EDITOR, The Tribune.
AS a newly minted 50-year-old Bahamian who is currently a political independent I felt a sense of cautious optimism towards the We March effort. I felt that at the very least their efforts would result in the entrenched political operatives becoming more aligned with the will of the people and move legislation in that regard. I was encouraged by the lead organisers’ declaration that the march would not be political and that ALL persons were welcomed to participate.
I was once a very politically motivated and zealous young man who believed that I could take anything that I conceptualised and make it a reality immediately even if the means ran counter to societal norms. I reserved judgment on this We March project because I wanted to see how the leader responded to the praises or criticisms that would inevitably result from the event. Having read his response I can say without fear of contradiction that he has failed!
If your objective was to effect national change and to prick the consciousness of the current ineffective leadership then why decline to meet with the duly elected leaders. Why even after you held what you deem as a successful demonstration did you decline the offer to meet with the country’s leaders. You held a march that drew less than 1 per cent of the country’s electorate but somehow got the attention of the leader of the country, but you declined the meeting. With less than 1 per cent what mandate is that.
What concerned me even more was the position that the We March group would not meet with the current administration UNLESS their demands are tabled in the House of Assembly for debate.
With the number of lawyers present surely they knew that several of the most pressing legal demands that they are proposing require constitutional amendments ie term limits for prime ministers and recall of elected officials. My limited intellect suggests to me that the organisers are totally politically motivated and not as nationalistic as they purport themselves to be.
My suggestion is that they form their political party of like-minded individuals and present their platform in the general elections of 2017. Otherwise we should just do away with our centuries old system of electing officials and just allow any fringe group to demand that their policies and ideas be implemented without the benefit of being vetted/elected by the people. This sets a terrible precedent and I fear the group has burned a ton of currency with persons like me who are currently residing in the political wilderness hoping and wanting to be a part of legitimate change.
AARON WOODSIDE
Nassau,
November 29, 2016
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID