The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

WHEN humankind is put against each other for the sake of winning a fight, no matter the fight, it is not people that win but those that encourage such behaviour. It is those that seek power and rule over the people that divide them and they generally do so for their own personal gain.

Such governance does not represent the power of the people but rather the power over the people and in that, democracy and opportunity are lost for the majority, this is an age-old problem.

In 1953, a handful of Bahamian men courageously pressed for democracy through majority rule, and for many years after that, courageous men and women continued to seek a more just and equitable system of governance, one that would provide their children greater opportunity than they themselves had. These men and women fought for equal rights and the end of oppression by their colonial oppressors.

The PLP was born out of this courage movement, as was true democracy in The Bahamas, and for at least a decade the PLP provided great vision and leadership to the majority. The labour union played an essential role in the PLP, and the nation, as these two organisations shared many of the same members, beliefs and vision for the majority.

The pendulum of democracy had swung toward the centre and the nation would be better off for it. The nation’s future was now in the hands of a majority rule government and it was now up to them to shape the future of a soon to be independent Commonwealth nation.

As a new government took office and the British pulled out, there would undoubtedly be a shift in governance and capital flows as opportunities were finally availed to the majority. As is the case in any major shift in power, those whom were previously oppressed would likely feel a sense of resentment against those who would have been deemed benefactors of the oppressors. As those within the new government began to shape the future of The Bahamas, there were indeed now many more Bahamians benefitting from the redistribution of power and wealth.

Unfortunately, as is also often the case, rather than unite the country over a period of time, the government chose to continue to divide it along party, wealth and racial lines.

At election time the focus was not on which party would better serve the nation, but rather on solidifying greater allegiance to a particular party based on what one could personally gain from that party.

This was the beginning of a very slippery slope that has had, and continues to have, a significant negative affect on the socioeconomic growth of the country.

Bahamians had a new sense of pride and were working hard to take advantage of all the opportunities a young independent country had to offer. As time went on it was, however, clear to many Bahamians that those in office had now also become entrenched and divisive. It was clear to more and more young people that the political elite were hell bent on remaining in power and enjoying the capital flow that was availed to them.

Unfortunately, the party, and many of its members, ultimately became more focused on their individual success rather than that of the nation. The once oppressed had now become the oppressors.

A new political party was formed by those disfranchised with the PLP, its entrenched leadership, divisive ethos and self-centred actions. Some 25 years after the PLP took office they were unseated by an FNM government that marked a turning point in the mentality and culture of the people. The people demanded change.

The FNM government provided another shift in power and control, they abandoned the racial divisiveness, focused on cleaning up corruption, improving industry and began eliminating the bad reputation the country had for drug smuggling and rampant corruption.

The next ten years provided another pendulum shift that began to balance the power and capital flow of the country as focus was placed on growth and development of the nation.

Again, however, the nepotism, cronyism and entrenchment in politics continued to plague the nation and accusations of favouritism began to circulate along with internal power struggles. The fight for leadership continued to exist within all political parties, due to the manipulation of what the political parties pawn off to the people as “a democratic process”.

Political party constitutions attempt to provide a democratic process for representation but fail to do so as the system allows the entrenched leadership to incentivise those that support them and remove those that do not. In effect, democracy is hijacked by the political elite in all political parties and the country is governed by what some call a democratic dictatorship.

As the FNM government suffered an internal power struggle, once again, the political focus was on dividing the country along party lines. Elections became more like beauty pageants as opposed to debates on any real political agendas or national vision. Many politicians were no longer honourable persons but rather those that saw cabinet positions as a career and an opportunity to empower themselves as opposed to empowering the country.

This very sad shift in the culture of governance has, over the many decades, caused a systemic degeneration of the socioeconomic fabric of the nation. The mismanagement, at almost every level of governance, has left the country massively in debt and with serious structural problems in education, economic development, regional competitiveness, government accountability and productivity, to name but a few.

The Bahamas desperately needs a new and modern culture of governance that provides government accountability, efficiency and opportunity for all Bahamians and not just those connected to the incumbent political party and political elite. The new culture of governance must understand that the threats to the nation’s stability and prosperity no longer come from within but rather from countries outside our shores.

The governments of these countries are working hard and smart to insure their nations succeed in a global economy and that they are competitive within it.

A modern government must understand that to stand still is to be left behind. If The Bahamas destroys itself due to the irresponsible behaviour of successive governments and the people that elect them into office, then who is to blame? Who will ultimately pay the price for this ignorance and stupidity, the government of the day or the people?

Bahamians must start standing up for what is good for The Bahamas as opposed to what is good for the political party. They must demand that democracy within the political parties be installed and implemented. They must vote for representatives that provide the greatest opportunity to break away from the shackles of divisiveness. They must vote for a party that seeks to provide a new culture of open and accountable governance, that pledges to hold their representatives accountable to improve education, employment, productivity, the cost of living, the equitable enforcement of the rule of law, the economy, the ease of doing business, the nation’s competitiveness and last, but not least, the opportunity for all citizens to lead a productive, fulfilling and healthy life. United we stand, divided we fall, and all the while the political elite get richer and the majority get played like a well strung fiddle. A Bahamian for The Bahamas first.

A BAHAMIAN

Nassau,

March 23, 2017.