PM won't prorogue House before dealing with equality bills

Thu, Nov 13th 2014, 11:51 PM

Prime Minister Perry Christie said he has no plans to prorogue the House of Assembly at this time as he hopes to secure unity between the government and opposition on the gender equality bills.
"I can't prorogue now because if I do, I extinguish all bills before the House," said Christie in a recent interview.
"It could happen after."
Last week, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts said the House will be prorogued before its next meeting on November 19.
However, some government ministers said they heard no such plans from Leader of Government Business in the House Dr. Bernard Nottage.
There was also concern expressed that if the House was prorogued, the four constitutional amendment bills, currently in committee stage, would be killed.
But Christie said his priority is finding unity on those four bills.
"Remember, we left with a promise that we would see whether there is a greater unity within the FNM, after they have their leadership elections," he said.
"If there is division there, we do not think that augurs well for the success of the referendum. Gender equality is too important for it to be squandered by political division."
The FNM will hold a one-day convention on November 21.
"If there is any kind of indifference, I'm not interested," Christie said.
"I'm not going to carry something to the country where the political directorate is divided.
"If people can't see their leaders in agreement over something as basic and fundamental as equality for females in particular, then we have a problem."
The referendum was originally expected to take place in June 2013, but was delayed to November 2013.
It was then delayed to June 2014, then to November 2014.
Nottage said the vote was delayed after the Constitutional Commission recommended that more time is needed for the educational campaign.
"There is a suggestion that what happened in the previous constitutional referendum, when the PLP departed from the position that it had; there is the suggestion that, that might be causing some kind of problem with elements within the FNM.
"I don't know. But the point is I would respect whatever position they have. It's just that the government has to make a determination as to whether the Bahamian people should be invited to take a position on these matters."
In 2002, when the then FNM government held a similar exercise, the PLP unanimously supported gender equality bills in the House and then openly campaigned against them. The majority of voters in that process, voted no to gender equality.
The current bills before the House are intended to institute full equality between men and women in matters of citizenship and will eliminate discrimination in The Bahamas based on sex.
Several members of the FNM have expressed issue with the bills.
St. Anne's MP Hubert Chipman said there is a "strong possibility" that he will oppose the fourth bill.
Bill number four would make it unconstitutional to discriminate against someone based on sex.
Fort Charlotte MP Dr. Andre Rollins, Marco City MP Greg Moss and Bamboo Town MP Renward Wells, all PLP MPs, have also said they will not support one or more of the bills.

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