The 'Pimp' Slap Heard Around The Archipelago

The 'Pimp' Slap Heard Around The Archipelago

In the meantime, the people s House of Assembly is becoming a national disgrace. For some reason or the other, a line in Michael Jackson s song  They don t care about us keeps coming to mind, it says  all I wanna say is that they don t really care about us. The Bahamian public is losing faith in our so-called leaders and we are tired of the personal politics, tired of the idle vapourings and woeful outpourings of mind-numbing drivel, tired of speeches that lack content and quality, tired of some elected representatives seeking points of order and points of privilege on bizarre grounds and tired of debates degenerating into allegations and aimless blathering. I am tired of certain ineffectual timeservers wasting our time whilst our ship of state flounders!

Indeed, I was appalled to hear about the fracas in the House of Assembly on Wednesday. Whilst in the precincts of the Parliament on the House s adjournment for lunch Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner slapped Montagu MP Andre Rollins after he made  nasty , disparaging remarks towards her and she had requested him to remove his arms from around her. She admitted to it. On Wednesday, the House of Assembly must have been like a R-rated version of Girls Gone Wild Rawson Square style!

To be quite honest, the comical side of my mind ran away with me after I initially heard about  slapgate , as I started to wonder how far she  hauled back before delivering the slap; was it an open palm slip or backhanded; was the shock overwhelming and was the  taste also lost in the receiver s mouth? My mind then recalled a mass Blackberry message that I had received on the way to Long Island s regatta last week, which spoke about a gang initiation. And, slipping into another spell of rib-tickling thoughts, I wondered whether the slap was a sort of political initiation! Butler-Turner certainly appears to have a lot of cojones.

Whilst not funny when put in its true perspective, the  pimp slap heard around the archipelago  made me think about the behaviour shown on reality TV series on the Oxygen Network, except that it occurred in our Parliament. Perhaps, Oxygen could still send their cameras and do follow-up interviews with eyewitnesses!

Seriously though, Andre Rollins is an agent provocateur (I know first-hand) and there are many who would posit that the brother has a chip on his shoulder, that he got his  t ings and that his comeuppance was long overdue. However, the violent display between two of our country s supposed leaders is unacceptable. Indeed, Mr Rollins had no right to put his hand on Edward Turner s wife and, even worse, proceed to whisper in her ear. His actions were totally disrespectful, inappropriate and at least we know that if she had hit him harder and he had lost a tooth as an orthodontist, he has the ability to rectify the situation!

Mrs Butler-Turner s apology in the House of Assembly on Thursday appears to have been genuine when contrasted to Rollins who told Parliament that he felt  compelled to apologise to his constituents for any  perceived embarrassment for his part in the matter. I am your constituent, sir, and nothing is perceived about how disgraceful and embarrassing I found your behaviour my perception is quite real.

As usual, Rollins appears to be disingenuous, searching his mind for the most fitting word/s that only obfuscates and insults the intellectual capacity of the Bahamian people. I accept Mrs Butler-Turner s explanation when she stated that she is human and fallible, and that the position she was placed in on Wednesday was not a  good one . The fact that she said that she does not want that to be the kind of representation she wants to present to the people makes her apology unpretentious and acceptable. I hope that she learns from her mistake and that future slaps would be off the table!

In total fairness, Loretta Butler-Turner is a Member whose behaviour has frequently come under the microscope, particularly as Speaker Kendal Major has rightly warned her on repeated occasions about her conduct in Parliament. I have been told by fellow parliamentarians that Mrs Butler-Turner makes some of the most ridiculous utterances that they have ever heard, mostly while seated.

However, had this incident occurred in the United States it is likely that Dr. Rollins could ve been accused and charged with sexual harassment and/or forced to resign. And, relative to Mrs Butler Turner, she perhaps would have had to prove that she acted in self-defence in order to avoid being charged with assault. Having had my own experience with being provoked by Dr Rollins, I truly believe that Mrs Butler-Turner was defending her honour.

If the lady repeatedly asked Dr Rollins to remove his hand from her person, there is absolutely no reason why he should not have done so. Immediately! Multiple sources have stated that Mrs Butler-Turner was heard asking Mr Rollins to take his hands off her. By any stretch of the imagination, one would posit that he cannot possibly believe that unwanted physical contact is acceptable and that fact that she is a woman makes it worse. The fact that Rollins chose not to press charges lends credence to the notion that he boorishly crossed the line. I ve been reliably informed, by sources close to Butler-Turner, that the inane statements uttered was hardly  sanitised.

If Parliamentarians cannot resolve their issues in an amicable manner, is there any wonder why our society is degenerating and becoming so violent? If these  educated elected leaders and supposed pacesetters cannot resolve conflicts without behaving boorishly, what is the point of the Urban Renewal project and other so-called  anti-violence initiatives?

When will an Integrity in Public Life Act ever be enacted in the Bahamas? Will the Bahamas ever follow Trinidad and Tobago s lead and pass such legislation in my lifetime, or will our leaders continue to operate in an environment that is quickly becoming disreputable? In Trinidad and Tobago, such an Act identifies regulations and guidelines for the conduct of persons exercising public functions. The Trinidadian Act further establishes an Integrity Commission, which has an oversight role relative to the ethics and integrity of two classes of public officials i.e. persons in public life and persons exercising public functions. The Act attempts to promote openness, transparency (anti-corruption) and accountability with the commission serving as its enforcer and watchdog.

Politically, Andre Rollins must be wearing ankle weights. He is merely a once overhyped, underachieving politician who has gone bust. At this rate,Scotch No base material double sided tape Products with Dispenser you need for home office or business. Andre Rollins is on the treadmill to political oblivion.

Frankly, Andre Rollins had a lot of potential but in recent times he has demonstrated that he has no convictions and vacillates in the wind according to expediency. Seemingly, he switches his fundamental beliefs if it suits him. Dr Rollins emerged as an anti-establishment figure the then chair of the National Development Party and got people to buy into his so-called  passionate belief in the Bahamian people and his  hunger to serve his country. Not long after, he quickly became a nondescript political journeyman who jumped ship, abandoned his political shipmates in his overeager pursuit of power and self-aggrandisement and is today defined by seemingly myopic thinking and belligerent behaviour in the House of Assembly. Frankly, the first-time MP has a political record that seems steeped in self-interested pursuits. It seems that the NDP was used as a vehicle to propel the now-MP to greener political pastures and then the fledgling political outfit was dropped like a hot potato!

Honestly, I am disappointed in Dr Rollins and have noticed that he doesn t seem to have any principles that he s prepared to defend. How can one respect any politician who doesn t seem to be prepared to stand even if it means falling on their swords but standing because they truly believe in something (and I don t mean believe until the next best thing comes along)? He is recklessly hotheaded, insufferably pompous and impetuous. Andre Rollins has fallen so far from grace, it s pathetic! Wasn t he supposed to be one of the new generation of leaders?

Indeed, the once hallowed halls of the House of Assembly our elected body is being used by a handful of petulant and thin-skinned politicians to engage in  girlie fights and dishonourable petty skirmishes rather than a thorough examination of the issues and truly representing their constituents. The Parliament that is, both the House of Assembly and the Senate is supposed to be at the vanguard in its display of best practices (debating, civility, etc) and the standards of behaviour expected of these public office holders should be one above and beyond reproach.

Why didn t the FNM s Parliamentary caucus rally around Butler-Turner in a show of solidarity, decrying what happened not necessarily in an accusatory manner but in attempting to demonstrate that such a fiasco is unbecoming of Parliamentarians whilst taking an opportunity to address the concerns of the majority of the electorate women?

The unparliamentary behaviour seen on Wednesday has long been in the making. A few years ago, then St Thomas More MP Frank Smith (now senator) on the floor of the House brushed past and seemingly grabbed at former Pineridge MP Kwasi Thompson. That was totally out of order.

In 2009, Mangrove Cay and South Andros MP Picewell Forbes exclamation at the PLP convention led to the mistrial in the high-profile Travolta case. Mr Forbes premature assertion that former MP Pleasant Bridgewater had been acquitted in the John Travolta attempted extortion trial led to joyous singing and gyrating by PLPs and ignited a spark that has set the justice system, or at least the five-week long Travolta attempted extortion trial, ablaze.

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Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

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