The Member of Parliament for Bain and Grants Town and former Parliamentary Secretary in The Ministry of Tourism, Travis Robinson has called for a select committee to evaluate the Westminister system of government in terms of its relevance, effectiveness and continued adherence in the 21st century Bahamas.
The young MP addressed what he called “the elephant in the room,” in the House of Assembly yesterday.
The MP spoke for the first time publicly since his appointment was revoked by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Mr. Robinson told House members, “It is my fundamental belief, that no member should be placed in a position to choose between their party/government and the people they represent in this honorable house.
“Such a position is to put a strangle hold around the neck of the Bahamian democracy, choking the life out of it.
“In a democracy, power flows from the citizens to the government, but the vote is not the end all and the be all,” he added.
He said, “we cannot be satisfied with participation that is limited to going to the polls every five years.
“If we are to have a strong healthy democracy we must all participate.
“Everyone cannot physically sit in these seats, or be Cabinet ministers, but there is no shortage of work to be done.”
The MP urged Bahamians to familiarize themselves with the Westminster system.
He added that many also suggested to abandon the centuries long system.
However, before doing so, the MP said there are many steps to be taken before arriving to that conclusion – there must be a place for questions to be posed.
The MP suggested creating a hybrid system of government.
“A proposed system of governance, that selects the best aspects of the Westminster System and parts of a republican system, to form a hybrid system of governance for The Bahamas, specifically tailored to shatter the glass ceiling and reach the height of true democracy,” he said.
“A hybrid system of governance where no member in this honorable House of Assembly, will be ever be fired again, for choosing between a fundamental belief and the direction of his party.
“Let my termination, and that of my other colleagues, be the last of its kind.”
The MP was terminated along with two others, for voting against the government’s July 1st increase of value added tax (VAT) from 7.5 to 12 per cent.
Under the Cabinet Manual of procedure, a Parliamentary Secretary is a part of the government and as such cannot publically express his disagreement with a decision of the government.
