By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
THE leaders of both major parties disagreed with Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller’s use of parliamentary privilege to accuse someone of his son’s killing – but the FNM’s Dr Hubert Minnis added that the failures of the judicial system are partially responsible.
Speaking in the House of Assembly on Monday, Mr Miller claimed that a business consultant by the name of Dion Bowe had put a hit out on his son, Mario Miller, 28, whose body was found with multiple stab and chop wounds in bushes near the Super Value food store in Winton in 2002.
Mr Miller said Mr Bowe had approached him to offer information on how the murder of his son had taken place.
Yesterday, Dr Minnis said: “I don’t think it was right to name someone in Parliament. There’s a judiciary system and whatever else.
“It’s unfortunate that his case has not gone to court yet, but that shows the problem with the court system.
“The criminal knows there’s such a large backlog and the cases take so long so they feel they can do anything they want because the cases take so long.
“For example, someone had run into my car in 1992; subsequently we caught them and reported them to the police, but that was 1992; we are now in 2013 and that case has never come up – that’s how the court system is.”
For his part, Prime Minister Perry Christie reprimanded Mr Miller for the move.
Stating a personal belief that the House of Assembly is not the forum to lodge such allegations, Mr Christie insisted that he did not want the government to have a hand in determining the innocence or guilt of a person.
Mr Christie said: “Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not accept that Parliament is a place to do that. I am very clear on that in terms of my own position.
“We are not a court of law, but the statement really has the impact of a judgment against someone. That is why it is a very difficult thing to have that happen in Parliament.
“I do not know what it feels like to have lost a son or a child (and) I make the concession that I have never experienced the pain of it. Therefore I am unable to say that I could understand the torment of Leslie Miller.
“(But) I do not want my government or the politics of the Progressive Liberal Party to be caught up in public discussion about whether someone is innocent or guilty in a country where we have laws that enable the police to investigate and determine whether or not it is a prosecutable offence.”
If the case is to again go before the courts with Bowe as the accused Mr Miller’s comments could have grave implications on the outcome.
Considering that, Mr Christie said the Constitutional Commission has suggested amendments to change Parliamentary procedures which govern such situations.
“They took a position on how Parliament should be used and what should happen if someone is abused whether intentionally maliciously or otherwise in parliament by statements being made. That they would have the right to come to the bar of the House and defend themselves and have them reported.”
At 28, Mario was found dead with multiple stab and chop wounds about the body. There were 22 wounds in total, two of which were to his heart with a 16 inch blade. He was found in bushes near the Super Value Food Store in the Winton area.
Comments
nationbuilder 10 years, 8 months ago
dag this minnis guy is so dimwitted. he said leslie was wrong, then started talking about how these criminals need to go to court sooner - so he basically turned right around and backed up what Leslie said, by suggesting that the man named is a criminal, hence the need for minnis to mention criminals and court backlogs!!!! the two arguments should not go together if your point is that a private citizen's name should not have been called in that context if that citizen has never been convicted of a crime
bahamianadvocate 10 years, 8 months ago
Yup, you are correct. Dr. Minnis does not care if he contradict himself as long he blasts the plp for their actions. This is the same position he took with stem cells. He supports stem cell research but opposes it cause he feels PLP cannot regulate it but he is fighting for democracy. Hmmmmm. This guy! I can't believe he is the leader of the opposition. Dr. Minnis is more confused than a homeless man on house arrest.
UserOne 10 years, 8 months ago
You are missing the point. When Leslie Miller makes those statements in Parliament he has immunity, so he could actually accuse anyone, guilty or innocent, and get away with it. He could not do the same outside of Parliament. That is the issue; he did it in Parliament, so if Mr. Bowe is innocent, he has no recourse with these accusations. On another note, finally Christie is speaking up about the behaviour of his party members who are out of line!
nationbuilder 10 years, 8 months ago
No we aren't missing it. Leslie Miller was wrong - and that's the point, but Minnis instead of showing why it was wrong, actually wound up substantiating Miller's allegation by connecting court backlogs with a man who claims to have had nothing to do with the incident at all, therefore court backlogs would not be relevant to him lol
TalRussell 10 years, 8 months ago
MP's "Pot cake's or any other House MP, shouldn't be so damn confident when it comes to their privilege to stand up in the House to accuse private citizens of committing serious acts. It may not be limitless. His lawyer must know that grey areas do exists which could leave an MP open to financially serious libel actions. The British Courts don't seem to agree that an MP's statements against private citizens are full protected when it comes to reports of what was said, reappearing in the media, if that source can be traced back to something the MP repeated to a reporter, or even to an individual, outside the protection of the House. MP's House Privilege has long been abused by PM's and MP's from both sides of the House to attack or seek revenge. It's an old colonial tool used as an elite privilege to say what no other citizen would dare say in public, about a private citizen.
Collin 10 years, 8 months ago
There is nothing dimwitted about what Dr. Minnis said. I will type it slowly so maybe you can understand. He indicated that he thought Hon. Miller's statements were inappropriate. Then he spoke to the issue of the frustration that our judicial system causes, which may have led to Hon. Miller's actions.
Still typing slowly, there is no contradiction in there...
nationbuilder 10 years, 8 months ago
I hope you get this nomination you are working so hard for, assuming that minnis is still leader by then! lol cuz if minnis says Jesus was a woman, you would come on and say amen lol
jackbnimble 10 years, 8 months ago
I've read this article twice and I agree with Collin. According to the article, "Yesterday, Dr Minnis said: “I don’t think it was right to name someone in Parliament. There’s a judiciary system and whatever else. It’s unfortunate that his case has not gone to court yet, but that shows the problem with the court system. The criminal knows there’s such a large backlog and the cases take so long so they feel they can do anything they want because the cases take so long." Dr. Minnis merely agreed that what he did was wrong and then went on to make further comments regarding the slow judicial system.
There are alot of persons who just don't like Dr. Minnis but I find nothing wrong with his above comments.
Collin 10 years, 8 months ago
LOL, you got jokes. I have always been known to challenge any and everybody when necessary. So the second part of your point would not apply to me.
I thank you for your support. When I see you publicly next time I will tell you the same...lol
Collin 10 years, 8 months ago
and by they way...hallelujah...lol
bahamianadvocate 10 years, 8 months ago
Collin why do have to be such a ball licker. There is nothing wrong with being pro-FNM however when you call a diamond a piece of fabric it is not the truth. Dr. Minnis is an idiot and you being you backing an idiot makes you an even bigger idiot. Dr. Minnis will never be prime minister of this beautiful bahama land as long as the diamond stays a mineral. So keep posting your contradictory BS along with Hubert's contradictory BS and see how far that gets both of you all. The FNM can do better. You could do better.
hotep86 10 years, 8 months ago
While I agree that Mr. Miller's comments were untimely and grossly inappropriate, listening to Dr. Minnis last night on this issue, or any other issue for that matter, made my skin crawl. Someone please move this guy, and fast. Maybe they should make LBT the official spokesperson for the FNM. While she may not make perfect sense sometimes, at least she's easy to listen to on the ears.
nationbuilder 10 years, 8 months ago
getting back to Leslie though, he is so dead wrong for this, as would be any other MP who might do such a thing
TalRussell 10 years, 8 months ago
Shouldn't come as no surprise to the PM and his colleagues since this is not the first time Pot cake's mouth become weirdly unzipped. While I am not even going put my feet in the shoes of a parent who has lost a child by the hands of a murderer, what he said IS wrong and there is NO excusing it.The House Speaker himself was out-of-order, by not following established House Rules, to stop the member in his tracks, from continuing with his damaging statements being made against two private citizens. There is no excusing the Speaker's failure to follow the Rules of what is and what isn't allowed to be said during debate. Even after the damaging fact, the speaker is still playing dumb.
nationbuilder 10 years, 8 months ago
yeh tru, the Speaker had the power to ask Leslie to withdraw, there was nothing stopping the speaker from doin dat, he just chose not to. yes Members have privilege, but the Speaker would not have been breaking house rules to ask Leslie not to go down that road
Collin 10 years, 8 months ago
BA, I thank you for the great maturity, intelligence and your sage advice. Now elevating from the D average and your desire to lick something that you some how transfer to me. I have clearly articulated why you and the first person was wrong, prove me wrong without resorting to childish antics.
I am not in this forum as an advocate for the FNM, while I do support the party. However, you may be one of the PLP propagandist put here to troll and make asinine statements and commentary. When called out on it you like a spoiled child resort to the name calling I say good for you I know you enjoy it.
Spin away...
banker 10 years, 8 months ago
Mario was "whacked". When a business consultant whacks someone, it is usually because of the nature of the business. Not saying anything in particular. Ooops, da phone ringing .. gatta run.
john33xyz 10 years, 8 months ago
So how many fully functional and fully staffed court rooms are going to be built and activated by the end of this year 2013 ????????????????
You guessed it !!!!!!!!!!!!! Z E R O !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John 10 years, 8 months ago
While Leslie Miller has always been an outspoken person, some of his statements lately leads one to question his mental state and wonder if the good minister is not beginning to crack under pressure. Friends,family and collegues should not take this lightly as a sure sign of mental fatigue is when one is constantly claiming "its me against the world", and putting all of his/her most inner thoughts and feelings in the public. The minister may need to take a break. And what will be the consequences of him naming a person as the person responsible for "butchering" his son? In the bible when God named and marked Cain for killing his brother Able, Cain complained that the punishment was too great because everyone knew what he had done and would be out to seek revenge and even take his life as pay back, but God ordered that no one should kill Cain because having to live being known as the first murderer and of his own brother was even a greater punishment than death...as it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end.
John 10 years, 8 months ago
How did Cain die? the bible does not tell us specifically but he did repent of his sins and some scholars believe that he lived through seven generations of the punishments God put on him for killing his brother. Then some says that he was eventually killed by one of his own family members, who was hunting and saw this strange 'creature' emerge from the bush (remember Cain had been marked by God). He shot off an arrow before he realized who it was...he who lives by the sword dies by the sword...
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