In one of his recent essays, the noted writer Fareed Zakaria provided an assessment of disparate events around the world that have a common underlying theme: a crisis of democratic institutions.  In our own Bahamas, we have seen the instances of this, including the misbehavior of members of the Free National Movement when they had to be dragged out of the House of Assembly by policemen.   Before that we saw the interruption of a press conference by the leader of the opposition by Lincoln Bain in the Committee room of the House, (something against the law) and then this week, the leader of the Junkanoo Committee of New Providence (JCNP) who threatened to cancel the Boxing Day Junkanoo parade over what they called political interference with the participation of a group in the parade.  It appears that so many people in search of power and control in The Bahamas have lost their minds.

The common denominator here is a high disregard for process and procedures.  We are still waiting to see when legal action will be taken against Shanendon Cartwright, the deputy leader of the FNM for tossing the Speaker’s Mace out of the Assembly.  His leader, Michael Pintard simply did not obey the rules of the House and wait his turn to speak.

As for the JCNP, they have apparently pulled back from their foolish threat.  They must have been convinced now that no one elected them to office, that they serve at the pleasure of the government to organize and supervise the parades and that they cannot arrogate to themselves powers that they do not have.   A matter of process.

The Bahamas is an amazing success story and the toast of the Caribbean, but certain freedoms must be checked, as too many people abuse the concept and principles of democracy.  Those who have been given authority must realize that they have to be responsible in carrying out their duties in the public’s interest, not in their personal interest or to become obstructionists to progress.

Any reasonable person must conclude that the advice of the Attorney-General on the dispute within the Valley Boys organization made good sense and was in the national interest.  The government agreed to allow both factions of that group to compete in the A category until the matter is resolved by the courts.  The JCNP, which serves at the behest of the government, is responsible for the Junkanoo parade and should adopt that position.  After the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture made the decision, that should have been the end of the issue until it is resolved by the Courts.  A matter of process.

We believe that the government must go a little further in the interest of democracy.  It must ensure that all groups receiving subsidy or “seed funding” from the State hold leadership elections on a regular basis.  This would resolve the controversy and alleged graft in these groups.

We are living in a period of political cynicism as never before where political leaders are blamed for most of the social and cultural problems in the society.  However, it is also a period of indiscipline and distrust.

We see the decline of trust in many societies and in the traditional media.  Our democracy has become so liberal that there is a shift from institutions to individuals making decisions for the majority.

We agree with Zakaria who says, “Government by individual is, in the end, government by whim.  This year’s Nobel Prize in economics went to scholars who ask the simple question: Why do most countries fail to become rich and successful?  And what explains the few that succeed?  Their answer: Strong institutions.  The handful of countries that have broken out of poverty and bad governments have established good, fair institutions and procedures that go beyond any individual.  That explains why landlocked, resource poor Switzerland has become one of the richest countries in the world, whereas other landlocked, resource poor countries are mired in dysfunction.  It is why Singapore, a swampy sandbar is Southeast Asia, now has one of the world’s highest average incomes.

Junkanoo leaders and many “wanna be” leaders in The Bahamas must learn that liberal democracy has been marked by its emphasis on procedures, not outcomes.  We honour the process even when we dislike the outcome.  The drive to quickly get what we want, even at the cost of bypassing procedures and undermining institutions, is deeply dangerous.