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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Save the Bays Chairman Joseph Darville appeared on a recent edition of “Ed Fields Live” on Nassau’s Kiss 96.1-FM radio station urging Bahamians to rely on wisdom rather than fear when making decisions about the future of the country, particularly when it comes to human rights policies. Darville chairs the broad-based environmental group that has advocated transparency and freedom of information as one of the primary planks of its petition that has already garnered nearly 7,000 signatures.
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Save The Bays: Only Legislation Demanding Transparency and Accountability Will Pave Way for Establishing Human Rights
(STB Statement) Last month, four controversial questions promoting gender equality in citizenship matters were put to public vote in The Bahamas in a hotly-contested referendum. As the world looked on, United Nations agencies applauded the country’s efforts to establish human rights standards in line with the international community, while citizens from every facet of Bahamian society engaged in contentious and emotional debates, many of which, it was suspected, were based more on intolerance and fear than on political and social principles.
In the end, fear won out, and all four proposed changes were rejected resoundingly and overwhelmingly, leaving some Bahamians wondering where the country goes from here when it comes to acquiring what many believe are fundamental human rights integral to any democratic society.
“The anger and intolerance has taken over the mentality of the average Bahamian. Bahamians are suffering a psychological crutch, a form of mental slavery,” Save The Bays Charmain and founding member of the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association, Joseph Darville, said on a recent edition of “Ed Fields Live” on Nassau’s Kiss 96.1-FM. “One of the things we lack in The Bahamas is wisdom. This lack of wisdom is the reason that fear has taken control of Bahamians.”
According to Darville, that fear is further exacerbated by an overall lack of transparency and accountability in government which is why he feels that passing a Freedom of Information Act is the only legitimate pathway to establishing rights and protections of any kind—be they civil, human or environmental—in The Bahamas.
“Fear has been used to keep the Bahamian down—fear in the church and fear in the political system,” Darville said. “I encourage my people, especially the young, to become educated, informed, committed and passionate about leading this Commonwealth for years to come. We are not independent until our spirits are free and all fear is removed from our hearts.”
As one of the main tenets in its platform, Save The Bays has pushed for Freedom of Information legislation since its inception, organizing the very first FOIA rally in Rawson Square in downtown Nassau in June 2014. Since then, the environmental advocacy group has worked tirelessly to make sure the issue remains on the public’s radar, most notably gathering more than 7,000 signatures on a petition calling for the government to pass an FOI bill. Deadline for public consultation on the proposed bill is July 15.
“All I want is for decisions to be wiser,” Darville said. “I want us to be conscious about the cause and effects of our actions. We need to reflect on what our actions will result in the future. The government should always have the best interest and the well-being of Bahamians in mind in the long run.”
© Copyright 2016 by thebahamasweekly.com
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