Opposition Leader Loretta Butler-Turner yesterday suggested that Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn and Fort Charlotte MP Dr. Andre Rollins were justified in filing a legal challenge against the Constituencies Commission report, but conceded that the government "had its way".
Lightbourn and Rollins submit that the report violates Article 70 of the constitution, which requires a report to be completed "at intervals of not more than five years".
Prime Minister Perry Christie tabled the report in Parliament on February 8, announcing the renaming of the Montagu constituency to Free Town and the addition of new constituency, St. Barnabas.
Ahead of the May 7, 2012 general election the report was tabled on November 28, 2011.
"Well the reality of it is, the government had its way," Butler-Turner said.
"The government wanted to add and gerrymander without the benefit of great numbers, so no matter what the opposition says, the government essentially does what it wants.
"And it speaks to the fact that we have got to reach to a level of maturity where we do, in fact, consider an independent boundaries commission that is autonomous of government gerrymandering and interference.
"I think all of this speaks to the fact that the government is desperate.
"They are hoping that this last minute gerrymandering and disregard for what the opposition has to say plays into their ability to retain office."
Butler-Turner added yesterday, "I think both Richard Lightbourn and Andre Rollins were within their right to file such a petition.
"But the fact that remains is this: the government conveniently uses jurisprudence as a thought, as a tool, when they don't wish to debate something, but when the opposition does, they totally disregard it.
"So what can we say? The opposition has its say and the government has its way."
In a letter read into the record by House Speaker Dr. Kendal Major last Wednesday, St. Anne's MP Hubert Chipman also expressed "extreme displeasure at the complete and utter variance" between the document shown to him and the document actually tabled in Parliament.
Chipman, however, did not indicate in his letter what these variances were.
When asked her thoughts on the document being debated and passed in Parliament, despite the legal challenge and Chipman's letter, Butler-Turner said, "The opposition is trying very hard to effectively do its job in light of all the anomalies that the government is foisting on the Bahamian people; it's unfortunate.
"Mr. Chipman was named on December 19 to represent the opposition on the boundaries committee, and after one or two meetings, they seemed to have switched up what he thought. And so he was in his right to be able to write such a letter.
"And of course we support all of the opposition members in the actions that they have taken, but at the end of the day, the debate is completed even in the absence of... the minister of foreign affairs being there, the leader of the opposition being there.
"So what does this say?
"It says that they did not want a full ventilation of this debate.
"They wanted to move forward and they will probably be rushing to have a quick election."

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