The Tribune

THE parish of St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church celebrated the inaugural Majority Rule Day in style, hosting a gourmet dinner at the clubhouse of Old Bahama Bay.

Attendees said the garden setting proved the ideal venue for a special dining experience under the stars.

In attendance was a cross-section of the community including politicians, clergymen, civil servants, the private representatives and residents of West End.

Invited as special guests were a number of individuals who were a part of the struggle to achieve Majority Rule and participated in the electoral process toward the achievement of universal suffrage.

The highlight of the evening was an address by the Minister of Tourism and Member of Parliament for West End and Bimini, Obie Wilchcombe.

Mr Wilchcombe explained how Majority Rule came about and its significance to the history of the nation.

His story began in 1942, when the workers at the Windsor Air Field took a stand against pay disparity and refused to work alongside those who were doing the same jobs but receiving higher compensation.

The minister then discussed the Burma Road riots and how the concept of liberation without violence (I Ain’t Ga Lick Nobody) became the mantra for the groundswell that led to Majority Rule.

Touching on the theme for the evening, “Unity in Diversity”, he noted that in 1953 the first political party in the country – the Progressive Liberal Party – was actually started by three white Bahamians: William Cartwright, Henry M Taylor, and Cyril Stevenson.

Mr Wilchcombe discussed the oligarchy which existed, the disproportionate distribution of seats in the House of Assembly, how voting was tied to land ownership, the absence of rights for workers and how labour unions were forbidden.

He said it was a major achievement when a member of the Labour Party, Sir Randol Fawkes, and an independent MP, Alvin Braynen, joined forces with the Progressive Liberal Party to form the government in 1967 after the general elections resulted in an 18-18 seat tie between the United Bahamian Party and the Pindling-led PLP.

In addition to the organisation of labour unions, one of the major thrusts of Majority Rule was the education of the masses. Through the efforts of the government, the Common Entrance Examination became a reality and private high school education became available to all.

But, Mr Wilchcombe threw out the challenge by asking: How does the contemporary Bahamian see the future – especially with the crime crisis, an unacceptable national grade point average, and investors claiming the work force is not qualified to fill available jobs?

“How can a small country such as ours, which has produced Rhode Scholars, Olympic gold medallists, professional NBA players, and educators, also address the problem of poverty, reaffirm our belief in God and our respect for the rule of law?” he asked.