The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I read with great interest Mr Cedric Parker’s letter in yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) Tribune. The points he made were indeed so relevant.

I am a WHITE Bahamian. I was not made this way by choice, but the good Lord Almighty in His wisdom made me this way. Many of my dearest and closest friends are BLACK. I love them as much as my white friends, and feel fortunate indeed to be able to call them my friends.

I totally abhor racial discrimination in any way, shape or form, and it cannot be denied that black Bahamians were discriminated against for many decades. However, to have a national holiday being designated “Majority Rule Day” really IS discrimination against our white minority, many of whom have made significant and lasting contributions to the development of this wonderful country. Not least the ridding of this country of pirates by Woodes Rogers in the early 18th century, thus paving the way for the Democratic system of government that we enjoy today.

“Majority Rule Day” is an insult and is discriminatory to the white community, as is the change from Columbus Day to “National Heroes Day”. We cannot deny that Christopher Columbus “discovered” us in 1492, and, as Mr. Parker pointed out, this day is celebrated in America, even though Columbus never went there!

We should be proud that The Bahamas was his first landing in the New World, and consequently should take advantage of this fact in our promotion of Tourism.

Is the fact that Columbus was white have anything to do with the decision to cast him aside and re-designate October 12th to National Heroes Day? Could someone please let us know who, specifically, these National Heroes are, and what heroic acts they performed to warrant having a holiday designated to them?

I love this country, and it saddens me beyond description to see the way it is changing, and our inherent values of decency and godliness literally “going down the tubes”.

JOANNA ROBERTSON

Nassau,

January 10, 2018