Continuing an exchange that started on Wednesday night during the contribution to the budget debate by Kennedy Member of Parliament Kenyatta Gibson, South Andros MP Whitney Bastian used a part of his contribution to respond to allegations that Mr. Gibson made about his past.
Mr. Bastian reminded the House that he was acquitted by a court of “trumped up” drug charges.
“I can understand his frustration of knowing his budget presentation of last night and this morning could either be his last or next to the last as the Member of Parliament for the Kennedy constituency,” Mr. Bastian claimed.
“Secondly, I am sure that his constituents did not send him to Parliament to back door their concerns by complimenting this government to the point where it becomes nauseating, odious and demeaning to those with dignity.”
Mr. Gibson, who also serves as Chairman of the Gaming Board, immediately fired back shouting, “You speak of dignity?”
“You need to be concerned about what your constituents sent you to Parliament to do and stay out of my business ﾖ I told you that before,” Mr. Gibson continued.
Undeterred, Mr. Bastian continued his response to the Kennedy MP.
“A real man will simply state the needs of his peopleﾅ,” he said before once again being interrupted by Mr. Gibson
“Anytime this member is ready Iﾴll show him who a real man is. Iﾴll show him who a real man is right now,” said. Mr. Gibson. “Iﾴll take my belt off for you.”
At that point, House Speaker Oswald Ingraham intervened to remind the two members that they were speaking in the lower chamber of the Parliament of The Bahamas and that members should not conduct themselves in such a manner.
“That manner and that kind of attitude will get us and the Parliament nowhere,” Mr. Ingraham admonished the two members.
He continued, “The least we can do is listen to each other and try to reason in a sensible way and resolve whatever misunderstanding or conflict we may have.”
Maintaining his position, however, Mr. Gibson said he was putting the House on notice that he would not sit by and allow others to verbally attack him.
After assuring Mr. Gibson that he would ensure that the debate on the budget would continue without personal attacks on any member, the Speaker allowed the South Andros MP to continue with his presentation.
“A real man would simply state the needs of his peopleﾅ,” Mr. Bastian attempted to continue, however, Mr. Gibson again intervened stating that he would not “sit down and allow that ﾖ not from him; not from that.”
Continuing with his presentation, Mr. Bastian indicated that he would continue to respond to Mr. Gibsonﾴs attack of the night before including allegations about his alleged involvement with illegal drugs.
“I will let the member for Kennedy know that a real representative gets things done for his constituents even if at times it calls for him spending his own monies. But there are times when some representatives find that they have no money of their own because they spend it hanging out in lewd bars, bars where men or women can be picked up at the end of the night, and find that they have to spend more money to quiet those persons down whom (they) have assaulted for any number of reasons,” the South Andros MP said.
“In the future, I would admonish the member for Kennedy or anyone else to attack or address my points of view as a representative and if they cannot do that then tread into the personal at their own peril.”
At that point, Mr. Gibson rose to his feet in response to what he called the “heavy-handed” aspersions that had been made about his character and started to read from a Supreme Court registry document dated November 16, 1991 involving Maureen Bastian and Mr. Bastian.
The House Speaker then rose to his feet, instructed Mr. Gibson to stop reading the document and suspended the sitting of the House for 10 minutes.
Following resumption of the afternoon session, Mr. Bastian used the remainder of his contribution to address a number of concerns facing his constituents.
BY: Darrin Culmer, The Bahama Journal
