The heightened media attention that has been placed on the dispute between Kennedy MP Kenyatta Gibson and Mount Moriah MP Keod Smith is an indication of the "sick" direction that Bahamian society is taking, an Independent MP said yesterday.
"This is a sick society, because the people that are supposed to be building this country are playing politics, dirty stinking politics. And it's wrong," said Pierre Dupuch, the representative for St Margarets.
Speaking on the More 94.9 radio show "Real Talk" yesterday, Mr Dupuch was referring to what he called the FNM's attempts to over-publicise the fight.
Claiming that the opposition has no moral leg to stand on, Mr Dupuch said that contrary to what the FNM believes, Mr Gibson and Mr Smith should not be asked to resign.
He charged that "the same people that are hollering right now" for Prime Minister Perry Christie to ask for the MPs' resignations "will be talking a different tune tomorrow" if they find their party colleagues in a similar situation.
"Make the law, it will apply to everyone; a set of standards or rules or laws that will guide MPs to make sure they do the right thing. If he wants to ask them to resign fine – then that is the standard."
Before giving his opinion, Mr Dupuch attempted to "clear the air."
He said that the confrontation took place not in a parliamentary meeting, but a PLP meeting of PLP members of parliament, which had nothing to do with the "people's business".
"It never should have happened," he admitted, "and it is wrong, but it should never have been blown up either.
"I think we should compare why it was blown up. I look at the newspaper every morning and there's mention of argument or fight in a party meeting. It has been blown up in the headlines and played – and you ask yourself, are they reporting the news or firing the news?
"The news media reported the facts," he continued, "there was an altercation among two men and I'm not trying to play down the importance and the seriousness of these people fighting, they are supposed to be showing an example as parliamentarians.
"But reporters call everyone in town, including me. And I talked to (one reporter) and gave a different side of the story, but it didn't fit, and what I said was not even mentioned. So the public figures it's public outrage – but who has caused the outrage?" he asked.
Mr Dupuch compared this fight to several issues that should have received the same amount of media attention or more, but were simply reported on and then dropped.
Continuing to speak about the journalists who covered the issue, Mr Dupuch added: We've got a standard now. The standard is that if two parliamentarians have a fight completely aside from parliament business, that is the standard that they claim is a public outcry. They made the outcry, they created what the public is supposed to hear but they call it a public outcry."
Mr Dupuch concluded that the media and the opposition were "stoking the fire for their own good."
By: KRYSTEL ROLLE, The Tribune
