Right move, wrong path, Atherley

Opposition Leader Bishop Joseph Atherley has sought to clear the air regarding the opposing positions taken in Parliament by him and one of his Senate representatives Caswell Franklyn regarding the vote for this country’s first President.

On Wednesday during a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament to elect Dame Sandra Mason as the country’s first President in preparation for transition to Republican Government on November 30, two-thirds majority of members in the Upper and Lower Chambers voted “yes” including Bishop Atherley and Opposition Senator Crystal Drakes, but Franklyn took an opposing stand and left the Chamber.

On Thursday, the Opposition Leader confirmed that he had given Franklyn his blessing to vote as he so desired based on the fact that while the Parliamentary Group had unanimously agreed with Republic status and that Dame Sandra was the right choice, the process and procedure for her ascension and the timing and approach towards the transition to the new governance structure were wrong.

“All three Parliamentary Opposition members have stated the above in the Parliament and through public media. When the Constitutional Amendment Bill was brought before Parliament some weeks ago, I held the view that I should state our concerns during that debate but that I would not necessarily vote against the Bill,” the Opposition Leader said.

“In our discussions, Senator Franklyn held the view that he should not vote for the Bill based on the concerns as listed above. He was given leave to vote as he saw fit.” Bishop Atherley declared.

He added: “Relative to the voting yesterday, Senator Franklyn previously discussed with me his desire not to come to the event because of his view as stated above, and upon which we all agreed, with respect to how government is advancing in this matter of establishing a republic.”

“He felt that again he would have to vote ‘no’ at the nomination notwithstanding the fact that he supports Dame Sandra Mason’s ascension to the office of President. I encouraged Senator Franklyn to attend the sitting to raise his objection and to express his vote as he felt led and in the pursuit of the practice of democracy,” he explained.

A heated verbal exchange involving Franklyn and the President of the Senate Reginald Farley played out in full public view on Wednesday over the Opposition member’s unsuccessful attempts to have his objections addressed. This created much debate across the island and even led to a call from political scientist Dr George Belle for Franklyn to resign for taking a different position to that of his leader.

Bishop Atherley also sought to make it clear that it was he, as Leader of Opposition, who in meeting with the Prime Minister, insisted that each member should be allowed to vote for the president and that the ballot should be secret.

“It is to be noted that while I encouraged Senator Franklyn to turn up and vote as he felt led, three members of the government did not turn up,” the Opposition Leader argued.

He also said when the verbal confrontation over voting procedure in the Senate took place he was in the other House of Parliament away from that event.

In outlining the common position of the three members of the Parliamentary Opposition, Bishop Atherley said they hold the view that the move to become a Republic is desirable and long overdue; that Barbados should be a Parliamentary Republic with a non-executive Head of State; and that Dame Sandra Mason should be chosen as the first president of the new Republic in keeping with the recommendation of the Forde Constitutional Commission.

He said they also agreed that the timing of this move to a republic at this current moment was off in circumstances where the country is being distracted and distressed over the conditions created by COVID.

The group, he added, believed that Republic Day should be a time of high celebration with fuller buy-in by the country.

“The process is entirely wrong with the cart not even being in the same yard as the horse. We should have an education programme and a republican programme before becoming a Republic,” Bishop Atherley added.

It is also the common position of the Opposition members that some legal questions have been raised regarding the process and procedure towards becoming a Republic and that these questions should also be more fully and properly answered.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb