Monday, May 2, 2016
By LAMECH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
AN international advocacy agency said it is now monitoring the dispute concerning parliamentarians using their privilege to disclose confidential information of private citizens in the House of Assembly.
Save The Bays (STB) Chairman Joseph Darville wrote to three international advocacy agencies last month in an effort to bring global attention to the “deplorable treatment” of environmental activists in the Bahamas by the Christie administration.
In an April 8 letter addressed to Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International and the Robert F Kennedy Centre for Justice and Human Rights, Mr Darville said the more recent attacks have taken on a more personal formant.
In a response from the RFK Centre, obtained by The Tribune, the advocacy agency on Saturday acknowledged receipt of Mr Darville’s letter.
“On behalf of Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, we want to thank you for the information shared in your letter dated April 8, 2016 concerning the situation of the organisation Save the Bays and several sitting members of the Bahamas Parliament,” said Wade McMullen, managing attorney of RFK Partners for Human Rights.
“As you are aware, our organisation works to achieve Robert F Kennedy’s dream of a more just and peaceful world. We believe in the important role civil society has to play to achieve a more democratic society. Therefore, we will continue to closely follow the situation as we work to obtain further information, including from the Bahamian government, to have a more complete understanding of the issues at stake.”
STB has come under fire by members of the Christie administration after court documents filed by the group in early March alleged that Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard employed two “gang members” to carry out crimes against those who opposed further development at Nygard Cay.
On March 9, four STB directors - Mr Darville, Romi Ferreira, Fred Smith and Louis Bacon - and Rev CB Moss, who is not a STB member, filed an affidavit by Florida investigator John Joseph DiPaolo detailing Mr Nygard’s alleged connection to Livingston “Toggie” Bullard and Wisler “Bobo” Davilma, the two men in question.
In recent weeks, members of the PLP have attempted to portray STB as a political faction disguised as an environmental group. Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald described STB as an organisation that purports to have one function when in fact it has political motivations, reading emails from members of the group in the House of Assembly to further his point.
The group obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court prohibiting respondents, including Mr Fitzgerald, Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell and the attorney general from appropriating, publishing or disclosing e-mails, even in Parliament, belonging to STB members.
The injunction lasts until May 12, a date fixed for a full hearing on constitutional arguments.
Representatives of the Office of the Attorney General sought to have the judge set aside the injunction in a hearing last Friday.
However, Justice Indra Charles said she would not discharge the order without hearing full constitutional arguments to whether parliamentarians can use their privilege to disclose confidential information of private citizens because the matter has far-reaching implications beyond the Bahamas.
Comments
birdiestrachan says...
It is my prayer that the Kennedy Centre have intelligent people wh will monitor this situation. and they will examine all of the facts and they will see STB for who they are.and what they are all about. The blind can see and the Dumb can understand that they have political motives. Now they say Pintard is or was a paid consultant for Callenders consulting about what?. No wonder they want ever thing hidden Pintard may very well have been on STB pay roll. They need not fear what is done in the darkness will come to the light.
Posted 2 May 2016, 3:56 p.m. Suggest removal
Tarzan says...
The "Birdie" comment is perfect nonsense. The only "political motive" of Save the Bays, and by the way the only political motive demonstrated in the hacked e-mail and financial material, is to try to get the sitting government to enforce the well established law of the land with respect to the environment. The issue their efforts have raised, is whether this country is a lawless, fiefdom controlled by wealthy foreign special interests and the politicians they are willing to pad, or a country ruled by one law, applied equally to all. "Birdie's" comments sound to me like the same old, deflect, confuse, ignore, do anything but answer clear and serious charges.
Posted 3 May 2016, 9:35 a.m. Suggest removal
licks2 says...
Relax. . .persons around here listen to birdie like we listen to paint dry!!! That has to be BBB. . .no other person in this country can think that "ill". . .have a cup of coffee and chill. . .birdie's reasoning don't count!! But even the ignorant will be allowed to speak. . .Lol!
Posted 3 May 2016, 11:30 a.m. Suggest removal
Voltaire says...
Birdie - can you please explain how an objective person is supposed to reach the conclusion that "the blind and the dumb can understand that they have political motives?" I'm sorry, but all I saw was Fitzgerald make a bunch of unverified noise in an obvious effort to save his party's political skin, then read a private email between parties in which they opine on the political affiliation of the commissioner of police. I don't know about you, but I opine about the political persuasion of senior civil servants in my private conversations all the time. What on earth is the issue? As for Pintard's involvement, for goodness sake, his name is mentioned in STB's own evidence. It is not like they even tried to hide it. The PLP spin machine made that into something dirty, but again, on the face of it, what is the problem?
Posted 2 May 2016, 4:32 p.m. Suggest removal
asiseeit says...
This e-mail situation is very serious and has implications as to what sort of country The Bahamas will be in the future. Do you think any person with the money to do so will invest in this country if they can be dragged through the dirt by our parasitic politicians at will? Mr. Fitzgerald is playing with fire and the country stands to get burnt.
Posted 2 May 2016, 5:28 p.m. Suggest removal
ThisIsOurs says...
I'm back to thinking birdie **must** be "playing" dumb, this kind of "*non-enlightment*", (I wish I had emoticons for finger quotes), cannot be God given
Posted 2 May 2016, 7 p.m. Suggest removal
sheeprunner12 says...
Who monitored the Kennedys when they were "wheelin and dealin" back in the day????????
Posted 3 May 2016, 12:11 p.m. Suggest removal
Voltaire says...
sheeprunner12, birdie sneeze on you hey? What that have to do with anything?
Posted 3 May 2016, 3:40 p.m. Suggest removal
birdiestrachan says...
Mr: Pintard is suppose to be a Playwright. All of you smart people pray tell what in the world could he be consulting Callender and Callenders about??.the Founders must be turning over in their graves. A paid Consultant?
Posted 3 May 2016, 3:52 p.m. Suggest removal
Voltaire says...
birdie, again, what does that have to do with anything? These fellas read out people's private emails – a move with very serious implications for the future of this country on so many levels – just to deflect attention from videos showing what major party funder Peter Nygard really thinks of the PLP leadership. Your efforts to deflect from that fact are about as transparent as Fitzgerald's.
Posted 3 May 2016, 9:31 p.m. Suggest removal
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