Obie Wilchcombe
TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe yesterday warned protestors to be mindful of their actions during the Black Friday march and occupation of downtown Bay Street as the American Embassy and U.S. cruise ships have expressed security fears over the rapidly-growing demonstration set for the busy Thanksgiving weekend.
Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe yesterday confirmed that the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) contacted the ministry to express concerns given the thousands of cruise ship passengers expected to be in port on Friday.
“On Friday, we have 17,000 visitors coming on cruise ships,” Mr. Wilchcombe said, “the question was what should our vessels do?”
“So we told them after we spoke to the Commissioner of Police that we’re advising that we believe that we will be able to conduct business as usual,” he said, “and we certainly hope that’s understood by those involved in the protest.
“The democracy we do have has to be respected. The Royal Bahamas Police Force will be managing the protest and we’ve assured the cruise lines that visitors can arrive and all will be well.”
Mr. Wilchcombe said: “We will have to see [impact] because this is a Thanksgiving weekend, a big weekend for tourism. We have to pray God all goes well and that the visitors continue on their trip and don’t alter their plans because of the warning. We’re hoping we’re able to get through this situation.”
The U.S. Embassy yesterday highlighted the proposed 12-hour occupation of downtown Bay Street as part of a series of crime warnings, and warned that demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn “confrontational and escalate to violence”.
To that end, the Embassy advised US citizens to “avoid the areas of the demonstrations, and to exercise caution if in the vicinity of large gatherings, protests or demonstrations” while in the Bahamas this week.
Mr. Wilchcombe said: “We can never underestimate a warning, what we have to always do is ensure that our country is not seen as a country that frightens people away. We literally have to be concerned about it and it’s imperative for us to watch what’s going on. We also have a democracy and in a democracy certain things happen, how we manage ourselves that’s important.
“Just as the national anthem states ‘see how the world marks the manner of our bearing’, it is fundamentally important to recognize that the world is going to be watching us and if anything goes wrong the damage that could be impacted.”
The Royal Bahamas Police Force will be doing their best in their job,” he added, “at the end of the day we’re hoping we can get through this without incident and don’t create any issues.”
Promoted as a silent protest, “We March” will start at Arawak Cay at 1pm tomorrow.
From there, organisers will lead participants into downtown Nassau on their way to Parliament and remain there until 1am the following day.
The event, which has been posted on Facebook for much of the last two weeks, has attracted significant support from activists and civic organisations, including environmental group Raising Awareness about the Bahamas Landfill (RABL).
On Tuesday, Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Obie Ferguson, along with National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB) President John Pinder, who is also the president of the Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU), called on workers to “make an effort” to be a part of the march in order to “demonstrate your rights as a Bahamian.”
Yesterday, Mr. Wilchcombe said he felt that organizers should have first met with the government to discuss its campaign, suggesting that many of the concerns listed are at various stages of redress by the government.
“The issues that I think are being raised are issues that can be discussed with the government,” he said.
“Opportunities should be sought to discuss issues and subsequent if they weren’t satisfied, then demonstrate. But in a democracy you can’t tell people that they can’t do something, but I do believe sometimes we are ignoring the reality of the importance of dialogue.
“We looked at a letter sent to the Prime Minister and most of those issues are being addressed either in the national plan or as we speak.
“At the end of the day,” he said, “what is the objective? We’re seeking to work together to resolve the issues, you help me to understand the issues.”
The event’s social media page further outlines a 17-point petition of demands for lawmakers, among which includes: a referendum on term limits for MPs and the prime minister; the introduction of a national lottery; waste management reform; and to strip the Cabinet posts of Jerome Fitzgerald, minister of education, and V. Alfred Gray, minister of agriculture and marine resources.
Other demands listed on the event’s social media page were: “Cancel all negotiations on these Chinese fishing, agriculture and forestry ventures and issue our Crown land to our people with an annual lease fee. Implement Marco’s Law immediately to protect our children from predators.
“Show us the $600 plus million from VAT. Enact laws to empower civil society organisations in hurricane relief efforts and community development. Enforce public disclosure and advise the commissioner of police to arrest any MP that has failed to disclose.
It continued: “Table a bill to introduce an all-Bahamian cruise industry with vessels owned by Bahamians only. Lift the moratorium on taxi plates and end the practice of leasing plates, which is truly a form of indenture labour. Allow civil servants to participate in demonstrations and to have second sources of income. Cap the interest rates banks can charge on mortgages, personal loans and credit cards.”
According to lead organiser Ranard Henfield, protests are also expected to be staged simultaneously in Grand Bahama, Abaco, as well as in New York and Toronto, Canada. The march will be broadcast via Periscope and Facebook Live, according to officials.
For the upcoming march, participants have been asked to wear black clothing and not take part in any media interviews.
By Ava Turnquest, Tribune Chief Reporter
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