The Clifton Review
The Clifton Review is a tri-weekly column that examines the question of the Clifton project along with the evolution of the war between two billionaires. We covered the start of this war with articles describing the battle over easement rights, the mysterious burning of a home, the blocks to rebuilding, and countless questionable court filings.
While the 2018 series salutes fashion mogul Peter Nygård’s Golden Jubilee detailing his rags to riches story, his incredible business success over these past fifty years and an inside look at how he did it, The Clifton Review will also continue to address current affairs as they relate to the good of The Bahamas.
“Either Very Dumb Or Very Dangerous”
By P.J. Malone
It was suggested by QC Wayne Munroe that parliamentarians are “either very dumb or very dangerous” with respect to their proposal of the Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Amendment Bill 2018 and its passage in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
It is reported that the bill empowers a judge “to permit a witness to be seen and heard in his natural voice by a magistrate, magistrate’s panel or by the judges, but not by the prosecutor, the defendant or his attorney or by the jury”.
Well, here’s an example by Mr. Munroe of how this can play out as quoted in one of our local papers.
Let’s say somebody is screened from me and has his voice changed so I don’t know who it is. This could be somebody who has borne a grudge against me all his life but I won’t know that. I can’t put anything of that nature to the witness. Let’s assume it’s a homicide. My case is I didn’t kill the person, somebody else did and the witness is that person who actually did the killing. I can’t see him or her. Or you may have had a vibe with me all your life that is well documented. You may have lied on me before in a way that I can prove. But I don’t know who you are so I have no way of bringing that to the attention of the tribunal of fact.
Could you imagine if the anonymous witness is my friend wife or sweetheart and I don’t know that? These people are just ridiculous. Dumbness is being elevated to an art in this country.
It’s near impossible to disagree with this. How disappointing to watch our so-called representatives bring this upon us.
As proud Bahamians, it is most embarrassing to us for outside observers to watch our country being governed in this way and to wonder about our level of intelligence.
In the Tribune’s article, “Witness Anonymity Bill ‘Either Dumb Or Dangerous’”, Munroe is quoted further on the ridiculousness of this move by Parliament:
“How do they justify passing something they know is unconstitutional?” he asked. “What do they say? We know this is unconstitutional, we know this breaks our supreme law but we in Parliament are going to pass laws that go against our supreme law? That is irresponsible. “What you end up saying is that I know this material is going to offend the supreme law, the Constitution but as a government we are going to set a legislative course purposely to offend the Constitution. That is a very dangerous government.”
So in your opinion, which is it? Are the parliamentarians we have elected to represent us being very dumb or being very dangerous?
Either one is a serious indictment on us as a people that we would elect such individuals to represent us. What are we are saying to the world?
Well here is a message we can’t help but avoid sending out to the world: ‘Our representatives either have no respect for our constitution, or no concern for trampling on the rights of some of the people, or simply don’t have enough sense to not do something as foolish as passing a bill that contravenes the Constitution of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want the world judging me by such “dumb or dangerous” representatives.
