Disgusted with the turnout of over 1,000 ‘Vote Yes’ supporters who took to the city centre yesterday to push legalised gambling, the Save Our Bahamas Committee blamed the government and law enforcement officials for allowing the event to transpire and asked them to take charge of the country.
Committee members said that yesterday’s actions were an outright sign of disrespect for the government and law officials who simply stood by and watched the ordeal unfold without trying to stop it.
President of the Bahamas Christian Council (BCC) Reverend Dr. Ranford Patterson described the march as a sign of what the country is up against and said Save Our Bahamas is now going to war to save the souls of the nation.
“I’m sure Bahamians’ eyes were open to see that persons can break the law and get away with it,” he said.
“It says a lot when you can have a large number of people march down the heart of Bay Street with the assistance of police in support of something that is illegal. Lawbreakers were shouting loud and clear that they run the country,” he added.
Public Relations Coordinator for the Save Our Bahamas campaign, Kevin Harris said that he is now questioning who was given the responsibility of being commissioner of police and claimed that the law and order in the country seemed to have been missing as the demonstrations went on.
“These lawbreakers in all of their lawlessness had the tenacity to go in the public square and basically show law enforcement who is boss. The web shop spokespersons and supporters are dominating the airwaves and it is just wrong,” he said, “We need all voters to wake up early Monday morning and go out to vote no.”
“Do not stay home and believe that because you don’t gamble or because it’s a gambling issue it doesn’t affect you. Every situation in this country when it comes to national issues affects everyone. We’ve been asked two questions as a country. We should go and answer those questions, which I feel the best answer to both of them is a no,” he said.
Rev. Patterson stressed that the battle is not between the church and Prime Minister Perry Christie, but between the church and those determined to destroy the moral values of the nation.
Co-coordinator for Save Our Bahamas, Pastor Lyall Bethel said the team hopes that Prime Minister Christie keeps his word and shuts down all web shops Tuesday morning if the result of the referendum is in favour of a ‘no’ vote.
“The Bahamian people who are the silent vast majority must show these criminals that The Bahamas is not for sale,” he added.
The pastor recalled the occasion where Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade announced that the Royal Bahamas Police Force was a bit lenient in arresting those in the web shop industry.
“The commissioner of police must step forward, arrest and show that he is in charge of law enforcement in The Bahamas; not Flowers, not Mr. Bastian, not Island Luck and certainly not Island Game. The commissioner of police is a trained and respected law officer and he must show who is in charge of this country,” he said.
“I think the demonstrations have shown that there is a crisis within the nation and I’m calling on Bahamians to choose who they’re going to serve. Is it going to be lawbreakers or God?”
According to Pastor Bethel, the government needs to remember the fact that there are families who are watching as well as the neighbouring countries.
“The world is watching this kind of lawlessness and it cannot go on. There is a lowering of hands with everyone saying that they aren’t responsible and they have no horse in the race. But isn’t this our nation and is there any law and order being done?” he asked.
The committee is asking all Bahamians to listen to and analyse both sides of the argument, after which they should be able to make the best decision which they feel is the ‘no’ vote.
The Save Our Bahamas team will make several rounds throughout the country in the days leading up into Monday’s referendum with a mass rally on Friday at R. M. Bailey Park and a motorcade on Saturday.
