Constitutional Commission has 'no horse in race'

Mon, Aug 4th 2014, 11:20 PM

Constitutional Commission Chairman Sean McWeeney, QC, said yesterday the commission has no horse in the race over the upcoming referendum on gender equality.
McWeeney, who was contacted for comment, said the commission's charge is to present the issues as they are.
"I want to be clear on the role of the commission; we don't really have a horse in the race," he said.
"Our job is to educate the Bahamian people on the issues, but we are not out there contending for a yes position or a no position.
"As a matter of fact, the constitutional case laws are very clear on that, throughout the Commonwealth, that where you have a constitutional commission it is not the job of the constitutional commission to go out there and agitate for one position or another."
The commission recommended the proposed constitutional changes in a report last year.
McWeeney was asked to respond to comments made by Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller who took issue with one the proposed amendments to the constitution tabled in the House of Assembly.
Miller expressed concern about the proposed amendment that would enable Bahamian women who marry foreign men to pass on their citizenship.
McWeeney said the commission will not comment on what legislators have to say about the bills.
He did say that the issue, among others, will be addressed during the commission's educational campaign.
He added that the commission has been working on several minor changes to the proposed bills over the weekend. He said the government will speak to those changes soon.
Four bills to amend The Bahamas constitution were recently tabled in Parliament.
The bills will institute full equality between men and women in matters of citizenship and will eliminate discrimination in The Bahamas based on sex, Prime Minister Perry Christie said.
Debate on the bills is expected to begin tomorrow.
A constitutional referendum is scheduled for November 6.
In order for constitutional changes to take place, the bills must be approved with at least three quarters support in both the House of Assembly and Senate.
The bills must then be approved by a simple majority of voters in a referendum.
A similar referendum held in 2002 was defeated.
Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis has indicated that the Free National Movement (FNM) will not oppose the bills.
The commission will meet with the FNM tonight at The College of The Bahamas and with the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) next week, McWeeney said.
Last week, debate on the bills was delayed after Minnis indicated that the opposition needed more time to properly educate itself and its supporters on the matter.
Minnis said yesterday that the opposition will be ready for the debate tomorrow.

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