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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Communication
To The House Of Assembly By
The Leader Of The Opposition And The Member Of Parliament For Killarney Dr. The Hon. Hubert A. Minnis
Mr. Speaker,
It is a privilege for me to rise today in order to add my voice and that of the Free National Movement in expressing pleasure, upon the Tabling of four Constitutional Amendment Bills, that once again this Parliament will be enabled to take a stand in favour of the equality of every Bahamian Citizen upon our Nation’s Constitution and the laws of our Land.
The cardinal principle that every man, every women and the child of every Bahamian, is endued by our Creator with the inalienable right to expect and to receive equal treatment before the Law and under the Constitution has been a guiding principle of the Party that I am honoured to lead from its inception. I am advised, Mr. Speaker, by those who attended the Independence Conference held at Marlborough House in London in December, 1972, that the FNM Delegation, which was lead by the Late Sir Kendal Isaacs, and among whose members was our former Governor General, Sir Arthur Foulkes, strongly advocated, even then, that men and women should receive equal treatment in our Constitution.
Sadly, as we all know, this did not occur. Yet, so profound has been our commitment to the principles of equality for men and women that in the year 2002 we were prepared to stake all, even our prospects in a rapidly approaching general election in seeking, against strong countervailing winds, to advance this principle of equality in the National Referendum held in February of that year.
Today, Mr. Speaker, and my fellow Bahamians, we stand at the beachhead of another effort to secure full constitutional equality for men, women and children of Bahamians before the Law. The success of this effort will require a bold and unified, multi-partisan and multi-sectoral effort on the part, not just of the political Parties, but of civil society organizations, the Constitutional Commission, as well as social, civic and religious leaders.
I wish Mr. Speaker to thank the Constitutional Commission, and former Attorney General, Sean McWeeney, for their, and his, efforts on behalf of the improvement of our constitutional order; and also Senator Carl Bethel, another former Attorney General, who even though he demitted his position on the Constitutional Commission, after his appointment by me as Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, has continued to my knowledge to offer his advice and support to the Commission, behind the scenes.
I also thank Mr. Speaker, Retired Supreme Court Justice Rubie Nottage for having agreed, together with the Commission, to spearhead the necessary public education campaign and consultation.
Let me emphasize, Mr. Speaker, that these Constitutional Bills will require a “Yes” vote in a BINDING Constitutional Referendum. Those persons who might feel some way discomfited by events which have followed a recent Referendum should not be in anyway discouraged. This constitutional Referendum will count. The results of this Referendum will be important and binding. I therefore urge every Bahamian to play a meaningful role in listening to the Parliamentary debate on these Bills, reading the Bills, attending the educational meetings which will shortly commence, carefully considering the proposals in a non-partisan and public spirited manner, and to vote your conscience.
Though there is much which divides us in this place, let us speak with one voice when the issue is equality before the law. Let us Mr. Speaker, speak as one in this place. If we can do so, we will signal to every Bahamian and the watching World our unified commitment to the advancement of Human Dignity in our beloved Bahamas.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity, on this historic occasion to present this communication.
Thank you very much Mr. Speaker.
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