The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

PARLIAMENTARIANS were told to step aside if they could not imagine a better Bahamas by Bishop Delton Fernander, who challenged lawmakers to bring vision and accountability to public office during the annual Parliamentary Church Service.

“If you cannot see a better Bahamas, maybe this should be your last run,” he preached at the service at Church of God on East Street, attended by Prime Minister Philip Davis, Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament and opposition figures.

The annual service marks the start of the legislative year and brings together government, opposition and senior public officials for prayer and reflection. It has long served as a platform for clergy to address national leadership outside the House of Assembly.

Bishop Fernander said public office required a clear vision for improvement, reminding lawmakers that the country’s parliamentary history, spanning nearly three centuries, carried moral weight beyond political debate.

“Hundreds, maybe thousands of people have sat in the places you preside in,” he said, noting that while chambers and settings may change, leaders serve within a tradition older than themselves.

He challenged the current Parliament to consider what would distinguish it from those who came before, saying some leaders had served with distinction while others had faded into obscurity despite occupying the same seats of power.

Describing the nation’s forefathers as architects of change, Bishop Fernander said their leadership succeeded because they made full use of their time and responsibility.

“It takes great courage, strategy, character, humility, faith and a sense of purpose to take a country from a fishing village to a top tourism destination,” he said. “What will we do with our time?”

He extended the challenge beyond Parliament, urging Bahamians to reflect on whether they could point to meaningful change since Independence that defined their own legacy.

Against a backdrop of global uncertainty, conflict and economic pressure, Bishop Fernander said the public was relying on its leaders to act in the national interest.

“The Bahamian people are counting on you to have their best interest at heart and not your own,” he said. “They want you to make decisions for all of us and not a few of us. They want the things that take place in these parliaments to make jobs and opportunities for the children’s children.”

He warned that leaders could not chart a better future without first being able to imagine it.

“You should see us in a better place so you can take us to a better place,” he said, adding that silence was not an option when the country’s future was at stake.

Alluding to the approaching general election, Bishop Fernander cautioned against treating the period as what he described as the “silly season”.

“It is a time of seriousness, not silliness,” he said.

He urged the nation to attract and embrace its best talent, warning that many Bahamians abroad were helping to build other countries because they no longer felt welcomed at home.

“We must reach deep within ourselves and ask who is the best fit, who will bring value to our country,” he said. “We have gone too far, come too far, fried too much fish and made too many fritters for us to stay home and not vote.”

Calling for greater accountability, Bishop Fernander said leadership required more than handouts.

“We have to have hard questions,” he said. “It has got to be more than the money we spend. We cannot just distribute turkeys. Our country demands more.”

He recalled a time when Bahamians were denied the right to vote and urged citizens to honour that right by participating fully in the democratic process.

Turning to the role of the church, Bishop Fernander apologised for what he described as past silence driven by personal gain.

“I want to apologise for the silence,” he said. “In an effort to attract political contracts, to be named on boards and to have our names called, we found and lost our voice.”

He urged faith leaders to speak out even when doing so carried personal cost.

“Speak even if it costs you your contract,” he said.

As he closed, Bishop Fernander reminded lawmakers that their journeys were shaped by sacrifice and faith long before they entered public life.

“Granny held the rope for you. Grandfather held the rope for you,” he said. “You grew up in a praying position. Now you are a big fan of prayers, but you have got to get to the point where you realise you cannot make it on your own. Only God can keep us.”