By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

SAVE Our Bahamas took its vote “no” campaign to Grand Bahama, with committee member Pastor Lyall Bethel telling a forum that the YES Bahamas campaign is no longer about educating, but rather about “brainwashing” Bahamians.

He believes it is unfair that taxpayers’ money is financing the vote “yes” commercials that are being repeatedly aired on ZNS, the government-run broadcast network, when the other side is not being given equal opportunity to present its views in the same way.

“During ZNS’ 30 minute newscast there were five or more vote ‘yes’ commercials - it is no longer about information, it is brainwashing with taxpayers’ money,” said Pastor Bethel in Freeport.

“We have asked government about funding because both sides need to be properly financed and we have yet to hear from them; we made a request and we think it is patently unfair. This is not a brainwashing campaign it is (supposed to be) an educational one where both sides should be known. If they are so secure in their argument, then let us have the same funds to get our argument across,” he said.

Save Our Bahamas does not support the fourth Constitutional Amendment Bill over fears that it will lead to gay marriage. The fourth bill seeks to end discrimination based on sex.

The group invited Pastor Rex Major, Harvey Tynes, QC, and Marco City MP Gregory Moss to speak about the bills at a pastors’ forum at Calvary Temple Church in Freeport last Friday.

Pastor Bethel said: “The bill we considered to be most problematic is bill four, which is not really about gender equality.”

“We already have gender equality in our Constitution. There is an Employment Act where you can’t discriminate against a male or female. The former deputy prime minister was a female, and most of the school principals are females – one has to look far and wide to find men.”

He added: “What we have been finding is that other side (say ‘yes’ campaign) is not arguing fairly, and say that (those who support the vote ‘no’ campaign) are misogynist, and homophobes.”

“They say we don’t have the arguments, but we do. We have a QC and Greg Moss who are saying where the danger lies in the bills. It is our intent to tell pastors to educate their congregation to know where the issues arise.”

Pastor Bethel said the group is not against women’s rights. “We are for equality of women and we find it distasteful when someone says that to vote ‘no’ is tantamount to being against women and children. I was raised by a single mother, and I have a wife and two daughters, and I would do nothing to endanger them having a future.”

When asked about transgender individuals saying they want equality, Pastor Major, who sat on the first Constitutional Commission in 2002, responded that marriage is not based on equality.

“Marriage is not a right,” Pastor Major said. “If it was, why does not a man marry his daughter, and why don’t two sisters get married? We must have some boundaries. You have to have some line which is drawn and we adopted the biblical Christian line because that is what we say we are. We say it in the Constitution that we have an abiding respect for Christian values.”

Mr Tynes, QC, thinks that all four bills are flawed, but his main complaint is with bill two. This bill would give the foreign husband of a Bahamian woman the same right to apply for citizenship that the foreign spouse of a Bahamian man currently enjoys. However this would not be automatic and be subject to review by immigration officials.

He said: “It gives to any foreign person who marries a person who is Bahamian or becomes a Bahamian the right to be registered as a Bahamian citizen. I believe there are rights and privileges that go with citizenship that ought not be given to any foreign person based purely on their question of marriage.”

A referendum will be held on these issues on June 7.