The Tribune

LAST week, in the final sitting of Parliament before it was prorogued, Member of Parliament for Fort Charlotte Alfred Sears said, "I have other concerns, such as campaign finance reform, so that we protect the integrity of our political process. Because the wealthiest people in the world live right here. We should always ensure that the money does not determine the outcome, but the will of the people, because they’re the sovereigns. We should have a fixed election date so that we bring certainty to the business of our country.”

Transparency and accountability have long been buzzwords when it comes to governance in The Bahamas. There’s empty talk and no action to address the tremendous issue of distrust in the government. It begins with the lack of information on the entities funding political campaigns. Evidence of the origin of funding would certainly show the public who really runs the country and this is, of course, the reason government administration after government administration has denied the people campaign finance reform. The political influence of the wealthy, and widespread corruption continue largely unchecked.

Even the public disclosure law is ignored, and without consequence. It should be no surprise that the people are losing interest in the political process and voting, in particular, feeling that this once-every-five-years power is not what it once seemed. It’s not nothing, but it is insufficient.

The people have been discouraged from participating in the governance of The Bahamas through flawed systems, nonsensical rules and procedures, misinformation, terrible service, victimization, and representatives who are completely uninspiring. Rather than increasing investment in building the country we need, the lacklustre performance of the government has led people to find paths to leave or to tread water and ignore the political and economic environments if they find themselves unable to move.

On March 13, 2026, this newspaper reported that Prime Minister Philip Davis said, “All I can say is that the elections would be soon. That’s all I’d be prepared to say at this time.” This came after Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell said that the next general election will be held within weeks. Parliament was prorogued on March 27, 2026, formally ending the current session and signalling that the election will soon be called. It’s expected that Parliament will be dissolved next week, following the Easter holiday weekend, and the election date will be set. There has been speculation for several weeks that it would be held during the first week of May.

This is where we are as a country—playing guessing games, trying to follow the clues dropped by people in positions of power. Not only does the secrecy and trickery around the election date annoy other political parties, but it disadvantages voters who must make their best guess about decisions that could end up preventing them from participating.

Is this the goal, or a welcome unintended consequence?

In September 2024, despite campaign finance reform featuring in the 202 “Blueprint for Change,” Davis was clear in his disinterest in moving it forward. “I don’t know where this issue of campaign finance came up, but for me, I will not disclose the donors to our campaign unless the donors will be willing to allow me to,” he said. This does not suggest respect for the people or the political process in a supposed democracy.

In its final report following the 2021 general election, the Commonwealth Observer Group team appointed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General and invited by the Government of The Bahamas to observe the election reported that it identified a lack of campaign finance legislation as cause for concern. It made recommendations accordingly – including on the enactment of such legislation before the next election. It also noted that The Bahamas is signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and Inter-American Democratic Charter of the Organization of American States, both of which include obligations related to campaign finance. It reported that most of the stakeholders it engaged agreed that campaign finance regulation is important.

In this same report, The Commonwealth Observer Group pointed to the continued concern raised in its 2017 report. "The absence of regulations or guidelines to campaign financing limits can lead to excessive spending by one party over the other, accusations of improper use of state resources for campaigning and lack of transparency and public accountability for the parties,” it stated.

The Commonwealth Observer Group recommended:

    1    The Parliamentary Registration Department should consider the development of a code of conduct for political parties and candidates, in consultation with electoral stakeholders.

    2    The government and the House of Assembly should initiate consultations on the development of a regulatory framework governing campaign financing prior to the next election in order to promote fairness, transparency, and accountability.

These recommendations, like many others in the 2021 and 2017 reports, have not been actioned to better position the Bahamian people to participate in frontline politics, assess options on and off the ballot, monitor the budget and decision-making, and have access to opportunity and outcomes currently reserved for the wealthy.

We continue to suffer through what appears to be a rigged game, though our lives are on the line. 

While it may feel momentarily satisfying to withdraw from the process entirely, it’s imperative that we, the people, show up to cast our ballots. It may not be with excitement. It may not be an endorsement. It may not even be for a person or a candidate (and spoiling one’s ballot is a valid decision and action).

It is, however, an announcement of presence and willingness to participate, even when it’s difficult and marginally (if at all) beneficial.

The date is unknown until the last minute. The registration process takes far too long. The ideology of the political parties are almost, if not entirely, indistinguishable. Decisions have already been paid for by the wealthy and connected. Even the campaign promises do not hold during the term. These are all reasons to persist. These are all reasons to increase participation beyond the casting of ballots. These are reasons to activate the power that is in the people every single day, and not once every five years.

Change is desperately needed, and it will not come by the work of the people who benefit most from the dysfunction. Democracy only weakens even further when the people refuse to participate in it, and participation includes protest (which can take many forms).

How might you—as a voter who will show up on election day, as long as you are able—launch a protest that presents the issues of the masses, gets the attention of the few, and prompts action? Today is the day to devise a plan and invite people to put into action with you, for all of us.

Recommendations:

    •    Register to vote. To register to vote, an applicant must prove Bahamian citizenship and that they are 18 years or older. A Bahamian passport is the preferred document, though an applicant may present a Bahamian birth certificate along with government-issued ID and the applicants’ mother’s Bahamian passport, birth certificate, or voter’s card. Those who registered to vote in the last election and hold a purple voter’s card do not need to register again. Those who moved since the last election need to register to vote in their new constituency. Visit elections.gov.bs to view the available information online, email prdelections@bahamas.gov.bs, or call (242) 397-2000.

    •    Nature Matters: Vital Poems from the Global Majority. This anthology of nature poetry, edited by Mona Arshi and Karen McCarthy Woolf, is the Feminist Book Club pick for this month. Join Equality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press in reading this book and discussing it on Wednesday, April 22 at 6pm. The collection calls us to “reconsider nature poetry from global-majority perspectives” and its themes include the climate crisis and the Anthropocene, urban nature, solitude and alienation, protest and radical empathy, and Indigenous wisdom and alternative histories.” Bernadine Evaristo called it “an exquisitely profound and groundbreaking testament to our natural world by many of the most powerful poetic voices of our times.” Olive Senior and Kei Miller are among the Caribbean poets whose work appears in Nature Matters. Join the discussion on April 22 at Poinciana Paper Press, 12 Parkgate Road. For Feminist Book Club updates, register at tiny.cc/fbc2026.