment bills, Mr Miller said he was previously uneducated on the access foreign spouses of Bahamians get to citizenship.

He added that he recently had discussions with Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and Bahamian women over the gender discrimination in the Constitution, which have enlightened him.

“I myself must admit that until last week before having an in-depth discussion with the deputy prime minister, I too was not fully in tune with what the rules and regulations were with regard to foreign men marrying Bahamian women and the ramifications with regard to them being granted citizenship,” Mr Miller said.

“I must admit my ignorance, because it only happened last week that I was told that in fact the period is five years before a (foreign) spouse can apply,” he added.

“It is not something that is granted at the spur of the moment.”

He said he spoke to some women yesterday who told him they wanted the same rights men enjoy under the constitution.

Two weeks ago, Mr Miller said that a Bahamian woman who marries a foreigner should be taken to her spouse’s home country and supported by her husband. He spoke as a guest on the Star 106.5 talk show “Jeffrey”.

“If my sister marries a foreigner, I expect for that foreigner to take her home to his country and support her,” Mr Miller said.

“What they bringing him here for? Don’t come to my country and take a job from one of my Bahamian brothers. You are responsible for your family. If I get married to a foreigner, she is coming here with me. A man is the head of his house. He is supposed to be responsible for his family.”

FNM Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner branded Mr Miller’s comments as “asinine”, “misogynistic” and said the remarks are a testament of his “unenlightened thinking”.

The four bills to amend the Bahamas’ Constitution were tabled in the House of Assembly three weeks ago and if passed will result in a referendum being held on equality between Bahamian men and women in matters of citizenship.

Mr Miller’s controversial comments referred to the second bill that will enable a Bahamian woman who marries a foreign man to secure for him the same access to Bahamian citizenship that a Bahamian man has always enjoyed under the Constitution in relation to his foreign spouse.

The Bill contains provisions designed to ensure foreigners, male or female, who enter into bogus marriages with Bahamian citizens, will not be assisted by this constitutional change, Prime Minister Perry Christie has said.