With the general elections in The Bahamas scheduled for sometime next year, some Bahamians are considering the kind of a government they want for the next five years. However, we are absolutely convinced that the vast majority of them do not vote on issues or ideological and philosophical considerations.
In successive elections since 2002 the electorate in The Bahamas changed party administrations. Since politics for many people is personal, it is our opinion that voters in the main are not concerned with the common good or national interests, but what is done for them personally. This is why political parties need “money for the ground game.” Thousands of voters, especially in rural areas and even in some urban communities are “on the take,” are in search of some pecuniary interest. This low grade of politics is part of the problem and does little to improve the quality of governance in The Bahamas.
In the decades preceding Bahamian independence, the so-called “Bay Street Boys” who formed the United Bahamian Party (UBP) took pork-barrel politics to a level where it became acceptable. Then as now, many people voted for the candidate who was able to provide them with material things. It is simply amazing that many Bahamians want to see a candidate, not to discuss issues, but looking for a handout.
We must get past this level of political immaturity, this state of underdevelopment, this political culture and judge political candidates on their personal qualifications, the platform of their political parties and the aspirations of the people.
Successive governments have fostered a dependency syndrome in the country to the point where constituents have come to rely on their parliamentary representatives for their every need.
Government administrations are really to provide the environment in which the citizenry can thrive. They ought to ensure that the necessary infrastructure and systems of healthcare, education and national security exist for orderly growth and development.
The former American President Theodore Roosevelt in his State of The Union address in 1901 spoke to this issue thus: “ The fundamental rule in our national life – the rule which underlies all others — is that, on the whole, and in the long run, we shall go up or down together. There are exceptions; and in times of prosperity some will prosper far more, and in times of adversity, some will suffer more than others; but speaking generally, a period of good times means that all share more or less in them, and in a period of hard times all feel the stress to a greater or less degree.”
Good governance is an issue of utmost significance that touches and concerns leadership in the public and private sectors; the role of the State as facilitator, regulator, and entrepreneurial partner; the promotion of civil society’s engagement; and an efficacious bundle of policies for foreign affairs and foreign trade, climate change and disaster preparedness/management; national pride, sports, culture and the values of our Bahamian identity.
We have opined in this space before on the need for continuity in governance of the present administration in order for real progress to be made in our national development efforts. It is clear for all to see that great strides are being made in almost every aspect of the administration of our archipelago. While there are many challenges, in cricketing terms, the Davis administration has enjoyed good innings with impressive numbers on the scoreboard. The quality of governance is high and The Bahamas remains the envy of the Caribbean. Let’s keep it that way.
