The Tribune

By Malcolm Strachan

IN the wake of last week’s march, it would seem that not much has changed. Although hundreds of people took to Bay Street to voice their frustration with the government, one would be hard-pressed to believe anything will change. This much is true, the prime minister did not seem the slightest bit moved by the complaints of the protesters. Aside from repeating the recycled script that we too often hear from politicians when citizens exercise their democratic right to protest, he did not weigh in on the issues.

In fact, he ignored and deflected any attempt by the media to garner any response, besides touting how alive our democracy is.

The Bahamian people would have surely preferred to hear how the prime minister felt about how he and his government intend to address the people’s concerns. But there was no sign of that.

When the protesters woke up the next morning, just like the rest of us, life remained pretty much the same, and these acts seem more like a gigantic waste of time.

Let’s be clear though - the intent here is not to discredit those in attendance, as peaceful protest should never be suppressed in a democratic society. However, we must ask ourselves tough questions if any real progress is going to come about.

What happens after we decide enough is enough and we are still ignored by the powers that be? Are we going to huddle around watercoolers and continue to complain about the suffocating cost of living? Or are we going to re-evaluate the methods by which we sought change and do what’s necessary to truly inspire a revolution?

It is obvious at this point our politicians are unbothered by our suffering. They would rather pander to their supporters and buy into the notion that we are a bunch of whiners and complainers. And to be fair, one can understand why they see us that way.

Much of what is done to disrupt the status quo and affect social change is done without direction or an end-goal. This week’s march truly seemed like it was only an opportunity for people to get together and get their concerns about the Minnis administration off their chests. There was no meaningful takeaway from the march outside of giving the protesters the chance to vent.

This will soon become yesterday’s news and we will all have moved on. The issues plaguing our society will still exist. However, unless we shift the culture from complaining to action, we’re simply spinning our wheels.

The We March organisers may have gotten us as close as we’ve been in recent years. But that too, lost its momentum when its leader “sold out”, as some would say. In his defence, he believes that as a senator he has a bigger platform to drive the We March movement’s agenda. Nonetheless, that has been a debilitating blow for a people already prone to settling for whatever form of hell our politicians put us through.

Consequently, the Bahamian people as a collective will have to decide what kind of society we want to live in. What do we expect from our politicians after we’ve given them our votes and how will we keep them accountable?

Five years can be a long time, particularly under poor leadership.

When examining the current rut we are in, it can seem hopeless. However, we have to believe we can be the change that we want to realise. We must become galvanised as a people and reimagine what could be the possibilities under a new brand of governance – one truly focused on uplifting the Bahamian people.

We must accept both the PLP and FNM have showed us everything they have to offer and despite any new faces being presented as candidates, the major players remain the same. In the same way, the DNA has also been a disappointment. Although they’ve never had a chance to govern, their own lack of asserting themselves does not evoke confidence that they are ready to pick up the mantle, or even confidence in themselves.

Slowly, but surely, more and more citizens are coming to the realisation that a revolution has to burn in the hearts of everyday citizens for us to witness change.

Now, we have to go beyond just wanting to voice our frustration with the government. We must be methodical and calculated if we want to yield results from demonstrating.

An article published in the Harvard Business Review last year artfully laid out the steps for how protests become successful social movements. The writer listed five essential steps; define the change you want to see, shift the spectrum of allies, identify the pillars of power, seek to attract, not to overpower and build a plan to survive victory.

The piece outlined some of the most successful social movements in history and poignantly made it clear why we’ve failed at accomplishing anything lasting.

Whether it is we are unclear about defining the change we want to see, or our plans are not built to survive victory, we are either doomed before we start or unable to finish as a result of poor planning.

To that end, the We March movement rallied thousands of Bahamians from all different walks of life behind one common goal. Unfortunately, although seemingly victorious in galvanising the Bahamian people and striking fear in the previous government, it is now considered a relic.

The populace is still experiencing many of the same issues that existed under the old regime, as they seem to have no place in Minnis’ warped “people’s agenda”. While the Bahamian people are left to wonder who our defender will be, we can only hope that, sooner rather than later, we all take a long look in the mirror and see that we’re staring at them.

Until the time comes where Bahamians set aside party colours and only adorn black, aqua marine and gold, we can expect more of the same.