The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The speaker, if only temporarily, saved the life of democracy in The Bahamas. 

History would show that our forefathers fought “tooth and nail” to level the playing field. The masses were exploited and deprived of their basic rights. The right to vote, one man, one vote was a challenge and the right for women to vote came after much resistance.

The anxiety of the masses to be accepted as equals caused much stress and pain. The stark reality was that the deprivation came from a white government and system. Today, the stresses of oppression being visited on black Bahamians are now coming from black Bahamians. The PLP, the former oppressed, are now the oppressors.

Recently, the turn of events that ended not only in a resignation but also in a presentation that will go down in the annals of history as a regurgitation of all of the frustration and pain ever expressed by an MP.

All MPs are in Parliament at the pleasure of the people of their respective constituencies. The MP was sent there to speak for them. The least that is expected of parliament and its rules and procedures is that every member in the House of Assembly should be allowed to speak because of the people who voted for them.

Never mind what game plan the PLP had as to who should speak and what order, no one should be deprived. It was disheartening to see the wasted energy used to attempt to assassinate democracy.  It was appalling to see that the effort to silence a MP was not an accident but a plan.

The plan to ignore and sacrifice democracy on the altar of political expediency was downright shocking.

The Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Minister of Works with an enormous budget and the Minister of National Security and Leader of Government Business in the House, all decided to forego their presentations in an effort to silence a backbencher. What were they so frightened about? 

What was also more interesting and stunning during this whole exercise was that these three most senior members of the party circled the wagon in and effort to snuff out any semblance of democracy.

But it was the Speaker who gambled away what little political currency he had,  “threw caution to the wind” and even at the risk of losing ground with the party, ruled that democracy would be resuscitated and Rollins would speak. Way to go, Doc!

Greg Moss gathered his courage; Rollins continued to display his, and Major refused to be moved by the loyalty of the party over the preservation of democracy.

While watching, I could feel the pressure being applied from the heavyweights bearing down on the Speaker, but like David standing in front of Goliath, the Speaker, trusted God and followed his conscience and made his ruling.

This event undoubtedly, will be significant in the history book, that is unless some would rewrite the books.

Just recently, I personally castigated the Speaker for silencing the PAC, but he has almost redeemed himself in the ruling about Rollins. However, he could be completely exonerated by replacing the extracted teeth with, if not with implants, with dentures, so that the PAC could begin to dig deeper in its investigation.

Mr Speaker, you are now on the right path, let your conscience continue to guide you to fix the PAC ruling. Sometimes it takes courage to not only be seen to be different, but to actually be different from the rest.

We all know the difference.  We all should respect that the order be to God, family, country then politics.

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”

IVOINE W INGRAHAM JP

Nassau,

June 23, 2015.