Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis yesterday likened the Christie administration to the lost Malaysian airline that has been the subject of international attention over the last few weeks.

"They are reminding me of the Malaysian airline that's lost and the entire world is looking for it," Minnis said.

"This government is lost.

"We want them out so that we can get a government like us that is more focused and put The Bahamas back on track because we don't know where The Bahamas is going."

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing on March 8 during a flight from Malaysia to Beijing, China. There were 227 passengers and 12 crew members onboard.

A massive multi-nation search is continuing for the aircraft. Minnis' comment came in response to a statement Minister of National Security Dr. Bernard Nottage made on Monday that he was unaware whether a date had been determined for the promised constitutional referendum on gender equality.

There is renewed focused on the referendum as Prime Minister Perry Christie had said it would take place before June.

Last October, Christie said the constitutional bills would be brought to Parliament before the end of 2013 and passed by February 2014. But no such bills have been introduced as yet.

Last week, Chairman of the Constitutional Commission Sean McWeeney said the government may have to delay the referendum for a third time.

When asked if there was a date for the vote, Nottage said he was not "aware that there has been a date determined" and the matter was still under discussion.

Minnis said he found it strange that Nottage, the minister with responsibility for referenda, never commented on the constitutional referendum before.

"I think what they have decided is to put a gag order on the prime minister who has been making a lot of misstatements throughout," he said.

"So with that gag order, now the minister in charge of the referendum is speaking. The prime minister has made many promises and all have been broken."

Nottage made the comment on the referendum in response to a question from a Nassau Guardian reporter on Monday.

Web shop regulation Minnis also questioned who is in charge of the government after Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe announced in Parliament that he would bring the necessary legislation to Cabinet to regulate the web shop industry and was pushing for this to be official by July 1.

"The prime minister got up the following week, got up in Parliament and said he was hearing that for the first time; however, he would agree and they would move forward," Minnis said.

"How can a minister come forth with an idea that the prime minister is hearing for the first time? "He is setting a bad precedent because every minister there can feel that they can do the same thing."

Minister of State for Legal Affairs Damian Gomez said July 1 is not a realistic deadline for the regulation of the web shop industry.

Minnis said he believes Bahamians have lost confidence in the government and if an election were called today, "they would go out in a landslide".

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