The Tribune

By TAVIA AUMOITHE

WHILE browsing through several social media platforms, I have observed people expressing they feel no need to vote.

Adding to that, I have had conversations with people who are uninterested in registering to vote. Now, while being enlightened by them, I feel Bahamians have forgotten the sentimental value behind voting. It’s not just a fingerprint. Voting in The Bahamas is an historical voice.

The Bahamas was once a country that was controlled by whites referred to as the United Bahamian Party (UBP) or the ‘Bay Street Boys’. The same Bay Street Boys introduced universal suffrage, where some Bahamians (women included) from poorer backgrounds, darker skin and employment statuses, were ineligible to vote.

Alongside the Bay Street Boys manipulating the boundaries to favour one class of voters and people, we (the blacks) were not allowed to work certain front desk jobs, we weren’t allowed downtown after 6pm, we had to enter Government House through the back gate, and we actually had bathrooms for blacks only - all of this until 1967, under Sir Lynden Pindling’s governance.

In 1961, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), a group of like-minded individuals, made an effort to replace the ‘Bay Street Boys’. Despite having fewer votes than the PLP, the UBP won the election. During this year Eugenia Lockhart and Dr Doris Johnson flew to London to present a petition for women to vote and after fighting tirelessly, women were given the right to vote for the first time in The Bahamas on November 26, 1962.

On January 10, 1967, Sir Lynden Pindling, at 39, formed the first black government in the history of The Bahamas. The father of our country made it possible for Bahamians of different skin colours, backgrounds and social statuses to equally have an opportunity to vote. The majority were heard and finally given a choice, which led to this day officially becoming Majority Rule Day.

Many other historical events contributed to our democratic governance. The Bahamas, unlike some, is very fortunate to have had people who fought for provisions for every Bahamian to have a voice. Voting is deeper than choosing a party with ink on your thumb. It’s an expression of gratitude.

• Tavia Aumoithe is a 24-year-old Bahamian student at university in Beijing, China.