Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, in retort to comments made following Haitian President Michel Martelly’s remarks to Bahamians of Haitian descent during his visit to The Bahamas, said they were not as outrageous as they were thought to be.
President Martelly met with thousands of Bahamians of Haitian descent on Wednesday and reportedly told them to vote for the party that has their interests at heart.
This and other comments were not received well by many, including both rival political party leaders, and in the days to follow their disapproval captured headlines.
While in Andros paying a special visit to one of the revered matriarchs there, the leader of the Free National Movement (FNM) addressed those concerns he had regarding comments Haiti’s president made.
When questioned whether he thought the whole situation was blown out of proportion because of the current political climate, the prime minister said in retrospect “one can see that they are not as outrageous as one thought they were.”
He also said, when asked if Bahamians have a right to be concerned.
“Who am I to determine what Bahamians have a right to say? This is a free country, Bahamians have a right to say whatever they wish to say,” he said.
“Bahamians, generally speaking, are very sensitive about foreigners and very sensitive about foreigners telling them anything about their country and what to do, etc. and so they are perfectly entitled to feel incensed and outraged and enraged.”
He said he would think that in terms of households in The Bahamas, that the vast majority would have been enraged when they heard the comments in the context in which they were given.
The prime minister also cleared up some misconceptions as to the purpose of President Martelly’s visit.
Prime Minister Ingraham said The Bahamas government did not invite President Martelly here and there is no need to invite the president of Haiti or any other president of a friendly country to The Bahamas.
“A government of any country with which we have relations, can have their head of government visit The Bahamas at any time they choose. It doesn’t require our permission to do so,” he said, noting that just as he doesn’t need permission from the president of the United States to travel to America, or from the leader from Jamaica, Barbados, or Haiti to travel to their country.
In fact, he said he became aware of President Martelly’s intended stop via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday and it was confirmed later in the day that the president had requested to meet with the Governor General and him.
“Mr. Branville McCartney of the unestablished party calling itself the DNA (Democratic National Movement), says that I invited President Martelly to The Bahamas. That is untrue,” said Prime Minister Ingraham.
“…You don’t go and shoot your mouth off and make statements that are untrue and that can easily be verified in advance. Carelessness is not a good thing for a young politician, or indeed an old politician. I caution Mr. McCartney not to continue telling lies.”
He said, secondly, the President of Haiti made several statements as reported in the press and through the broadcast media on two items that appear to have elicited public concern.
Prime Minister Ingraham also explained that there were no FNM politicians at the function at Joe Farrington Road, while pointing out that there was, however, a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Member of Parliament and former Attorney General Alfred Sears and PLP candidate for Fort Charlotte Dr. Andre Rollins.
He added that President Martelly also met the following day with leader of the Opposition Perry Christie at the former prime minister’s house where Mrs. Christie and a number of his colleagues were.
The nation’s chief executive pointed out that he would think that if Christie had an issue with what President Martelly had said, he would have raised it with President Martelly while at his house and not have waited until Friday night at his candidates’ launch.
Ingraham said that is clearly what he would have done, while noting that at the time the Haitian president had come to see him he was unaware of the comments he had made.
“One of the statements that he made that I take issue with is when he said children of Haitian descent born in The Bahamas are entitled to citizenship and that they are stateless because they cannot apply for citizenship until they reach the age of 18,” he said.
Those individuals, he added, are not stateless; they have the nationality of their parents under The Bahamas’ Constitution which differs from the Haitian and the American Constitutions.
“Persons born in The Bahamas of non-Bahamian parentage do not have a right to Bahamian citizenship until they reach the age of 18 and subject to them making an application before they reach the age of 19. Otherwise, they lose that right,” he said.
“And so from birth until 18 they are nationals of the country of their parents; mostly their father. The Haitian Constitution differs from that. And so I think that President Martelly was mistaken in suggesting that our position was identical to Haiti’s or the United States, because persons born in the United States become citizens of the United States at birth. That is not the position of The Bahamas.”
The second statement which President Martelly made in which he encouraged his former citizens who have become citizens of The Bahamas to support the political party of their choosing at election time, Ingraham said Martelly was perfectly entitled” to do so.
“In fact, quite frankly, I don’t see why it would be difficult for The Bahamas countenance saying to Bahamians living in America, Jamaica or Barbados, etc, that if they are going to vote and they are entitled to vote in those countries, that they ought to choose the Party that best fits what their interest is,” he said.
“And so, insofar as the persons who are citizens of The Bahamas who were formerly Haitian nationals, we certainly look forward to receiving the votes of the majority of Bahamians whether they were born in The Bahamas or naturalized in The Bahamas or otherwise.
“We certainly look forward to receiving the majority of votes of persons who have been naturalized of Haitian parentage and who have been in The Bahamas for a long time because we do think that Haitians and others in The Bahamas have determined that the FNM is the best Party for them,” the prime minister said.
Source: The Freeport News
