The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but building the new.”- Socrates.

To progress forward, upward, onward and together as a nation we must first address the major societal flaws that we endure on a daily basis. Every five years, we gather at the polls as we practice our constitutional rights and vote for the running political parties. During the election period, there are various factors which often cloud our judgment when we make our decision to support a political party. Consequently, political parties tend to create the foundation of their campaign on the faults of the opposing party (in an effort to vote them out), rather than creating a political campaign that mainly highlights their mission and goals to improve our nation.

Political discrimination is prominent in our country as many people are treated unfairly when the political party that they affiliate themselves with is not voted in. The Bahamas maintains the notion of obtaining success by “it’s who you know, not what you know.” Simply supporting those who support them whether that be by a contract, a promotion or a job. As a result people who may not have supported the party’s campaign are put at a disadvantage and reap little to no benefits. People are often deprived of opportunities because of their political preference and affiliation. This constant spiral causes the country to be in a disarray and stagnates progress. People need to understand that once a party is elected they are the government of The Bahamas, not the government of their supporters. There should be an even playing field with equal opportunities for all Bahamians no matter which party they support publicly during election. I believe that this would decrease people’s dependence on certain parties and reflect positively in the economy. People would feel less entitled and be more inclined to take initiative for themselves. It’s the government’s job to teach everyone how to fish. Not give your supporters fish every time you’re in power and throw scraps to the others.

Too often, we step into the voting polls thinking about the personal gain that can be obtained by showing loyalty and affiliation with a political party.

We must stray away from voting for political parties simply because of the luring promises of personal gain and favours. This mindset often hinders our progress as a nation as we base our vote on personal advancement, rather than the advancement of every Bahamian. We will begin to see progress when the vast majority of us remain accepting and open-minded to change.

Political parties often highlight the wrong doings of the opposition as a way of persuading the general public to vote for them. We should not base our support or cloud our judgment with the wrong doings of another party, but rather analyze their plans, and objectives which would result in the nation reaping the most benefits. This dangerously simplistic approach towards voting stagnates our advancement, putting us years behind in a world that is constantly advancing. We need to leave the dormant mindset of supporting a party simply because we have done so for many years, and evolve into normalizing supporting any party that is willing to bring innovative ideas and change when we desperately need it in order to advance as a nation.

Optimism is an important part of innovation and change. Human knowledge and cooperation depend upon feats of cognitive and emotional flexibility. We must be optimistic, but not gullible. Carefully analyzing the plans and goals of any party is of extreme importance and should be the highlight of any campaign.

Human beings are incredibly complex creatures, so much so that sometimes we appear ambivalent without even realizing it. Nonetheless, as an aspiring governing party the promises made to the Bahamian people hold an everlasting value that should not be forgotten.

“Promises mean everything. But once broken, sorry means nothing”. This quote is prevalent and shown true every time a party is voted out of The Bahamas government. When we think of the advancement of every Bahamian when voting for a political party to govern our nation, then we will achieve change.

BRYANT LOWE

Nassau,

May 26, 2020.