The Tribune

NOELLE NICOLLS khalilanicolls@gmail.com WHY is government holding out on Bahamians? I find it curious that political parties are harnessing the power of modern technology with such great effect for this campaign cycle, and yet, these same people when they sit in government and wear their bureaucratic hats appear to act as though the Bahamas is technologically a dunce. If political leaders have the know-how to use modern technology for their own self-serving political purposes, then why don't they harness this know-how for the benefit of good governance, for drafting public policy, for promoting civic participation, for enhancing the education of our people? What comes to mind is a question of accountability. The government is free to do as it wishes in the Bahamas because, I believe, there are no real systems of accountability. One of my concerns as it relates to accountable governance is how underdeveloped our civic institutions are, and how withdrawn our citizens. Except during election season, when Bahamians turn out in large numbers to talk politics, wave pompoms and enjoy a great party, Bahamians as citizens are in my view pretty much disengaged. Outside of religious organisations, and a few institutions that represent the interests of the merchant class, there are virtually no citizen groups that come to my mind that have the capacity on a national scale to mobilise or influence the population in a non-partisan way, or to shape national priorities by mobilising and influencing the government. As Bahamians scrutinise candidates for the May 7 General Election, I think they need to save some of that scrutiny for their fellow citizens. We often get very self-righteous about making demands on the government, while failing in our own duties to participate in the work of nation building and deepening our democracy. One important way that Bahamians could and should get involved is in building and strengthening non-partisan institutions (formal and informal) involved in community building and political action. In this capacity, women have been at the frontier of democratic action in the Bahamas and worldwide. The women's suffrage movement is an example of this. It was Bahamian women organised around a collective agenda who put the enfranchisement of women on the government's table, not the other way around. It was women's activism that ultimately forced the government to act. Governments need plans, of course, so we should expect them to set national priorities and have an agenda. We entrust our leaders with the responsibility of having a vision and setting as their mandate the task of leading the charge. But too often we leave it at that, which in fact is an abdication of our responsibility. The system works to its greatest effect when we work as partners with our leaders. After all, politicians are only human, and the potentially corrupting influence of power and special interests is ever present. Furthermore, the personal politics of leaders could I believe be wielded in a way which is counter to national development interests. When the election is over, no matter how confident we may feel, 2012 is not the year to leave it to the government. This is the year to ramp up our efforts as private citizens to build non-partisan institutions engaged in nation building, whether through community building, technological engagement, policy research, political action or any vehicle and to hold the government to account. This is not the responsibility of governments. It is the responsibility of citizens. Bahamians need to start to demand more from their citizens, not just their governments. Pan-African writer and cultural scholar Noelle Khalila Nicolls is a practising journalist in the Bahamas. Her Watchwoman column explores genders issues in politics and culture from a feminist perspective. Read the Watchwoman every Tuesday in the Tribune's Women's section, and follow Noelle online at Twitter.com/noelle_elleon.