Chaotic scenes have broken out in the The Bahamas parliament after the indictment of senior police officers on drug-trafficking charges sparked a heated debate on corruption in which the deputy leader of the opposition threw a ceremonial mace out the window.
During the incident, Shannendon Cartwright of the opposition Free National Movement approached Speaker Patricia Devoe after she refused to allow him to speak, grabbed the parliamentary mace and threw it through a nearby window.
The turmoil came after the country’s top police officer, Commissioner Clayton Fernandez, resigned following the indictment of three police officers in what the US Department of Justice described as “a large-scale cocaine importation conspiracy carried out by corrupt Bahamian government officials, including high-ranking members of the Royal Bahamian Police Force”.
US prosecutors said that from May 2021 since then, drug traffickers have smuggled tons of cocaine through the Bahamas with the help of corrupt local officials who control airports and leak information on the movements of the US Coast Guard.
According to the indictment, bribes promised or given to officials ranged from $10,000 to $2 million to facilitate the traffic, including the movement of 1,320 pounds (600 kg) of cocaine through the Bahamas’ main international airport.
On Wednesday, dozens of protesters, angered by accusations against police officers, gathered outside parliament, chanting: “Policemen are criminals!”
Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said his government was taking steps to address the problem and accused the opposition of fomenting division at a time when the country needs unity because its “reputation is under fire.”
Davis described Wednesday’s incident at Parliament House as a “planned and coordinated attack” that he said left the deputy speaker with a concussion and a police officer with an injured leg.
The prime minister promised to tackle corruption and restore trust in the police. On Wednesday, he announced new legislation “to create, for the first time, independent oversight of the police”.
Davies also recommended a deputy for the role of police commissioner.
“I recommend that the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Northern District, Shanta Emily Knowles, be appointed as the nation’s next Commissioner of Police. She is a strong and experienced professional ready to lead the force through an era of significant reform,” the Prime Minister’s statement said.
But Cartwright said the country is in “turmoil” and accused the government of trying to suppress the voices of the Bahamian people.
Defending his actions during Wednesday’s parliamentary session, he said: “The mace is the symbol of the Speaker’s power, given to her by the Bahamian people. Today we are saying enough is enough and we are giving the power back to the people.”
