BY ANDREW J.W. KNOWLES
It was sheer pandemonium at one point in Rawson Square yesterday, as Bahamian workers marched in solidarity to the House of Assembly in protest of the government's bid to sell a 51 per cent stake of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to London-based telecom giant Cable & Wireless.
Hundreds of members answered the union’s call and swarmed the old City Market parking lot just across from the Southern Recreation grounds, a significant place for unions as it is where the Father of Labour Sir Randol Fawkes led many rallies. Officials from all the major unions were also present, in a display of solidarity. Shortly after 9:00 a.m. the siren sounded to gather all present. Police officers were seen doing some strategising of their own across the road. Once the prayer was given, the hundreds of unionised workers began their march to the House of Assembly, singing songs of solidarity – Bind Us Together, Victory Is Mine and We Shall Overcome - and chanting "BTC forever, C&W never." Some workers carried placards that read: "ZNS workers fired, Chinese workers hired," "Gov’t don’t respect BTC," "BTC now, who’s next," "ZNS yesterday, BTC today, BEC tomorrow." As the march reached Bay Street, the workers huddled tightly and held hands as they made their way to Rawson Square, causing vehicular traffic to be diverted. But once they reached Rawson Square, they were met by barricades and a team of senior police officers, leaving the angry protestors with little choice but to take their seats on the bleachers. Becoming increasingly hostile, the crowd began lifting and moving the barricades, forcing their way into the square, while the police quickly tried to restore peace and order. Shortly afterwards, the business of the House of Assembly was suspended. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest were seen slipping out the back. Members of the Opposition however joined the workers. "The question is why, is the government so clandestinely dealing with this issue," said PLP Leader Perry Christie. "If they’ve had an agreement as they say, then they ought to be able to demonstrate the sincerity of purpose and their confidence in the agreement by allowing the public to see it." Leader of the Bahamas Democratic Movement Cassius Stuart and National Development Party Leader Renward Wells shared similar comments. "Today the Bahamas Democratic Movement stands with the workers of BTC and the rest of the unions," said Mr. Stuart. "We believe quite frankly that this is a travesty. We believe that the government’s position to sell 51 per cent of BTC will result in a catastrophic fiscal disaster. How can we now sell a corporation that is pumping money into our economy?" "The NDP’s position has been our position from the get-go," said Mr. Wells. "For over two and a half years we have spoken about the empowerment of the Bahamian people, we have said that Bahamians ought to own and operate every island, cay, rock and tree in this country and that is why we are here a part of this movement to be here with the unions." Union officials said that they made a strong statement on Wednesday and will now await the government’s response.
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