The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

As a female professional, I was somewhat disappointed by the recent remarks of Mr Carl Bethel, the Honourable Attorney General, when he referred to the loss of employment of female prosecutors in the Office of the Public Prosecutions by highlighting same as burned out and contracting stressful illnesses. I can only imagine how demeaning and humiliating this reference to gender of those female prosecutors who have the robust role of the conduct and carriage of trial proceedings in the courts, primarily the Supreme Court.

At the outset, let me state unequivocally that it has always been my opinion that Mr Bethel, over the years, has demonstrated to be one of our best political debaters our Parliament has ever seen. Moreover, I have always had an excellent ‘legal’ rapport with him so the criticism herein of his statement about female prosecutors in no way intends to disparage the Honourable Attorney General in his position but merely made as to how such a progressive and learned mind can make such gender bias, unprofessional and judicial stereotypical observations in this twenty-first century.

Nonetheless, I find such statement sexist, demeaning and uncomplimentary of the hard work of female prosecutors who essentially are the majority of prosecutors in conductlng criminal matters in our Supreme Courts – a fact which was unknown or unheard of in the eighties and nineties. These women, in many instances, work very hard at presenting and prosecuting their cases in the interests of justice before the courts. Moreover, they usually conduct themselves in an admirable courteous and professional manner with regard to the opposing party (s).

It is unfortunate, however, that it appears that they are directed by the Office of the DPP as to how they are to bring to court their cases and the conduct thereof albeit their individual training and grasp of the law may render an opinion of the possibility of entering nolle prosequi and not to continue to proceed to trial, the result of which contributes to the wholesale backlogging of the courts’ calendars. Surely, one does not have to study psychology to know that such demands or directives can, inter alia, cause tremendous personal and individual mental anguish irrespective of the gender of the prosecutor.

Is gender the motivating factor behind the ‘intention’ to bring in foreign male lawyers to prosecute in our courts when culturally these new persons are not aware of our culture (& subcultures) and its ethos from which the law of the jurisdiction evolved. One only has to look abroad at how the Bahamian people (Black and White/Conchy Joes) living there and have taken prominence and excelled in whatever careers they are engaged. So much so, that those who are still here have also shown to have some of the most brilliant minds on planet earth. We only have to look at the Bahamianisation of our Bench to observe our finest minds robustly applying the law in all cases.

But for the Attorney General to target female prosecutors as being stressed and contracting illnesses clearly implies the stereotype attitude that these females are “the weaker sex” and perhaps incapable of the yeoman’s job as a public prosecutor in our courts – the AG’s comment faithfully reflects the sexism of our society. To this, may I remind the Honourable Attorney General, in a friendly way, that as God has given females the gift of maternity where she can produce another life after carrying same for nine months is no easy or simple task when compared to that of the role of a female prosecutor seeking indictment of cases she has the carriage and conduct.

Perhaps, in an attempt to save the public purse wasteful funds by hiring of those from abroad, the AG should seek to re-engage those who are burned out or generally overwhelmed demonstrating compassion in helping “team members” who have left the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions feel secure, understood, and supported with new incentives for re-employment and support services rendered to them.

E V ALBURY

Nassau,

June 26, 2021.