Instead of the statue of Queen Victoria, Bahamians should be able to see a full-bodied statue of former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling placed on Parliament Square, MP for Mount Moriah Keod Smith told the House of Assembly yesterday.
“I can’t think of anything which would cause me to believe that I would want to hold out and up Queen Victoria as a hero for me,” he said.
Giving his contribution to the National Honours and the National Heroes Acts in parliament, Mr Smith also voiced his objections to the statue of Christopher Columbus at Government House.
“I can’t think why the House of the government, considering the constitution of this country in the year 2006, will continue to have Christopher Columbus’ statue standing in front of Government House,” he said.
He emphasised that he did not want to take anything away from “anyone who is great,” but said that Bahamians should do better in honouring their own.
“I don’t care what their complexion is, I don’t care what their race is, I don’t care where they come from,” he added.
He said that it is now the very important role of the National Heroes committee to select heroes from all walks of life.
“(It is important) that we do it right, that reach out beyond here (parliament) to find who our heroes are. To find some of the teachers, some of the nurses,” he said.
Mr Smith was also critical that the National Heroes Bill currently appears to honour only outstanding Bahamians who have passed away.
“The way the bill reads it appears that you can only become a hero when you die, I will make sure that it is not so,” he said.
Source: The Tribune
