“PM: My name was not on the ballot – Govt. to reflect on ‘full meaning’ of failed referendum.” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Prime Minister Perry Christie expressed disappointment yesterday on the overwhelming rejection of the four gender equality referendum questions by the Bahamian people on Tuesday, and said he and his colleagues will have to exam the implication of the vote in the days to come.

Despite critics who have insisted the vote is in large part a reflection of dissatisfaction with the Christie administration, the prime minister said the Bahamian people rejected the four proposed changes to the constitution and not his administration.”

It amazes me the willful blindness that the Prime Minister expects of the people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas; it will indeed be very interesting as he and his colleagues ‘examine the implications of the votes’ what they will come up with because he has already concluded that it is not an indictment on his administration but yet it is and either the Prime Minister has gone into denial or is simply attempting to deflect from the obvious implication of the referendum results, which in my opinion would be that the people have lost all confidence and trust in him and his administration.

It would seem that my Prime Minister lacks not only a sense of shame but also a sense of responsibility.  In a statement on February 28, 2002 concerning the Referendum Victory, as it was called, the then Leader of the Opposition , Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) laid out the important lessons learned from the defeated Gender Equality referendum that he voted ‘yes’ on in Parliament but then campaigned against.

Excerpt from this article; “Firstly, the results demonstrate that the Bahamian people are not ‘dumb and stupid’ as our nation leaders would have it believe.  Rather, the Bahamian people demonstrated yesterday that they can separate fact from fiction and that they can and will make up their minds intelligently and rationally based on what they honestly believe to be in their best interest and the best interest of our nation.

Secondly, the results demonstrate just how important and scared the Bahamian people regard their constitution.  It is their constitution; their contract with each other.  And the clear and unmistakable signal is that the Bahamian people telegraphed yesterday is that they don’t want any government messing with ‘their things’ unless they, the people, are fully included in the process of constitutional reform from start to finish – and that process of constitutional reform must never be rushed.

Thirdly, I believe that yesterday’s results demonstrate that Bahamians, both black and white, found common cause to beat back the Government’s referendum objective.  This should stand as a lesson to those who arrogantly presumed to speak on behalf of white Bahamians.  Their authority to do so was eloquently repudiated yesterday when White Bahamians joined with their black compatriots in defeating the government referendum.

There is a fourth lesson but it does not apply here.

Yes, Mr. Prime Minister, the people were able to separate fact from fiction and have shown that they are able to make up their own minds although you would have some believe that the failure of the recent referendum was partially due to one ‘leader’ not leading his ‘followers’ down the ‘right path’ but rather going ‘rouge’ by asking them to vote their conscience; it would seem that their conscience told them not to trust the present government.

Then when you have fully included the people in the process ‘from start to finish’ with a lot of them being confused and you decided it prudent to present one side of the ‘argument’ and yet still seek to call the ‘process’ fair and balanced; it would seem that the people did not believe this either.

Lastly, the government keeps referring to the 2002 referendum as the governments referendum as it seeks to distance itself from the referendum held on Tuesday of this week by claiming that their name was not on the ballot; okay point taken but yet to claim that it is not an indictment on your administration only shows your inability to accept the consequences and repercussions of your actions, as you again seek to ask the people to follow you blindly when they have already shown you TWICE that they are not willing to do this’ once with the Gaming ‘referendum’ and now with the Gender Equality referendum. 

So if Minister Fred Mitchell called for the former prime minister’s resignation after the failure of the 2002 referendum, why would you now choose to downplay calls for your resignation after TWO failed referendums?

The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason, it is their nature.

END