Former Minister of National Security, A. Loftus Roker, who is also a signatory to the Bahamian independence constitutional order was recently asked about Bahamian citizenship and who is entitled to it.
Roker said, “I am satisfied that our problem is that we want to get the constitution interpreted the way we want it without going through the proper procedure. Right now we’re trying to change the constitution without going to a referendum. Apparently, we’re smart. But before that we tried referendum several times to change the constitution. That is what should happen. But we now say we don’t have to don’t have to do that anymore. Where did you get that information?”
The former minister also opined about the recent ruling of the courts that children born to single Bahamian fathers and foreign mothers are Bahamian at birth. He said, “let me put it this way, let us say I am from Cuba and I am married to a Bahamian woman why should my child then be a Bahamian and not a Cuban. Why should you have the right to have my child called a Bahamian and not a Cuban and I’m a Cuban married to a Bahamian. Why is it that he has the right to be a Bahamian and not a Cuban? Am I not worth anything?”
The last referendum on citizenship issues was held in 2016.
