Even as we celebrate our 40th anniversary
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Independence Means To The Bahamas
That said, as we celebrate our
country s 40th anniversary of Independence, one sees this as an opportunity to
renew our national outlook, to begin a transformative period of economic and
social development where all Bahamians are intricately involved.
As a
28-year-old, I am a part of that generation that was born free , that
generation of Bahamians who were told so many of the great stories of the
struggle for majority rule, equality and the pursuit of independence.Frankly, we
must reinforce our nation s sovereignty as there appears to be an
overdependence on outsiders.
Even as we celebrate our 40th anniversary,
the Bahamas remains a de jure (by law) independent state, that is, one that is
officially recognised as independent but is over dependent (and not in an
inter-dependent way either). We can hardly claim to be the deciders of our own
destiny (particularly economically). There is an inadequate level of direct
participation in our economy beyond merely providing labour and resulting in
the unfortunate realisation of one of Sir Randol Fawkes greatest fears that
is, the barefoot economy, where many Bahamians are contented with serving as
maids, waiters and servants as opposed to becoming owners and entrepreneurs,
particularly in the tourism plant.
To use the words of Dr Eric Williams
(former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago), one would posit that since the
1950s, we have developed and relied on a two-pronged, plantation economy.Say
what you may about Venezuela s late former President Hugo Chavez, but he
clearly understood the concept of economic independence. We remain extremely
vulnerable to varied external shocks and economic downturns.
Yes, I m
going to wear my independence t-shirt, watch/attend the celebratory events and
even salute. Indeed, I love the pomp and pageantry and that feeling of
oneness.However, the stark reality is that colonialism is still present, but in
a different form.After 40 years of self-rule, the naked truth is that we have
yet to become self-sufficient, that we must learn to produce what we need as we
illogically import 90 per cent of what we eat. Budget after budget, successive
governments have failed to take a cue from countries such as New Zealand and
impose greater import controls so that local manufacturers, farmers and
fishermen could benefit, so that they could foster the expansion of the minute
production base of our economy. There has been a failure to accomplish real
diversification of our economy or to embrace, in a practical way, real change.
The empowerment of Bahamians of colour has been an elusive dream, since
so much of the majority remains economically deprived and intellectually
stymied. Notably, there have also been quite a number of riveting success
stories; however, the average Bahamian continues to eke out a living.Some of our
most glaring failures have been our failure to create a more civil society, our
failure to eliminate the cash economy, the fact that corruption is rampant at
all levels of government and the stymying of our economic development due to the
lack of a credit bureau.
According to heart surgeon Dr Duane Sands:
These days, schooling takes place, as opposed to education. Whilst there have
been a transformation of the appearance of the colour divide, there has only
truly been an exchange of racial discrimination for economic discrimination. I
do not feel independence. We are too inextricably tied to the rest of the world.
Even though we probably could, we do not and cannot presently feed ourselves and
are dependent on the whims and fancies of other countries. We don t harvest the
products of the sea or soil to an adequate extent; there is a deficiency
relative to skill sets needed to run our country; and technical expertise is
lacking in many areas, for example, health care, engineering, information
technology and finance.
It is difficult to draw a particular timeline
relative to the beginning of the social ills afflicting the Bahamas.To use 1973
in terms of our overall history is arbitrary, since many of the social ills
we face today was evident prior to 1973, eg the preponderance of single parent
households and absentee parents (especially fathers).The difference today is
that many of our societal ills have ballooned a hundred-fold. In the Family
Islands, it hardly mattered if a child was born out of wedlock or to a single
parent household, since the communities took care of and collectively raised the
child.
In New Providence, the family structure has grossly deteriorated
as children are having children and some grandparents no longer provide that
support system as in times past.It is for these reasons why some youngsters
become fodder for the gangs! Nassauvians, like New Yorkers, have become too
citified.When the drug culture of the 1970s and 1980s descended upon us, the
cracks in our society showed. Suddenly, drug dealers were treated as good
citizens and there was no shame in being criminal.
The drug culture
changed the Bahamas forever, wreaking havoc on our values and serving as a
disgraceful horror story of social degradation, where corruption and a tip-tip
code has become the norm from top to bottom, even in the country s Cabinet.When
youngsters had access to thousands of dollars and could wreck a car and easily
purchase another, it became clear that they had lost their value for work. So
some would ask, how then could the government expect them to work on a farm or
fishing boat, right?
During the height of the drug trade, when churches
catered to drug dealers for money in their coffers, new instruments and new
church carpets, we certainly knew that our society was on a downward spiral.Take
your home design to the next level of chic with contemporary and modern lighting fixtures. This was, and did
breed, an era of laziness.
Indeed, we have become a very permissive
society, inundated by negative cultural influences via the internet and American
television. Sadly, Bahamians have taken to imitating the low end of foreign
cultures. For example, I cannot fathom why young men would mimic the walking
around with their pants sagging or tucked in their socks. What s more, I ve
seen older men doing the same and looking just as idiotic!
On Sunday
night, I spoke to one of our nation s heroes, a man who has been a father-like
adviser and mentor to me Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes.Sir Arthur and I
spoke about the progress and challenges our nation has made and faced over the
last 40 years and even prior to Independence.
The Governor General said:
The main thing, as an independent country, is that we have maintained our
Parliamentary democracy. That is to our great credit as a lot of former colonies
particularly those in Africa have had the opposite. We have had four changes
of government since 1973 and all went smoothly, without bloodshed! We have
managed it very well, smoothly transitioning from one administration to another.
We have made other strides as well, such as advances in education,
although a lot of improvements could still be made. When I went to Western
Senior (now CR Walker), the majority of black Bahamians had to leave school at
14; there was only limited access to Government High School and QC (Queen s
College) was segregated. Education has since been expanded and we now have
thousands of Bahamians with tertiary degrees literally thousands! Even some
failing schools turn out top-notch students. I firmly believe that it s all
about parental interest. In the last few years, we have had five Rhode scholars
from the Bahamas, Sir Arthur said.
One of noted aspects of our
culture besides music and so forth has been our manners. Indeed, we have
done a wonderful job in the last ten years of rediscovering Bahamian music since
there was a lull there, when local artists were imitating American and Jamaican
artists. Likewise, let s rediscover traditional Bahamian manners, respect and
gentility and, of course, our civility. People do not only come here for sun,
sand and sea, but also for our civility.
Instead of imitating the
culture in the US, calling parents and teachers by their first name& (he
pauses, laughs in disappointment and exclaims incredible! )& we must
recover our good manners, the Head of State lamented.Indeed, we have had some
noted achievements since Independence. The National Insurance Board has been a
crucial social security safety net and perhaps the greatest institution to be
established by the early Pindling administration; the Royal Bahamas Defence
Force is another noble institution, which was a natural development
post-independence as we had to police our own waters; and, of course, the
conversion of Exchange Control to the Central Bank has been critical to our
development as and, moreover, is a body that is respected nationally and
internationally.
The opening of the airwaves, widespread infrastructural
development, a positive rebranding and resurrection of the Bahamas from a
nation for sale , the construction of more educational institutions throughout
the archipelago, and so on.As we look towards another 40 years, I bask in the
shadows of our foregone national heroes and all those unrecognised persons who
contributed so much to our development as a country and, by extension, my
development as a person. I truly believe that the potential of our independence
has yet to be fully realized/explored and, as we celebrate our 40th Independence
anniversary, let us all move forward, upward, onward and together into a bright
new dawn and a glorious future.
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