NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis yesterday defended his decision to protest alongside the Coalition of Independents (COI) on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Labour and Immigration Minister Keith Bell.
Bell has come under fire over his decision to swear in a woman and her children as citizens of The Bahamas during her husband’s funeral two weeks ago. He has acknowledged that the move was “unorthodox” but denies any wrongdoing.
Addressing his presence at the protest Lewis said yesterday: “I saw a newspaper headline saying that Iram Lewis joined the Coalition of Independents in a protest in front of the Prime Minister’s Office. Iram Lewis did not join the Coalition of Independents in a protest. Iram Lewis stood in solidarity with a group of Bahamians who have a national concern and want to ensure their voices are heard.”
Lewis added: “The Bahamian people gave me a mandate. It’s not about self, it’s not about the people. I stood on behalf of the Bahamian people to voice their concerns. Whoever wants to put a spin on me taking a stand on a national interest to say I joined another political party or it was all a political stunt, that’s on them. God knows the intention of my heart. I did it for my country and people.
“As long as I have a voice I will continue to do it on behalf of the people. It’s unfortunate that people are trying to put a spin on this. I know better and those who are objective know we have to put our colors aside, put the potential divide away and galvanize our attempts to save our country,” Lewis stated.
Speaking directly to the actions of Minister Bell, he further added: “We are not taking a xenophobic approach or a hateful approach. We want people to come but to come the right way. We want our government officials to do things the right way.”
The Coalition of Independents (COI) said on Tuesday the party will take legal action if Prime Minister Philip Davis does not force Minister Bell to resign within the next seven days.
Members of the fringe group led by Lincoln Bain held a protest outside the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) where they delivered a letter outlining their request for Bell’s termination.
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