Living up to nation’s Constitution

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Greetings and thank you for the space in your publication to unveil the following events of concern to The Bahamian people, I appreciate it.

I have been a disciple of The Bahamas’ Parliament in Session and I must say, that when I watched and hear the contributions, and members delineating what were their impressions of what they thought the rules were saying, leaves me challenged, perplexed... no wonder, I am left to muse that the country was in the state that it is, this grappling for straws, not knowing what governs them, is a national disgrace, if truth be told. If you didn’t know what clause meant for the matter-at-hand, then you do not belong in the Parliament of the Bahamas, please spare yourself, family and country the harassment and do the honourable thing and resign, or will you?

Editor, there is an established salary scale for politicians, and those amounts were not contrary to the rules, no leasing of those amounts, no embarrassments of those amounts and so, why should these people, politicians be allowed to draw, receive, be paid those sums from the coffers of the Bahamian people’s public treasury of The Bahamas?

I have also been taken aback about the deadline for Members of the Parliament of The Bahamas having to declare their net worth by a particular date and time, but have they? The law is also that a failure to do so after the deadline is punishable by imprisonment, but many have missed the deadline and are still there in Parliament as if nothing’s wrong - why?

And what is so egregious, Mr Lincoln Bain and supporters of the Coalition Independent Party, have been arrested numerous times for their beliefs, freedom of speech, and right to association by the police, for demonstrating, when it was the police that denied them the permits, why?

If the Constitution of The Bahamas, being the Supreme Law, and it consents that citizens of these islands, rocks and cays have the inalienable (cannot be changed ever) rights outlined, and since it is the Constitution that propels all other laws (including the police act), and it also expressed succinctly that Parliament shall make no law, contradicting the laws laid out in the Constitution of The Bahamas... so why do the people need to ask the Commissioner Of Police for what is already deemed theirs by the Constitution?

These things are a blatant breach of the civil liberties of Mr Bain and his political supporters. And why does the government remain silent on those arrests?

Another matter of concern, since we were said to be a Constitutional Democracy, must and should mean that the Hon. Prime Minister Davis and his government were obliged to answer questions that the Bahamian people have?

That they were further obligated to seek a majority of the people’s wishes, wants for whatever were the subjects for a determination (point in fact the Royal Caribbean International’s $110m beach club project on Paradise Island), which would be an overkill, already we have the Atlantis Resort, which employs over five thousand Bahamians (5,000-plus), and to bring this similar investment in the area, could be legally problematic?

PM Davis has been told this by Bahamians, yet he has approved it, even given a day when the first shovels will be in the ground, why?

And, Editor, every time investors come, they need to hire a law firm, I wonder which law firms are getting all of these projects, and being allowed whether the people want them or not, why? But what have we gotten? Silence and later down learned that the projects went ahead without the consultation of the majority of the people, why?

Many Bahamians have said that the Davis- Cooper administration is operating on their own terms, not consulting, if true, why?

But Bahamians shouldn’t be too surprised, because this is the same Progressive Liberal Party (except for a few different individuals), that took a ‘No’ vote in a gambling referendum and changed it to a ‘Yes’ vote?

How many Bahamians are addicted to gambling, money that would have been spent in the homes, are left in gambling halls, etc?

In conclusion, the Bahamian people telling PM Davis that they have a problem with this, and that, but apparently he is still not checking, going full steam ahead, is not Democracy, but Davisism, his household that he is managing, not the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, it appears?

Then we wonder how certain countries were able to reach gutter bottoms?

Is it because of maladjusted governments refusing to abide by the checks and balances prescribed by the Founders of the laws of the land (the Constitution of The Bahamas, etc)?

Editor, since the Bahamian people cannot stop the Government from entering into these agreements with foreign investors (against the wishes of the Bahamian people), I think that where it is known that that investor(s) were American citizens, or company’s main headquarters in the US, I believe that there is something that US regulators can do to stop it?

Tribune, please explore, otherwise we are in trouble as a people, the PLP appears to be selling everything and they are in full speed ahead, but why?

FRANK GILBERT

Nassau,

March 14, 2023.

Comments

Flyingfish says...

Yep, we the Bahamian people need to clean the house of this elitism, nepotism, and abuse of the law that has festered over these 50 years.
If ya daddy, mummy, uncle, granddaddy is an MP we need to say no and tell them to give it a break. We are being run aground by corruption to a point of national ruin by individuals who don't know what they are doing.

We have a Cabinet full of lawyers and the occasional doctors who are running our economy, public works, and agricultural policy. Unsurprisingly all they can do is wreck it, bleed out dry, or further destroy what we have now today. Instead the people with degrees are left with no say and are forced to suffer with the stupid decisions.

I will really be surprised the day a PLP linked official is tried for corruption under a PLP government and vice versa. We really need to vote for someone other than FNM and PLP next election for our countries sake.
If the old folks don't want to, then let it be a youthful political revolution. To say once and for we are done with the foolishness of these 2 parties. All whilst making sure the party that is elected is one that makes practical, non-extremist, yet meaningful public policy reforms.

A party which will stand independent of the Blue and Red as well as the blue and yellow.
Ending this tragic legacy left upon us by the "SUNSHINE BOYS".

Posted 16 March 2023, 12:17 p.m. Suggest removal

Log in to comment