Today in History: June 22

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – On this day in Bahamian history, in 1973 – The British House of Lords voted to give the Bahama Islands its independence.

Pictured is the final document that helped pave the way for the country’s eventual break from Great Britain some three weeks later on July 10th 1973.

Then 40 years into independence in 2013 drama unfolded in the House of Assembly when Opposition Leader at the time Dr. Hubert Minnis stood up during proceedings and defied an order to take his seat from then House Speaker Dr. Kendall Major.

The outburst came days after the speaker declared that Dr. Minnis would not be allowed to speak in Parliament after he refused to withdraw certain comments he made about then Prime Minister Perry Christie’s relationship with Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard.

In 2015, one day after then Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe declared he wanted to lead the Progressive Liberal Party, then Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller threw his support behind Philip Davis who was Deputy Prime Minister at the time.

June 22nd, 2016 – then Prime Minister Perry Christie defended his government’s actions in the ongoing Baha Mar bankruptcy saga, claiming very serious allegations were.

Christie said at the time a lot of prejudice had been brought into play over the matter and demanded serious intervention.

Then in 2018, amid changes to the gaming tax regime, then Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest defended government’s plan saying the pending sliding-scale tax was not to blame for impending layoffs.

And finally, in 2022 Prime Minister Philip Davis challenged a business forum at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rawanda, to help countries affected by catastrophic climate change events by paying their fair share.