parliament

With Prime Minister Philip Davis announcing that Parliament has been prorogued: what does that actually mean, and how is it different from dissolution?

Here’s the difference:

Prorogation is essentially a pause. It marks the end of a parliamentary session, meaning lawmakers stop meeting, debating, and passing legislation. Members of Parliament still hold their seats, and the government remains in place.

It is a traditional step in parliamentary systems. When prorogation happens close to an election, it often means that something bigger is coming— dissolution.

But when Parliament is dissolved, everything resets. MPs lose their seats, and the country officially enters election mode. This is the moment when the general election is triggered.

Once dissolution happens, voter registration closes. If you are not registered by then, you won’t be able to vote in the upcoming election.

So prorogation and dissolution serve very different purposes.

For now, the Bahamas is in the ‘in-between moment’ — the time after Parliament has paused, but before the election is officially called.

Davis says he is “very close” to ringing the bell, which means the countdown has begun.

The day Parliament is dissolved will be significant, as the country moves closer to a general election.

When Prime Minister Philip Davis advises the Governor General to dissolve Parliament, it officially ends the current legislative term.

Here’s what actually happens:

The Commissioner of Police, acting as Provost Marshall will formally announce it from the steps of Parliament.

Davis would announce the election date, and all speculation would end.

The House of Assembly, where Members of Parliament meet to debate, discuss and vote on the laws, immediately stops sitting. And all official parliamentary business ends.

From that moment, MPs are no longer MPs but return to being private citizens. Even Cabinet ministers lose the letters “MP” after their names, because technically, no one holds that title anymore.

The prime minister and government ministers remain in office to ensure continuity. The administration shifts into what’s often called “caretaker mode,” meaning major new policy decisions are typically avoided unless necessary. Essential services continue, and the public service keeps functioning.

The business of governing, in its basic form, continues.

But the Parliamentary Registration closes, meaning that eligible voters are no longer able to register or transfer their address.

Parties move from governing to campaigning. Political parties mobilize and campaign offices activate and intensify. Candidates begin the final push across constituencies.

Dissolution marks the formal end of one Parliament and clears the path for voters to choose the next one.

For the governing Progressive Liberal Party, the opposition Free National Movement, and the third party Coalition of Independents, it is the start of the election race.

By-elections are rare in the Bahamas and are not just any political event. On November 24, the constituency of Golden Isles will be voting for a new member of parliament in a by-election.

Since the sudden death of Member of Parliament Vaughn Miller, who represented the constituency for the Progressive Liberal Party, the seat has been up for grabs. Who fills the seat can sway the looming general election expected to be held in seven months.

In his place, Senator Darron Pickstock has resigned from the Upper Chamber to contest the seat for the PLP. He will face Brian Brown, the candidate for the Free National Movement (FNM). Third-party candidate Brian Rolle for the (COI) is joining the race.

How is a by-election different from a general election?

The country is divided into 39 constituencies, and each area is represented by a Member of Parliament in the House of Assembly. While a general election is held every five years to give each constituency an opportunity to choose an MP by the majority of votes, a by-election occurs by chance between a general election when an MP can no longer hold the position and a new MP must be voted in.

A seat in Parliament becomes vacant through death or resignation. By-elections keep representation alive in every constituency.

Why do they matter, and what do they mean to the Progressive Liberal Party?

This by-election could act as a mini referendum on the ruling party, the PLP. The result will reveal whether voters are still confident in Prime Minister Philip Davis’ leadership and the government’s policy since its election in 2021, or are beginning to shift toward the opposition, the Free National Movement.

Being the government, the PLP is putting all of its money, resources, and campaigning behind Pickstock. Because of this, the governing party has the bigger advantage. History has shown that the governing party of the day won three out of five by-elections.

Though only one seat is at stake, the political weight is heavy and the area is under media attention.

The FNM, though, has strong support in the area and is trusting that Brown, a familiar face, can pull off a win, having served in the area since 2010, even running as a candidate but losing to Miller. A win, or even a strong turnout, would prove that momentum is brewing for the FNM.

Golden Isles voted for the FNM in 2017 but voted for the PLP in 2021 after Miller switched parties.

Hundreds of public service workers marched on Parliament on Wednesday, demanding the delayed wage increases promised by the government.

Protesters chanted, “If you can’t get our money, ring the bell,” as some clashed with police officers and others sat in the street behind barricades.

Union leaders from the Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) Kimsley Ferguson and the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT), Belinda Wilson, called out the government for excluding certain worker groups and failing to properly consult them.

Wilson and Ferguson marched to the door of the House of Assembly but were initially denied entrance. Eventually, they were permitted inside and soon appeared walking hand in hand with Prime Minister Philip Davis.

Davis, also the Minister of Finance, addressing the crowd, reiterated the promise that payments would be made before Christmas, with back pay retroactive to September, and said the decision came “from my heart.”

“First of all, the decision to give y’all some money came from me, from my heart. I understood that y’all need that. It was nothing negotiated. I’m trying to help all of you. Y’all will be paid and the payment will be before Christmas. You will be paid before Christmas.”

Why does it matter

Public servants have long called for pay increases and have expressed being ignored and undervalued.

The promise of a pay increase for September initially, then pushed to December, adds to their frustration.

The government’s promise to meet retroactive wage increases can add pressure to the national budget, as the country prepares for a by-election and a general election.

What’s at stake

Any delay in payment or a partial payment will deepen frustrations. If some worker categories remain excluded, it could reignite protests.

If the government delivers and everyone is happy, it will boost morale before a general election.

House Speaker Patricia Deveaux suspended the six Opposition party members from two sittings in the House of Assembly. This follows last week’s session where Deputy Leader Shanendon Cartwright threw the mace from the window of the House.

Speaker Patricia Devaux, in her decision, says she believes the incident severely breached decorum and respect for parliamentary procedures.

Opposition Leader Michael Pintard criticized the suspension, calling it an attempt to silence the voices of the Bahamian people and avert a transparent investigation into alleged government corruption.

“We see this as a continuation of their attempt to silence the Bahamian people. We see this as an attempt by them seeking to avoid transparent investigation by qualified persons locally and internationally looking into corruption not only among a few in the security forces but also in government as well. The people will not be silenced,” Pintard said.

Why it matters?

The suspension suggests a deepening divide between the government and the opposition, raising concerns about the state of democracy and governance in the country.

It underscores the tensions between the ruling party and those who challenge it, and it raises questions about the balance of power and the freedom of elected officials to express dissent within the parliamentary system.

The suspension of the Opposition members is more than a disciplinary measure but can be viewed as a flashpoint in the ongoing struggle for transparency and accountability in The Bahamas.

Contention quickly grew in the House of Assembly today when House Speaker Patricia Deveaux prevented Opposition Leader Michael Pintard from speaking on the indictment of senior officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force expected to stand trial for cocaine importation in a New York trial.

Deveaux contended that Pintard’s letter was dated today (November 27) but was requested to speak at “tomorrow’s sitting,” and was given to her at 9:05 which is not exactly an hour before the House meets.

She said this error warranted her putting a quorum on the floor and asking ten parliamentarians to stand in support of Pintard’s presentation.

Pintard insisted that in addition to the letter, he spoke to the clerk for permission to speak on Wednesday morning after Prime Minister Davis’ speech and had given the letter more than one hour before the House met.

Pintard said he should be granted permission due to “the matter of gravity” but Prime Minister Philip Davis said the arrest of the three officers in the United States, was “not necessarily a matter of public importance.”

However, Pintard noted that Davis had already noted the significance of the matter when he issued a statement notifying the public that he intended to address the matter in the House. “If it is important to him it can be no less important to us to have an opportunity to address the issue,” Pintard said.

Chief Superintendent Elvis Curtis, Sergeant Prince Symonette and Chief Petty Officer Darren Roker are three of thirteen men charged with transporting cocaine to the United States from South America. Curtis is in charge of the Lynden Pindling Airport Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and stands accused of accepting bribes from traffickers to facilitate the transportation of cocaine while “providing safe passage for the traffickers and their cocaine loads through the Nassau Airport and elsewhere in the Bahamas.”
Read more| Damning evidence

Sergeant Prince Symonette of the Royal Bahamas Police Force is accused of working with Curtis and traffickers to transport the drug by air and sea while accepting bribes “for streamlining customs clearance for aircraft,” receiving bribery money of $10,000 as a down payment, while Roker of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force allegedly received $10,000 in bribery money as a down payment to alert traffickers about sensitive operations by the US Coast Guard and OPBAT.

Curtis and Symonette “planned a trip to the United States to receive approximately $1.5m in US currency, which would represent an advanced payment on an agreed-upon at least approximately 500-kilogram load of cocaine to be imported through The Bahamas into the United States,” the indictment read.

After Davis spoke on the matter involving the indictment, Pintard attempted to speak on the matter too, but was shut down. St Barnabas MP Shanendon Cartwright defending Pintard said, “Madam Speaker it is wrong what you are intending to do,” as East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson joined and shouted, “You trying to silence him. It is wrong. It is absolutely wrong.”

Speaker Deaveaux then quickly suspended the House until December 4.

Featured picture credit: The Tribune

The solemnity of mourning overwhelmed the Christ Church Cathedral on Thursday morning as Cabinet Minister Obediah Wilchcombe was laid to rest following his unexpected death as Minister of Social Services, Urban Development, Information and Broadcasting nearly two weeks ago.

As the coffin was transported to the church, a traditional procession of saddened parliamentarians and family members, marched behind the coffin, drawing scores of onlookers in a vast expression of grief and gratitude as they bade farewell to a man whose life as a public servant helped define journalism and politics in the country.

Prime Minister Philip Davis remembered the beginning of their friendship when Wilchcombe served as a rookie court reporter and Davis, a lawyer.

During his speech, he said Wilchcombe, who once served as Tourism Minister in Perry Christie’s administration, was “surprised” when he was given the portfolio for Social Services in 2021 when the Davis administration won the election. Since the governing party’s ministerial swap last month, Davis remembered Wilchcombe was “full of enthusiasm” when Broadcasting and Information were added to his portfolio.

Opposition Leader Michael Pintard remembered his smile and style, and praised him for easing the tension in the House of Assembly during fierce debates.

During a career that began in 1994, Wilchcombe served as a senator before serving in his ministerial posts.

It appeared he suffered health challenges over the years. He was 64.

Photo credit: The Free National Movement, Oracle Media Consultants

The opening of the Bahamas’ Parliament by Governor General Cynthia Pratt took place on Wednesday, marking the first time she oversaw the formal start of the parliamentary year as the king’s representative.

Pratt was appointed last month after the House was prorogued on August 12, nearly two years after the Progressive Liberal Party won the government.

It is a ceremonial event on the parliamentary calendar when the governor-general sets out the government’s agenda for the coming session of parliament.

It is a rare occurrence in Bahamian history since the House is typically prorogued to prepare for a general election. Prime Minister Philip Davis said it is his government’s attempt to renew its agenda after “passing over one hundred bills” in parliament.

Since it was prorogued, the Leader of Government Business Obie Wilchcombe died unexpectedly and now the government has appointed Wayne Munroe to the position after the house opened.

Photo credit: Theo Neilly and William Mortimer

Following the unexpected death of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting Minister Obediah Wilchcombe early Monday morning, Prime Minister Philip Davis and parliamentary colleagues sought solace in his legacy, and service to the Bahamas and his political party.

“Obie was a stalwart of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and his voice resonated as a beacon of progressiveness within the party,” Davis said while mourning Wilchcombe’s death.

“He was funny and thoughtful, with a great sense of our place in history.

“His articulate discourse and thoughtful insights were profound and often shocked the conscience of the Progressive Liberal Party, leading to meaningful deliberations and impactful resolutions.”

Since the PLP’s win at the polls in 2021, during his run for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, Wilchcombe was initially given the portfolio for the Minister of Social Services, and just three weeks ago, he was granted an additional portfolio to include Information and Broadcasting.

“His favourite phrase, ‘One Love’, exemplified his worldview, symbolizing unity, compassion, and a deep love for humanity,” Davis said.

Wilchcombe started as a journalist at the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas in 1975, and was first elected to parliament in 2002 for West End Grand Bahama and Bimini, as the Minister of Tourism in the Christie administration.

In addition to his current ministerial profile, Wilchcombe was the leader of government business in the House of Assembly where he often butted heads with the Opposition.

“Even amidst the heat of passionate exchanges, he conveyed his goodwill through his warm smile or an unmistakable laugh, reassuring everyone that, on his end, all was well,” Opposition Leader Michael Pintard remembered.

“He had an unparalleled skill for placing topics in a historical context, weaving in his personal connection while at the same time touching the hearts of his listeners. He was a formidable opponent and everyone knew it.

Pintard reminisced on his “signature smile.”

Pintard’s last interaction was an installation service for Rev. Dr. Philip McPhee as the President of the Bahamas National Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention. “We were sitting near each other. We followed the preacher’s instruction to turn to our neighbour and exchange a greeting. Little did I know that this would be our final interaction, in a place where divisions are bridged, and the essence of what truly matters becomes crystal clear.”

Wilchcombe passed overnight Sunday but it was not publicized until 10 Monday morning.

“This is a shocking development for a dedicated, energetic and vibrant public servant,” said party chairman Fred Mitchell who Wilchcombe once challenged for the position.

“Our party is reeling this morning (Monday).”