Prime Minister Should Perform His Role In Regional And International Organizations

Dear Editor,

The Bahamas is a country of islands, but the country is not an island unto itself. We are a part of the world, the globe's village made smaller by the regional and international organizations of which we are a part.

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Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF)

• Caves Village, West Bay Street
• Nassau
• Nassau / Paradise Island, Bahamas

The Nassau Institute

• Bay Street Business Centre
• Nassau
• Nassau / Paradise Island, Bahamas

Constitutional Reform Pt. 9

The freedom of assembly and association are two fundamental rights which have shaped the contemporary political culture of The Bahamas.

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OAS/CARICOM Mission in Haiti Observes the Process of Registration and Validation of Presidential Candidates

The
Joint Mission of Electoral Observation of the Organization of American
States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), led by Ambassador
Colin Granderson, has held its meetings with candidates, political
parties, civil society organizations, national authorities and the
technical and operational entities of the Provisional Electoral Council
(CEP) for the next presidential elections in the Caribbean country.

The
Mission took note of the smooth lottery held August 12 by the CEP to
determine the order of the ballot of the new political parties
registered in the presidential election.

Furthermore, the Mission
observed the registration of presidential candidates and the process of
litigation with the West I Office of Departmental Electoral Litigation
(BCED). In this respect, the Mission followed with interest the
arguments put forth by the lawyers representing the plaintiffs..

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Will Haiti survive

This question seems presumptuous since Haiti, which lost some 300,000 people (more than the combined population of Dominica, Montserrat, Anguilla, BVI, Turks and Caicos, St. Kitts, Cayman Islands and Antigua) in the earthquake of January 12, 2010, bounced back almost immediately in terms of daily survival.

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The battle of the ages: Young vs. old

There have been several television game shows over the years that have pitted the young against the old. "Battle of the Ages" was one such prime time program which ran in the 1950s being broadcasted by the defunct DuMont Television Network, and later CBS.

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OAS/CARICOM Electoral Observation Mission Begins its Activities in Haiti

The

first elements of the Joint Electoral Observation Mission of the

Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community

(CARICOM) led by Ambassador Colin Granderson arrived in

Port-au-Prince on August 3rd and began their meetings with various

members of the government, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP),

the political parties, civil society organizations, members of the

international community and all stakeholders involved in the Haitian

electoral process.

The Joint OAS/CARICOM Mission observed the

registration of candidates for the presidential election and will be

present for the publication of the list of registered candidates...

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OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Jamaica - Preliminary Statement

For
the General Elections of December 29, 2011, the Electoral Observation
Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) fielded 25
observers from 16 countries in all 8 of the country's administrative
regions. A total of 852 of the country's polling stations were visited
by the OAS team on Election Day. The following preliminary observations
are based on the direct observations of the OAS team, and on meetings
with electoral authorities, a cross-section of government, political
parties, media, and civil society organizations.

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Unions make push for legal gambling

The National Congress of Trade Unions of The Bahamas (NCTUB) has recommended to the Constitutional Commission that Bahamians have the right to participate in any form of gaming in the country.

"The constitution should be so amended to reflect that all Bahamians should have the right if they so choose to participate in any form of gaming within The Bahamas and any law that discriminates against any Bahamian and restricts such rights should be voided," NCTUB President Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson said.
Isaacs-Dotson presented the recommendation during a meeting of the Constitutional Commission at the British Colonial Hilton hotel yesterday.
Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Obie Ferguson, who also made recommendations yesterday, said he supported Isaacs-Dotson's proposals.
Prime Minister Perry Christie previously told The Nassau Guardian that the question of casino gambling

would be a part of the constitutional referendum promised by the government for later this year if the Constitutional Commission recommends that it be addressed as part of broader constitutional reforms.

The gambling referendum is set for January 28, but the casino question is not on that ballot.

Many Bahamians, including former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, have said the question of whether Bahamians be allowed to gamble in casinos in The Bahamas should also be included.

"The Government of The Bahamas when it appointed the Constitutional Commission knew that the Constitutional Commission had within its remit the question of looking at the constitution, listening to people and taking all of the issues that will be put before the people in a constitutional referendum," Christie previously told The Nassau Guardian.
"And so, we did not want to mix up the two, and so in the general election campaign we put into our platform, which we called the Charter for Governance, that we will deal with this issue of web shop gambling and lotteries and that's where we are.
"And so, I expect the other issue (the casino issue) to come about under (Sean) McWeeney's commission. McWeeney and Carl Bethel (the opposition's representative) and others are on that.
"And then we will take a look at that (the casino issue) as to whether that will be a question on the referendum that will follow. They have until the end of March to report, so it's not long."
Isaacs-Dotson appeared before the commission during its latest round of consultations, which involves discussions with the leaders of the country's major political parties, leaders of civic groups and other organizations in the country.
She also recommended that the constitution be amended to eliminate discrimination against women; to provide for the ability for constituents to recall their member of Parliament, and a fixed election date, among other recommendations.
The commission is expected to present its recommendations on or before March 31, 2013. Former Chief Justice Sir Burton Hall also made recommendations yesterday.

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