More than one week after two Cuban dentists were released from the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, a shouting match erupted in the Senate on Wednesday over a controversy that had appeared to be dying down.
The dentists, who were picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard in Bahamian waters last April, were turned over to Bahamian authorities and spent more than 10 months at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre before they were released amid growing debate over their detention.
Last week Tuesday, Bahamian immigration authorities escorted the two Cubans to Jamaica where they boarded a private aircraft and were taken to Florida.
Echoing some of what was expressed by Leader of the Official Opposition Hubert Ingraham last week, Mr. Bethel said on Wednesday the government dragged its feet in dealing with the matter and thereby threatened the sovereignty of The Bahamas.
“The prime minister said in parliament that the minister of foreign affairs went to Cuba and Washington to deal with this matter, but the difficulty is under the memorandum of understanding (with Cuba) The Bahamas government is under no obligation to seek anyone’s permission as to what to do in the exercise of its sovereign right to deal with persons under its jurisdiction,” he said.
“So if you’re flying down there to ask permission you are compromising your sovereign right?”
But Senator Marcus Bethel stood on a point of order and said it is inaccurate and inappropriate to say that the resolution of the Cuban detention issue was botched.
“The reality is whatever delay you assumed happened, it was the consequence for the need to ensure that the obligations of the Government and The Bahamas and the international obligations with Cuba and of course the humanitarian aspect of the process [were met],” Dr. Bethel said.
“All these matters required due deliberation and the end result is the matter was satisfactorily resolved to everyone’s benefit.”
Dr. Bethel also pointed out that the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited The Bahamas on Tuesday and met with the prime minister and his Cabinet, thanked them for the manner in which they handled the matter.
The outspoken FNM senator quickly responded to Dr. Bethel, calling Dr. Rice’s congratulatory remarks “alleged” due to the fact that she was not quoted directly.
Following his meeting with Dr. Rice, Prime Minister Perry Christie told reporters she thanked the government for how it dealt with the issue.
Calling the government “a world-class example of delays and foot dragging”, Mr. Bethel pointed to what he called other evidence to support his claim.
“The Anti-Terrorism Bill that was passed in 2004 was basically ready and drafted within six months of the September 11 attack, yet this government dragged its feet,” Mr. Bethel said.
“This government had [proposed] anti-terrorism legislation basically at its disposal for more than two years since coming to office and they dragged their feet and it was only after receiving threats of a repeat blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force the bill was passed in 2004.”
He said the situation involving the Cuban dentists was a similar one.
“Once again after lagging for months as a result of foreign pressure, the government caved in and bowed down and did what it could have done 11 months ago and save The Bahamas humiliation and embarrassment and protests in South Florida,” Mr. Bethel said.
Senators were actually debating the Justice Protection Bill and Mr. Bethel criticized the government for taking nearly four years to bring the bill to parliament.
He noted that during those four years the life of a teenager was threatened. The girl was a key witness in the murder trial of the man accused of killing her mother.
Mr. Bethel suggested that had the bill been in place, this and similar situations may have been avoided. The bill would establish a witness protection programme.
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
