The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

RETIRED Justice Rubie Nottage, co-chair of the Constitutional Commission, said many people have told the group they will not vote in the June 7 gender equality referendum because of distrust of the government.

Mrs Nottage’s comments came during a presentation to the Grand Bahama chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority about constitutional reform and gender equality at the Kevin Tomlison Performing Arts Academy.

Mrs Nottage said the commission has come against real elements of distrust because of the government’s handling of the 2013 gaming referendum.

Most of the voters who took part in that poll said no to both questions, however the government still legalised web shops in spite of the results.

Mrs Nottage and other members of the commission have been assuring Bahamians that the constitutional referendum is legally binding and that the results must be respected by the government.

She also urged support for the referendum.

“These recommendations for changes to the Constitution are really important to us as Bahamians. It was decided that we deal with issues that concern Bahamian citizenship where one of the other is a Bahamian citizen and we are trying to clarify when a Bahamian citizen passes on his or her citizenship.”

Mrs Nottage said that bill four is the most controversial.

This bill will make it unlawful to discriminate based on sex, which is defined as being male or female. But there are some legal critics and pastors who feel it will open the door to gay marriages.

However she dismissed this fear.

“The state wants equal treatment from us (women) when they want money from us. So we want to know that the state also is going to treat us equally.

“In this Bahamas, there shall be no law created which will discriminate on the basis of a person’s sex, and that is male or female. That is what bill four is going to do,” she explained.