By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

CHAOS erupted in and around the House of Assembly yesterday after Shanendon Cartwright hurled the Speaker’s mace out of a window, prompting police to storm the chamber and drag opposition members out before clashing with an unruly crowd outside.

The scene evoked memories of Black Tuesday, a key moment in the country’s history when then opposition leader Sir Lynden Pindling famously threw the mace out of a window to protest the governing party’s gerrymandering of electoral boundaries.

However, Progressive Liberal Party members swiftly condemned Mr Cartwright’s actions yesterday, dismissing them as grandstanding that lacked the profound significance of Sir Lynden Pindling’s historic protest.

  The incident followed a heated protest in Rawson Square where FNM supporters demanded the resignations of now-former Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander and National Security Minister Wayne Munroe after an explosive United States federal indictment last week alleged that certain members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force provided crucial support to drug traffickers smuggling cocaine from South America to the US.

 House proceedings initially appeared calm, but tensions soared when FNM Leader Michael Pintard sought to address the US indictment.

 Speaker Patricia Deveaux’s refusal to confirm whether he could speak angered the opposition members, leading to a heated exchange in which Mr Cartwright shouted from his seat: “Let the Bahamian people speak, Madame Speaker. You’re out of order, Madame Speaker.”

 Mr Cartwright abruptly rose from his seat, grabbed the mace from the Speaker’s desk, and threw it out of a window. Some elected officials sat in stunned silence, while others stood, visibly outraged. Photographers scrambled to capture the chaos. The Speaker’s reaction — shouting “Get him!” and repeatedly exclaiming “My Lord” — quickly went viral. Clips of the drama took social media by storm.

 Police officers and Deputy House Speaker Sylvanus Petty tried to restrain Mr Cartwright, but in the ensuing scuffle, Mr Petty was struck on the head, reportedly suffering a concussion that required hospitalisation.

 After the Speaker ordered Mr Cartwright’s removal, opposition MPs linked arms to block police intervention. Officers dragged the dishevelled MPs, including Mr Pintard, Kwasi Thompson, Adrian Gibson, and St Annes MP Adrian White, out of the chamber and took them outside.

 Speaker Deveaux described the incident as a “dark day” for Bahamian politics.

 “For the first time in my life when I took the oath of office, I felt challenged and I was in fear for my life,” she said when proceedings resumed. “I will review the tapes, and I will apprise the country later of my findings, but during today’s event, I was assaulted, I was hit, thank God for a glass of water in front of me. The honourable deputy speaker was given a blow to the head and has to go to hospital. And we have a police officer with terrible damage to his leg.”

 Prime Minister Philip Davis later told reporters the FNM’s conduct was a “terrible display.”

 Works Minister Clay Sweeting said it was “a sad day for democracy,” while Agriculture Minister Jomo Campbell said he was left “speechless.”

 “It was complete chaos — a disregard for the Bahamian people and for Bahamian institutions,” said Attorney General Ryan Pinder. “They should all be ashamed of themselves.”

 FNM supporters continued their protests outside the House as the crowd grew larger. Scores held signs about the allegations of corruption the country has faced under the Davis administration. Many protested that the prime minister was unfit to lead the country, chanting: “Brave got to go.

 Mr Cartwright defended his actions, telling reporters they symbolised resistance against the government’s efforts to silence the opposition and Bahamian people.

 “The mace is the symbol of the Speaker’s authority that has been given to her by the Bahamian people,” he said. “Today, we say enough is enough and we give the power back to the people.”

 He said his action was not premeditated but a spur-of-the-moment move after the Speaker failed to let the FNM leader speak.

 Opposition members later met Cabinet ministers inside the Tradewinds Building as curious onlookers remained outside. When Mr Pintard and FNM members reappeared, the opposition leader said the prime minister briefed them on matters concerning the US indictment, describing the discussion as “civil.”