Members of Citizens for Constitutional Equality with Sir Arthur and Lady Foulkes

Nassau, Bahamas - Citizens for Constitutional Equality hosted an event on March 26th with guest speaker Sir Arthur Foulkes. CCE has issued the following statement along with an Open Letter to the Prime Minister:

Activists demand opportunity to decide on equality for The Bahamas

“The people of the Bahamas deserve the opportunity to decide. No, we demand the opportunity to decide, and we call on the government to demonstrate its stated conviction by passing the referendum bills through Parliament; setting a specific date for the referendum before the end of the year, and allowing sufficient time (at least 4 to 6-months) from the date of the announcement for intense preparation.” - Citizens for Constitutional Equality

Citizens for Constitutional Equality demanded a demonstration of conviction and political will from national leaders that is befitting the joint cause and shared vision of equality in the Bahamas, at its first public forum, held last night at Holy Cross Parish Hall.

Two former governor generals were in attendance at the event: Sir Arthur Foulkes and Sir Orville Turnquest. Sir Arthur was the guest speaker. He delivered an impassioned speech in which he called the clauses in the constitution that discriminate against women “defects”. He said nothing should stand in the way of the successful passage of the constitutional referendum bills on equality, for eliminating discrimination in the constitution on the basis of sex and enshrining the principle of equality was simply “the right thing to do”.

The CCE is calling for the government to do three things: 1) pass the referendum bills through Parliament; 2) set a specific date for the referendum before the end of the year, and 3) allow sufficient time (at least 4 to 6-months) from the date of the announcement for intense preparation.

“Notwithstanding the hard work of the Constitutional Commission, there is still much more needed preparation of the public and the absolute need for stridency amongst the political leadership. In the absence of a commitment to usher the Bills successfully through Parliament and the setting of a date for the referendum it has become clear to us that the government is not taking its responsibilities seriously,” said Noelle Nicolls, CCE Steering Committee Member. Ms Nicolls presented her speech on behalf of the CCE as an open letter to Prime Minister Perry Christie.

“There are many who do not support the principles of equality between women and men, and that is their constitutional right. But Prime Minister, you have the power and the mandate to be the change: To stand unequivocally and unapologetically for an equal society. We are calling on you to act without delay,” said Ms Nicolls.

In the CCE’s monitoring of the preparatory process leading to the postponement of the referendum, it found that on both sides of the political divide there are policymakers with inadequate understanding of gender equality; that some were confused and still are when it comes to the issues. This is cause for concern as leaders of constituencies have an influence that fosters fear-based misunderstandings among constituents about gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The CCE is a non-partisan, non-sectarian, civil society network of NGOs and women’s groups that support the vision of constitutional equality for women and men in The Bahamas. Formed in August 2014 on a strong human rights mandate to ensure that the voice of civil society informs preparations for the constitutional referendum, the CCE conducts public education and advocacy to support the advancement of equal rights in the Bahamas. CCE is also a member of the Global Campaign for Equality Nationality Laws, an initiative of the Open Society Foundation, Equal Rights Trust, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Women and other international organisations.

Steering committee members of the CCE include: Audrey Roberts, Donna Nicolls, Fran Dillet, Janet Fountain, Marion Bethel, Natalie Bethel, Noelle Nicolls, Sandra Dean-Patterson.

Participants in the free event, “ Who Framed the Constitution and What Were They Thinking?” engaged in a lively discussion with Sir Arthur during the question and answer segment. Sir Arthur was a participant in the 1972 Bahamas Independence Constitution Conference. He has a unique historical perspective on the framing of the citizenship provisions in the Bahamian constitution.

The CCE will continue to engage the public on this issue through public forums. In January the CCE met with constituencies in St Ann, along with Member of Parliament Hubert Chipman. This month is met with residents in Eleuthera, hosting two workshops on human rights and gender equality.

Left to right: Lady Foulkes, Sir Arthur Foulkes, and Noelle Nicolls

Open Letter to Prime Minister Perry Christie
Re: Our Shared Agenda for Equality in the Bahamas

Dear Prime Minister,

More than 20 years after setting a specific agenda for women's empowerment it is deeply concerning that the Bahamas is preparing for a second constitutional referendum on gender equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex and again contemplating the possibility of defeat.

The Bahamas ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1993 and subsequently signed the Beijing Platform of Action at the Fourth World Conference on Women. The government committed and became obliged to take tactical steps to achieve gender equality in political, economic, social, cultural, civil and all other spheres.

CCE’s monitoring of the preparatory process leading to the postponement of the referendum found that on both sides of the political divide there are policymakers with inadequate understanding of gender equality, that some are confused about the issue and as leaders of constituencies their influence fosters fear-based misunderstandings among constituents about gender equality and women’s empowerment.

It makes us question if the Bahamas really stands for equality, despite the public pronouncements of the government domestically and internationally, and the support of the political opposition. In addition to establishing equality in our nationality laws, a main thrust of the referendum is to enshrine the principle of equal treatment before the law for women and men. Said another way, the true success of the referendum will be to make discrimination unlawful when it comes to women and men exercising their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights and freedoms.

For this and many other reasons, the people of the Bahamas deserve the opportunity to decide. No, we demand the opportunity to decide, and we call on the government to demonstrate its stated conviction by passing the referendum bills through Parliament; setting a specific date for the referendum before the end of the year, and allowing sufficient time (at least 4 to 6-months) from the date of the announcement for intense preparation.

Notwithstanding the hard work of the Constitutional Commission, there is still much more needed preparation of the public and the absolute need for stridency amongst the political leadership. In the absence of a commitment to usher the Bills successfully through Parliament and the setting of a date for the referendum it has become clear to us that the government is not taking its responsibilities seriously.

We cannot be swayed by detractors who advocate for some undefined, non-existent time in the future to take up the mantle of equality for women and men in the Bahamas; if we continue to take refuge behind the perceived inconvenience of the moment, our detractors will simply continue their diligent efforts to block and even worse, reverse the progress that our foremothers and forefathers fought so hard and sacrificed so much to achieve.

If the referendum is a barometer of where we stand as a nation on equality, then let us be transparent and courageous about who we are as a people.

As we shared when we met with you, the CCE is a non-partisan, non-sectarian civil society organisation that stands with all who support equality. We are engaged in public education and advocacy to advance the short-term goal of constitutional equality, and the long-term goal of substantive equality in the Bahamas, a social process and engagement set by both government and civil society as partners some forty years ago in Mexico.

So as we gather here today, we write to you, Dear Prime Minister, to say unequivocally and unapologetically that we support the government in its agenda for equality rights and non-discrimination on the basis of sex and we stand with you and our government. But we also demand a demonstration of conviction and political will that is befitting our joint cause and shared vision.

Equality between women and men and between girls and boys is not an arbitrary goal on a women’s score card. It is, as Kofi Annan once said, “a precondition for meeting the challenges of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.” It is an integral part of universal human rights.

There are many who do not support these principles, and that is their right. But Prime Minister, you have the power and the mandate to be the change: To stand unequivocally and unapologetically for an equal society. We are calling on you to act without delay.

Sincerely,

Citizens for Constitutional Equality

Steering Committee : Audrey Roberts, Donna Nicolls, Fran Dillet, Janet Fountain, Marion Bethel, Natalie Bethel, Noelle Nicolls, Sandra Dean-Patterson.