Struggle For Gender Equality
By TANEKA THOMPSON
tmthompson@tribunemedia.net
Nassau, The Bahamas:As the country gears up to celebrate its 41st anniversary of independence this week, it is clear that Bahamians do have many reasons to be thankful. We have a stable government, the stagnant economy appears to be slowly getting better and while crime and a high rate of joblessness continue to plague our country, things are not so bad.
However
the gender discrimination that remains in our constitution is a glaring
reminder that the Christie administration has thus far failed to live
up to its promise to hold a referendum to address the issue which puts
Bahamian women at a disadvantage to their male counterparts.
The
government missed its third self-imposed deadline for the
constitutional referendum on gender equality last month. After it
botched the gambling referendum in January 2013, it is no wonder that
the Christie administration is hesitant to get the ball rolling on
another similar process. However while the government was quick to
galvanise the gambling vote (which mattered little in the grand scheme
of things considering the Christie administration has disregarded the
results of that poll and still plans to go ahead with the regulation the
web shop sector) it seems slow to act on a referendum that will impact
future generations of Bahamians.
Disappointment
Long
Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner, who served as minister of state for
social development in the last Ingraham administration, told Insight she
is “livid” at the repeated delays in the constitutional reform process. She lamented the fact that the government seems hell-bent on regulating
the underground web shop sector but has dragged its feet in bringing
about constitutional reform.
“As
a young nation, 41 years of age, we have had ample time to get it
right,” she said. “We’ve been promised, we’ve been hoodwinked, we’ve
been really lied to from last year. On July 10, 2013 we were supposed to
celebrate the first year of full equality for women. Here we are at our
41st year, a year later, and the government has misled the people
again. They (fell down) in their commitment to do what is right.
“Bahamian
women, Bahamian families, should be enraged that this government has
not seen fit to do the right thing,” she added. “But yet, here we are
concerned about appeasing a small group of individuals in terms of
gambling, even after the referendum. The government is spending huge
resources to make sure that these people (web shop bosses) are catered
to. Women should be outraged at the fact that the government places less
importance and emphasis on them, their families and their children and
more emphasis on their benefactors who they wish to appease.”
George
Smith, a Cabinet minister in the Pindling administration, was one of
several who helped frame the country’s constitution ahead of
independence in 1973. He said he hoped the government would have held a
constitutional referendum by now to not only remove the discrimination
against women, but to hopefully address some of the other pertinent
recommendations for reform made by the Constitutional Commission.
“We
felt it was not a major issue at the time,” he told Insight, when asked
why the discriminatory provision against women was included in the
constitution. “Those of us who went to London in the cold month of
December in 1972 knew that once we attained independence, all those
other things could be dealt with. But the prevailing view at the time
was that women followed the domicile of their husbands.”
“No
one at the time thought women were unequal,” he added. “There wasn’t
that feeling. It wasn’t an issue that was front and centre on the agenda
at the time to deal with. It wasn’t given the attention that today we
probably wished we would have given it. It wasn’t a deliberate and
considered act against women, it just wasn’t front and centre at the
time.”
Still
Mr Smith believes the country’s constitution is not a flawed document
and added that the issues that need to be addressed in the document do
not reflect poorly on the country.
“In
fact, we have fared well over the last 41 years, we have issues but we
have a constitution that many have been content with but for those
issues, gender inequality and others, it’s a constitution that has
served us well,” Mr Smith told Insight. “Generally (as a country) we’ve
done well. We’re very stable, we have an economy that’s resilient and it
will get much better. Sometimes it’s easy to look at what’s wrong with
the government, every country in the world has challenges.”
Promises and delays
Speaking
in the House of Assembly in July 2012, Foreign Affairs and Immigration
Minister Fred Mitchell first announced the government’s intent to try to
right one of the Progressive Liberal Party’s wrongs. Ten years after
the PLP contributed to the failure of the first referendum which aimed,
among other things, to remove the entrenched constitutional
discrimination against Bahamian women, Mr Mitchell revealed the
government’s plans to hold a referendum, that if successful, would grant
Bahamian women the same rights as Bahamian men to pass citizenship on
to their children.
“The
government is committed to removing the constitutional anomaly which
exists with regard to women and the ability to pass on their citizenship
to their children,” Mr Mitchell said in 2012.
He
added: “The government proposes to amend those provisions in the
constitution with regard to discrimination against women, so that it is
clear that gender cannot be a reason to discriminate against an
individual.”
At
the time the Fox Hill MP said the planned vote would take place within
the Christie administration’s five-year term. Since then, Prime Minister
Perry Christie has announced several different deadlines for the vote,
all dates the government has missed, leaving women to wonder how
seriously this government takes the issue.
The
Prime Minister had said initially the vote would take place by June of
last year, ahead of the country’s 40th anniversary of independence. However in February 2013, Mr Christie announced in Parliament that he
had postponed the vote until late November of that year. He said he was
acting on advice of Sean McWeeney, QC, and chairman of the
Constitutional Commission. He added that the delay would give the
government more time to launch an extensive education campaign and
dialogue with the public on the important process.
“This
is an extremely important undertaking, one that is vital to the orderly
growth and development of our constitutional democracy, and the rights
and freedoms we hold so dear. Indeed, I would go further and suggest
that the process of constitutional reform is vital to the growth and
development of our civilisation as a sovereign people,” Mr Christie said
at the time.
But
last October, Mr Christie announced that the November 2013 date had
been postponed. He then said the process would take place by the end of
June this year, after an extensive educational campaign.
The
Constitutional Commission made its report to the government last July.
In its report, the commission outlined 73 recommendations for
constitutional reform.
The
bills needed to effect the referendum were expected to be brought to
Parliament by the end of last year. Mr Christie had also promised that
these bills would have passed through the chambers of Parliament by
February this year: however the bills have yet to be tabled.
When
asked about the matter at the end of June, Minister of National
Security Dr Bernard Nottage could not give the media a new date for the
proposed vote.
“I
cannot say anything other than preparations are being made for the
constitutional referendum,” said Dr Nottage, who has ministerial
responsibility for referenda. “Draft bills have been prepared and are
being looked at. There will not be a referendum until such time as they
have educated the majority of the public and that process will begin
shortly.”
Second time around
In
2002, the government, led by former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham,
held a referendum that asked voters, among other things, if they
supported the removal of constitutional discrimination against women.
The majority of people who voted in that poll said no to all five questions.
More
than 60 per cent of people who voted said no to the first question on
that ballot, which asked voters to remove discrimination against women,
their children and spouses in the constitution.
The
PLP, which was in opposition at the time and led by Mr Christie, urged
the electorate to vote no citing a flawed process. However the PLP had
earlier supported the constitutional bills when they were brought to the
House of Assembly for debate and a vote.
The
Bahamas Christian Council also protested the constitutional referendum
and had admonished the government from rushing through the process.
As
we rightly celebrate the country’s independence this week, we must be
grateful for the blessings this country has received. However, I think
we must also demand progression from our government and hold elected
officials to their promises.
Since
beginning his second term, the Prime Minister has waxed poetically
about the need for reform and the importance of placing women on equal
footing with men.
Last
year, Mr Christie said that the government hopes to amend the
citizenship provisions of the constitution “to achieve full equality
between men and women with respect to the acquisition and transmission
of Bahamian nationality.”
However
we have heard such promises from Mr Christie before. It is left to be
seen if the work of the Constitutional Commission will be in vain or if
the government will get the job done and complete a process which should
have been over and done with more than a decade ago.
• What do you think? Email comments to tmthompson@tribunemedia.net
