By INDERIA SAUNDERS, Guardian Staff Reporter

inderia@nasguard.com

Bahamians should exercise responsibility and restraint in dealing with the relevant issues stemming from the Anna Nicole Smith saga, a speaker at Bahamian Forum has suggested.

The lessons learned from the Anna Nicole Smith saga were the topic of the night at the year's first Bahamian Forum held last week, when people from all walks of life filed into a conference room at the British Colonial Hilton to voice their opinions on how the country should react to the Anna Nicole Smith saga. Guest speaker and Attorney, Brian Moree, introduced many thought-provoking issues, including the question of how Bahamians should act while the eyes of the world were drawn to the country, captivated by the events unfolding on the television set. He mentioned that as everyone was watching the nation, Bahamians should be especially careful of how they portrayed the country to the rest of the world in what they said about the Bahamas.

"Be careful to exercise responsibility and restraint in discussing local affairs [and] ensuring that we are competently and accurately addressing the issues," Mr. Moree stated. "The information we are disseminating must be correct. This does not mean we cannot engage in robust debate and even criticism of our local institutions or public officials, but the manner of that debate or criticism should be appropriate for an international forum. We must realize that what we say reflects on the Bahamas' impression [to the world]".

He pointed out that whether it was wanted or not, the Anna Nicole Smith story, which started right here in The Bahamas, is the top story of the season.

"What is remarkable is the cause of all of this attention," Mr. Moree commented. "She has so captivated this part of the world, that the saga has displaced Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and even the upcoming presidential elections in the US as the biggest story in the United States."

Pointing out that Bahamians need to deal with the "macro" issues evolving from this story, Mr. Moree said more people needed to realize that there is a difference between persons making comments on a domestic stage, and the same comments being made on an international stage. He explained that it would be "unwise and naive" to pretend that the nation's people will not be "materially" affected by the country's involvement in the case.

"I think we must realize... when we are involved with the international community, we must adopt a less parochial approach and demonstrate through our attitude, our conduct, and our rhetoric that we are rational, that we are thoughtful, and responsible people in dealing with the relevant issues."