Opposition members of the House Of Assembly protested during debate on the Boat Registration and Water Skiing and Motorboat Control Amendment Bills on Wednesday.
Opposition members rejected claims by Leader of Government Business in the House and Member of Parliament for Freetown, the Hon. Wayne Munroe that they want the current boat registration fees to remain unchanged whilst the government attempts to lower the fees. After appeals to the Speaker of the House proved fruitless, members of the Opposition stood and shouted that they were not able to speak on the bill.
Upon the adjournment of the House, Leader of the Opposition and Member of Parliament for Marco City, the Hon. Michael Pintard told reporters, “what they did is undemocratic. We’ve seen shades of it before but they are getting significantly worse.”
Leader of Opposition Business in the House and Member for St. Anne’s, the Hon. Adrian White expressed that he had communicated that all members of the opposition had intended to speak on the bill for the full length of their allotted time.
Member of Parliament for Central Grand Bahama, the Hon. Iram Lewis also chimed in on the issue speaking on behalf of boaters and fishers from his constituency. “These fishers, these boaters from the communities that I am from that’s their way of survival, that’s how they feed their families, that’s how they support the local restaurants. Easter is coming up, everyone wants their Red Snappers and their Goggle Eye. What we trying to do, create criminals? They cannot afford to register their boats but the have to catch fish,” he said.
For his part, Member of Parliament for East Grand Bahama, the Hon. Kwasi Thompson said the government shut down and attacked the voice of the people.
While appearing at a press briefing at the Officer of the Prime Minister, the Hon. Wayne Munroe responded to the opposition saying, “we notified them that we would give them equal time with us even though they are seven and we are thirty two. They insist on having their way. The rules of the House do not support that and as such in the time indicated we moved the question. The Leader of the Opposition chose not to speak first or second, his deputy leader chose not to speak first or second and they chose to spend the majority of their time speaking about things other than the two bills we were debating.”
