The Tribune

By NICOLE BURROWS

On Friday and Saturday, the College of The Bahamas will host ‘The Future of Democracy Conference’.

Dr Ian Strachan, a principal organiser of this event, has invited me to contribute to a wider body of work which will be presented at the conference. I appreciate the inclusion, for the mere fact that he thought I would have something to say that people would want to hear.

My presentation is scheduled to be given in the first session on Friday morning. I invite you to come out not only to hear my words, but to hear the brilliant array of presenters on both days; it’s such a diverse mix that you are bound to leave this event with something new in your mind. You may even find some inspiration there.

Now, my presentation, per my usual style, won’t be traditional ... in a number of ways. I won’t say exactly how, or why … I will allow you to discover that for yourself. But because I chose to write on a specific topic – and I wanted to stay on topic and in character – there were some general questions asked by conference organisers to get the ball rolling for the event, which I couldn’t address in my presentation. So I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk about them here.

The conference is meant to broaden the discussion about “The state of Bahamian democracy … and the futures that are possible”.

It asks questions like “How do we deepen democracy?” “How do we expand popular participation?”

It seeks a “substantive and deeper public engagement”. How do we “improve prospects for renewal in party politics?” “How do we make government more accountable and transparent?”

“How do we improve the quality of governance” in our country? “How do we get better representation?” How do we achieve “bottom up constitutional reform?” And what is the “role of civil society?”

Not long ago, a law enforcement official was overheard saying “you think this a democracy? This ain no democracy.” Riveting, that someone of this title and stature would utter these words, but it does raise the question: Is there really a democracy in The Bahamas? Others have asked the same question, in recent years, throughout all walks of Bahamian life.

A democracy is a system of government where citizens are represented by those they elect, and every citizen is a part of the country’s decision-making processes. That’s an abridged textbook definition.

A democracy suggests control by a majority, and includes the concept of majority rule … something you might recall the early Pindling government used to win votes, alliances and independence from British rule. But their historic flaw was that they were so focused on being in charge that they forgot to provide quality leadership, to be people of substance, leaders of substance, to provide good governance and a society with enforceable laws against corruption and bribery and to allow the freedom of information that would ensure government that was transparent to the people and therefore accountable to the people.

But the people placed an unfounded and somewhat irrational trust in their leadership, and in the salvation by a leader and a government without seeing a need to ask them relevant questions or hold them to account.

Some say this was owing to the fact that most Bahamians at the time were not well or deeply educated, particularly not in politics and government, so it was easier to fool them – if indeed you wanted to. Some say that’s why we find ourselves here today with our current state of democracy. The people couldn’t see, or they chose not to see, they were too trusting, or they were ignorant of certain realities. They were too passive and in many ways still are … the end result of a combination of years of colonial rule and the impact of the religious doctrine that accompanied it.

Was there really a fight for majority rule? For democracy? Some learned men requested independence and self-governance, but did the masses of Bahamian people push for it? Were they fired up … incensed and impassioned, I mean, beyond the black v white agenda? Did the people understand what self-governance and self-reliance meant? Did they understand it enough to pass it on to their descendants?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no” then we cannot wonder too deeply about why we are where we are today.

There is a gap, more like an abyss, between an accountable government and the people holding them to account. The leaders are on one cliff of the abyss and the citizens on the other. Responsibility and ownership of both the leadership and the citizenry is lacking. So I have to ask, do we really understand democracy? Do we really want it?

If we just go by the textbook definition of democracy alone, true democracy is not our reality. We have a couple of problems, besides understanding what it is and if we want it or will fight to get/keep it.

In our present reality, a control by a majority is a farce. Celebrating majority rule today is a farce. The power is not now and was never but for a moment firmly in the people’s hands. The constitution in our supposed democracy is meant to give ultimate power to the people, but they don’t understand their power, they struggle to work in unison for any real common good, and in the process others have usurped their power.

So where is the real democracy? And where is its future … if it even exists? Hence the upcoming conference.

And I submit we hope for one of two things to happen for us in the decade(s) ahead: either we bolster what democracy we do have and use the opportunity to make it even stronger by changing our system of government, or we look forward to the relief provided by becoming a possession or territory of another country once again and surrendering what independence we do have.

The truth is, if we have no opportunity to control or oust incompetent leaders, without major upheaval, except routinely every five years, then no democracy really exists here.

Further, when democracy by definition involves the participation of all, where every Bahamian is free to participate in society, in government, in politics, and especially now, in the economy, we can’t call ourselves a democracy if fundamental equal rights and freedom are not supported by the Constitution.

Yes, the will of the majority should safeguard us from tyrannical leaders, but something must also safeguard every person from the “tyranny of the majority” ... because the majority as a group often does not know what is best or does not do what is best; they may be inclined to yell “crucify him”, when it is neither good nor right.

It is tricky to convince people who don’t care that they should care. You stand no chance of convincing them purely on the basis of discussion, if they just don’t care. The only thing you can do is try to change their way of thinking so that they do care. But does The Bahamas have time for that?

Obviously, you can’t depend on the people to change overnight. Education is a process – good education is anyway – and we are already far behind in that.

You can only improve the quality of governance by improving the quality of the people and that takes us back to education … enlightening Bahamians to appreciate their history requires that they have a working and applicable knowledge of their history.

Because we are in deep waters already, and changing the people is not quick or easy, it may be quicker and easier to change to a new system of government which will serve each of us better in the long run, via a built-in separation of powers, checks and balances, and transparency and accountability of government as the benchmark.

And in the meantime, to get better representation, we will need to first make an example of bad representation, and remove it, then instil the mechanisms of transparent and accountable government that forces good and responsible leadership principles, beginning with a Freedom of Information Act.

“Bottom up constitutional and electoral reform” can’t be accomplished short of a revolutionary way of thinking and a revolutionary change in the system of government under which we operate. Otherwise, what is constitutional change for? We cannot change the present Constitution as much as is needed and expect it to remain bound to the same system of government that we have right now. It will breed greater confusion, further dysfunction and abuses of power.

We are, according to our Constitution, a sovereign nation. So we – the people – hold the sovereign power.

It’s time to wield it.

The Future of Democracy Conference will be held at the College of The Bahamas, Harry C Moore Library and Information Centre, on Friday and Saturday, May 13 and 14. Visit the College of The Bahamas website or Facebook page for details.