Protestors say no to EPA
Bahama Journal | May 29th, 2008
Protestors Say No To EPA
By Viraj Perpall
As Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and members of his Cabinet walked across Rawson Square to the House of Assembly on Wednesday morning they were greeted by angry citizens protesting against the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
The EPA provides for a system of preferential trade arrangements between the European Union and CARIFORUM states.
As Prime Minister Ingraham delivered his Budget Communication in the House, the protest continued outside.
Mr. Ingraham had not stopped to talk to the protestors, but there was a mention of the EPA in his communication.
"It is an issue on which we, as a democracy, should take an informed decision and not one based on poor and misleading information," he said.
The prime minister added that the government has tried diligently to provide the Bahamian public with a "comprehensive briefing" on the matter.
"My government and its agencies will continue to work very hard to fully inform the Bahamian public and their parliamentary representatives before any final decisions are taken," he said.
But outside Parliament the small group of protestors insisted that foreigners would have an advantage over Bahamians as their labour is cheaper and they would be willing to work longer hours.
"We know that it is an agreement that would transform The Bahamas back into a colony and would make Bahamian citizens compete for jobs in their own soil with foreign nationals," said attorney Paul Moss, one of the organizers of the demonstration.
"We say we do not want that. We say God did not make us a melting pot and we say that we will stand here and that Bahamians will protest to it as long as it takes."
As the angry protestors shouted, "Laing has to go" they claimed that they were not protesting for political reasons, but for the rights of all Bahamians.
The protestors were referring to Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing, who has spoken a lot recently about the benefits of the EPA.
But protestors like Rebecca Small have not been impressed.
"I came out because I am a concerned Bahamian," Ms. Small said. "I have a problem with our government when they are going to make decisions without letting The Bahamas know what the EPA is all about.
"One of the things I do not appreciate is that they are going to do things underhandedly or under the table for the benefit of them and the Bahamian people will suffer. When they [allow foreigners] to come in this country to infiltrate this country it’s a problem for Bahamians. It has nothing to do with the PLP, nothing to do with FNM; it’s about the rights of Bahamians."
Several of the protestors went as far as to call for a referendum on the EPA, stating that no government has the right to make decisions that will affect all Bahamians.
Speaking to the Bahama Journal, Minister Laing responded to the concerns of the protestors, saying the entire matter concerning the EPA has been misunderstood.
"I understand that there are people who do not fully understand the nature of the Economic Partnership Agreement, so more public education and more public instruction need to be given in that regard," Mr. Laing said.
"We are continuing our consultation on the issue and we will continue to try to educate people on it."
Mr. Laing assured that many of the things people are concerned about regarding the EPA are things they need not worry about.
"The notion of straw vendors having to compete with foreigners is really not an issue," he said.
"This notion of free movement of people again is not an issue."
