The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

With most of those celebrations related to our 50 years as an Independent Bahamas now being seen in our rear-view mirrors, it would be so good if the degrees of nationalism displayed at the time could be sustained in some truly meaningful ways. At least, that’s my opinion. My opinion, too, is that our National Anthem, National Motto, National Pledge, plus other National Symbols ought to be solid foundations upon which The Bahamas should be building better Bahamians.

That’s not to say that we have not been increasing the status and qualifications of many, many Bahamians over the past 50 years, because we have. In fact, one can point in almost any direction and be pointing at outstanding Bahamians, at home and abroad. Even if we use the popular (but distorted) list which cites doctors, lawyers, accountants, and such professionals to demonstrate advancements and achievements, it would still be highly debatable whether or not such upward mobility came as a result of Independence itself.

Although Bahamian Independence, and Majority Rule are undeniably factors in the progressive movement of Bahamians by and large, without definitive goal posts, anywhere we kick the ball can be considered a goal.

Building better Bahamians on the foundation of our national symbols would be an all-inclusive endeavour that this nation can embark upon, with specific measures to show success or failure. No matter the noise in the market, there can be no better natural resource in The Bahamas than Bahamians. With the necessary paradigm shift to make every Bahamian work for a better Bahamas, and The Bahamas work for bettering Bahamians, how could the outcomes be other than win/win situations?

In building this new and improved Bahamas, don’t you think we ought to commit to the fact that we are all equally valuable to the process? Some of us, so to speak, may be carpenters, others masons, plumbers, electricians, helpers... and so on and so forth. Once we emancipate ourselves from maniacal partisan political party allegiances and pay dedicated allegiance to The Bahamas instead, we would be well on our way to that new, better Bahamas.

With the traditional squabble about personality, leadership, and status-hustling pushed aside, that Bahamian axiom “...if ya can’t fish, cut bait” could find valuable merit in the next 50 years of building our better, Independent Bahamas. Teaching all Bahamians to fish is surely better than pseudo kind-heartedly or otherwise offering a fish each day. Further, in teaching Bahamians that it’s ok to cut bait or clean fish when their fishing skills may be lacking, is still a very good lesson to be taught and learnt. What we can all do for our country is just as important as what our country can do for us. That scale and symbiotic relationship should always be balanced... moving forward, upward, onward together.

Our national map and compass can be instrumental in charting the course around any treacherous shoals - present and future. However, as we embark on our journey through the next 50 years of an Independent Bahamas, how many Bahamians now have a good idea of what the explicit national development agenda is for, say, even the next ten years? Are we still in the era of “whatever buck up, goes”? Although noticeably absent from those Bahamas Games this time around, are we still perfecting that popular sport of “kicking the can down the road”?

Is the next election cycle still to take priority over the life cycles and well-being of innocent Bahamians caught up in one or another of our sad daily statistics? One person can say it. Even two or three in the crowd might whisper it. But when will a significant group, or the entire crowd, shout out the truth about the “Emperor’s new clothes”? Is 50 years of Independence nuttin’ but a number?

One step forward, two steps backwards might be what some Bahamians see in that rear-view mirror, with the official celebrations of 50 years of Independence simmering down in the coolish, balmy breezes of this July. Can we build better Bahamians with so many youth here whose parents came to The Bahamas illegally? How and when will there be definitive answers to such vexing questions about certain legal status and related problems?

Pre-Independence was a time of one radio station in The Bahamas. Now, 50 years later, we have lots of radio stations sprinkling the airwaves. Talk shows, like social media, have become very popular and influential with huge numbers of Bahamians. Leading up to, during, and after this year’s Independence Celebrations, however, has there been any real attention paid to ways in which Bahamians can truly move forward, upward, onward together?

Thankfully, a few radio stations highlighted significant historical notes and information. Sadly, by contrast, there are still Government officials and other prominent personalities who continue to mislead the nation with broadcast comments like “Randolph Fawkes” and “the Preamble states that this is a Christian nation” whilst other radio talk shows insisted on dragging stories of partisan political disgraces through the mud of malodorous discourse at this momentous time.

That sort of mud-slinging happens with or without the intermittent rainfalls of late. Even in the House, a mere two days after the July 10 date, Members of Parliament spent most of their time “on the Floor” (as well as the usual heckling off the Floor) slinging mud and manure at each other - with remarks which had nothing to do with the Bill being debated.

Perplexingly, there was not even a bull in sight, nary a bona fide heifer around to produce the stuff being tossed in those hallowed halls. This calls to mind the fact that each sunrise might look a bit different, but new and old days appear to be the same. The House is the House. That’s just the way it is... 50 years post Independence.

Much more can be said about the sad state of affairs just waiting to be remedied in our moving beyond that 50 years marker, but let’s end this scribble with a glimmer of that rising sun we celebrate in our National Anthem.

How about contacting our Members of Parliament and requesting that they take the necessary actions, within the next fiscal year, to abolish the Senate? Clearly, it serves no useful purpose, being merely perfunctory and useless. Or, could it be that our Upper House - in the Kingdom’s tradition - simulates the House of Lords, somewhere over there across the deep blue seas? In our local case, are there annual budgetary allocations for the upkeep of rubber stamps for that place?

Before our Independence celebrations conclude, perhaps our King could be consulted on the matter, and he just might be benignly inclined to grant a jolly good benevolent Royal favour with funding for that relic of a Senate.

Maybe the bottom line to the foregoing lines of mine is that we in The Bahamas can do much better than we have done in the past 50 years, as we are doing presently. There is no shortage of real problems and vital situations that we cannot collectively address and fix. Some of these are pre-Independence, and others are quite current. Take your pick.

With the goals of building better Bahamians and a better Bahamas, the particular details and time lines should be all there could be to conscientiously debate bettering our Bahamas. When our debates, Parliamentary and otherwise, are focused on best solutions to the issues at hand and not irrelevant trifling, we should be that much closer to those (yet to be clearly articulated) common, loftier goals we dedicated ourselves to 50 years ago.

MB

Nassau,

July 17, 2023.