Contribution

By

Hon.
Bradley B Roberts

Member
of Parliament, Bain & Grants
Town

And
Minister of Works & Utilities

To
the Honourable House of Assembly on

The 40th
Anniversary of Majority Rule in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

January
10th, 2007

Mr. Speaker

Allow me with your
kind indulgence to begin by wishing you a happy New Year and all the prosperity
that will come along with it, and allow me through you to extend those
greetings to all other members of this honorable chamber. 2007 begins Mr.
Speaker with uncertainty but will be a defining year for many in this chamber.
Some will find that they will live to see their paths secure once more in this
opportunity to represent the people of The Bahamas in this place. For others,
their paths will change course but hopefully not direction as life and time and
chance would have escorted them from these august halls into other places.
Having said that …

Mr. Speaker

I rise with the
greatest joy and in deepest humility on behalf of the people of Bain and Grant’s
town whom for decades now have sent me here to represent their needs, their
hopes, dreams and aspirations. They have elected me also to lead, sometimes
having to come out from among them and having to stand upon their shoulders in
hopes of seeing the way forward so that I may lead them to higher heights. As
in any relationship worth having, the journey together has not always been
smooth but through good times and bad, in happy times and sad, in season and
out of season, Mr. Speaker I and my Constituents have always emerged in the
serenade of that song by Al Green, “Let’s stay together, loving you
whether, times are good or bad happy or sad” …. Yes we ought to
stay together.

And so Mr. Speaker,
it is an honor for me to stand here in this New Year in representation of a
Constituency, without which, no historical account of the development of the
modern Bahamas with respects
to New Providence can be told. For Bain and Grants Town
and its surrounding areas have been the birthplaces of many of the heroes of
the Bahamian struggle to a mature democracy. Bain and Grants town has been the
gathering place for many of marches that found their way on Bay Street in protest against injustices
perpetrated against the poor. And Bain and Grants town continues to be the home
of the children of those whom when called upon by God and circumstance, rose
fearlessly in the face of the hardships of their times and gave active support
in the quest to rewrite the pages of history and carve out a story which reads
for The ordinary Bahamian and the Black Majority that freedom and equality is
real for them in this modern Bahamaland.

Yes Mr. Speaker, if
it holds true that for those of us who believe God to be real and Divine, that
before we were formed in the wombs of our Mothers, He knew us and predestined
us, it cannot be arrogance nor can it be happen of chance, that it is I,
Bradley B. Roberts who has been given this opportunity to stand to my feet in
this our House of Assembly, on this 10th day of this first month, in
the year of our Lord, two thousand and seven, in representation of the greatest
constituency of the Commonwealth of These Bahama Islands, in praise to our God
for His marvelous works over the years, to His faithfulness to our Country and
our people, through great trials and tribulations, yet He has kept us, never
fainting in His charge over us, Mr. Speaker.

And I stand here on this day, personally
grateful for more than a reasonable portion of health, wealth and blessings,
for more than my ample share of patriotism and commitment to Nation Building,
happy just to be counted in the number, knowing that it is God’s grace
that has brought me safe thus far and Grace, Mr. Speaker, not power or might
but Grace that will lead me on. Yes Mr. Speaker there is a new song in my heart
today, a “right spirit,” I believe the Member from St. Cecelia
would describe it as … today for the day Mr. Speaker, I am not Big, Bad
Brad, I am in this moment, Right, Reflective Roberts.

40 years ago to
date, to hour, Mr. Speaker, the people of this Country, some not so long before
just winning the right to vote, went to the polls to determine the fate of this
Nation. It is described as the Quiet revolution, specifically because in the 20
years leading up to the 1967, very little blood had been shed in pursuit of
justice and equality. No Mr. Speaker, in this country which historically has
not known much of violence, what others fought wars over, and some got
assassinated for, we achieved with a stroke on a ballot. I often say Mr.
Speaker in the words of men before me that our ballots were our bullets.

This example of civility entrenched in
Bahamian Culture is one I wish we could somehow impress upon younger
generations, that in times gone by, even when being denied fundamental rights
and freedoms, Mr. Speaker, we were men and women of stellar worth, of sterling
character who raised our voices and our hearts but never our fists. Because, we
are a peculiar people by nature, Mr. Speaker, a PEACEFUL people! How sorry I am
Mr. Speaker, that in our not adequately passing on the lessons of our glorious
past, we have also to date failed in educating some of our sons and daughters
on the fact that being Bahamian means more than conch salad and peas and rice,
and even Junkanoo but it means that we are of a tradition of community
mindedness, peaceful coexistence, and brotherly and sisterly love.

On this occasion
Mr. Speaker, because peace begins with me, I lead by example by extending an
olive branch to those along the way with whom I may have chosen to remain at odds
rather than seeking reconciliation. The theologian, St. Paul, once penned that, “When I was
a child, I spoke as a child, reasoned as a child and acted as a child.”
Today Mr. Speaker on this Day of Atonement, having enhanced my understanding of
the real responsibilities of a leader and a big man, I again, as I do again and
again, put aside childish ways, and speak as a man, reason as a man, act as a
man!

We are headed into
elections this year, I know Mr. Speaker but allow me to set the tone on this
first day back to Parliament in this New Year, on such an historic occasion,
and emerge a peacemaker. For blessed are the peacemakers, Mr. Speaker, they
shall be called, the children of God. I am in realization Mr. Speaker that we
as leaders cannot say to our sons out there on the streets to find less hostile
ways to ending their feuds, if we can not by example, end ours more amicably in
this place. This year, in this place, it starts with me! The famed Buddhist
Monk, Thic Nhat Hanh once said, Mr. Speaker, “A person that is not happy cannot work
for peace …… To make peace, our hearts must be at peace with the
world … The best thing a tree can do is to be a real tree …. The
best thing a human being can do is to be a real human being … and that is
the basic condition for peace. Being peace is the best for doing peace, making
peace.

Before I get into the meat of my Contribution Mr. Speaker, please also
allow me to read publicly into records and lay on the table, as chairman of the
Cabinet sub-committee for the commemoration of the 40th Anniversary
of Majority Rule, recognition of the 45th anniversary of
women’s right to vote and the 200th anniversary of the
abolition of the trans Atlantic slave trade, a copy of a press release dated, 7th
January, 2007.

“The Government of The Commonwealth
of The Bahamas announces
that it will officially celebrate the following milestones in Bahamian history
over the course of this year, 2007.

·       The 40th Anniversary of
Majority Rule;

·       The 45th Anniversary of
Women’s Right to Vote; and

·       The Commemoration of the 200th
Anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade.

MAJORITY
RULE DAY

All Bahamians benefited, in one way or another, from the
historic event that took place on January 10, 1967, a day that now wears the
rather inelegant appellation of Majority Rule Day.

Majority Rule ushered in the opportunity for all Bahamians to have
constitutional, political, social, cultural and economic rights.  Where these rights were not readily
accessible, the Government of the day created laws and implemented policies to
enable these entitlements.

So how did January 10 1967
come about? Who contributed? And what does majority rule really mean? Any
answers to these questions must necessarily be brief and therefore run the risk
of being inadequate.

Everybody knows that the
results of the 1967 election were close. The PLP by initial results, was successful in 18 Constituencies, while
the UBP also returned 18 seats. However, by January 13, the PLP officially
formed Government after receiving the support of two outstanding successful
candidates.

One such man was Sir Randol Fawkes who is
well known in the struggle for Majority Rule. He ran as Labour in 1962 and 1967
with success.

He was solidly entrenched in the movement
toward Majority Rule and though running under the banner of Labour, ran
unopposed, with the support of the PLP. For his support, he was named Minister
with responsibility for Labour, in the new Government.

The other player in the movement was Sir
Alvin Braynen who ran as an independent candidate
in 1967. However after the results of the 1967 election were realized, he threw
in his lot with the PLP and accepted the post of Speaker of the House. He could
just as easily, and with no loss of credibility, aligned himself with the
United Bahamian Party.

The Government of the Bahamas has
endorsed the recommendation of the Cultural Commission that January 10th,
be officially designated as a Day of Reflection.

WOMEN’S
RIGHT TO VOTE

In November of 1960 Sir Henry Milton Taylor led a delegation to London to champion the right of women to vote in the Bahamas.  Accompanying Sir Henry were notables
like Dr. Doris Johnson and Mrs. Eugenia Lockhart.   Shortly after their return, women
received their right to vote and exercised it in the 1962 general elections.

This new women’s right brought a force and element into the
history of The Bahamas
that affected the country’s social, economic and political development.
To this day, the effect of women exercising their right to vote has impacted all
aspects of national life as women from all sides of the political divide have,
and continue, to make their contribution to the country, holding key positions
in many offices throughout our country.

COMMEMORATION
OF THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ABOLITION OF THE TRANS ATLANTIC
SLAVE TRADE

Through its adoption of the resolution, spearheaded by Jamaica, the
United Nations General Assembly agreed to designate 25th March 2007,
as the International Day for the Commemoration of the 200th
Anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade which
acknowledges that the slave trade and slavery were at the heart of situations
of profound social and economic inequality which continue to affect people of
African decent.  It is also a call
for countries to undertake activities at the local and national level to
celebrate the event.

To this end, the Government of the Bahamas will commence its activities
in recognition of this milestone on Majority Rule Day, Wednesday, 10th
January, 2007, when a national Ecumenical Service will be held at the Southern
Recreation Grounds, under the direction of The Bahamas Christian Council,
followed by a cultural display.

It should be noted that the Southern Recreation Ground was
initially established under the aegis of Governor Sir Francis Cockburn
(1837-1844) as a place of recreation and meeting for the newly-freed population
of the city of Nassau;

The Ground was a central gathering spot for Black Bahamians from
its establishment during the Emancipation period until the achievement of
majority rule in 1967, and may have played host to nineteenth-century freedom
fighters such as Prince Williams, Stephen Dillet, Robert Love, Wilfred Campbell
Adderley, William Parliament Adderley, and others;

The centrality of the Ground to Black Bahamian political life
continued throughout the twentieth century, where it served as the main focus
of political speeches and rallies throughout the years of minority rule,
hosting such luminaries as Marcus Garvey, Adam Clayton Powell and Martin Luther
King, among countless others.  It
also served as a place for Black Members of Parliament to address their
supporters, providing a meeting place for labourers during the Burma Road Riots
of 1942;

The PLP rallies of the 1950s and 1960s, which culminated in
Majority Rule, were the pinnacle of a long history of freedom fighting centered
around the Southern Recreation Ground;

In light of the history surrounding the Southern Recreation
Ground, the Government upon the endorsement of the Bahamas Cultural Commission has
agreed to erect a monument at the site to celebrate both struggle and victory
of our people.   This memorial
will  take the form of something
inanimate, like an obelisk, in recognition of the very central place that the
Southern Recreation Ground has played throughout its 170-year history in the
struggle of the masses of Bahamians to free themselves; the monument will be a
memorial to all Bahamian freedom fighters, named and unnamed.

The Government also plans to hold Ecumenical services, under the aegis
of the Bahamas Christian
Council in a number of Family
Islands on dates to be
announced.

Through its celebration of these important historic milestones, the
Government will ensure that the legacies of past Bahamians live on from
generation to generation.

Finally, I should point out that it took some 133 years for the masses
to achieve Majority Rule following the Emancipation of the Slaves.   However, the growth and
development we have experienced over the past forty years in the Bahamas has
been remarkable when compared with other countries around the world.

Therefore, there is much that we in The Bahamas must be grateful to
Almighty God for.  And for this
reason, we extend a warm invitation to all Bahamians and Residents from all
walks of life to join our Religious Leaders in this National Ecumenical Service
to give praise and thanks to Almighty God. The future for our Bahamas is
indeed the brightest it has ever been for our country.”

Now Mr. Speaker

Allow me a few moments to elaborate somewhat on the historical course
of The Bahamas
leading up to Majority Rule, in effort to truly demonstrate the significance of
this day.

The continuity of the history of the Bahamas by written accounts dates
back to somewhere around late 14th Century, early fifteenth century.
It is not that there was not life ongoing, for we know that West Indians,
namely Arawaks, American Indians and the Indians of what is geographically now
the southern Caribbean, Mexico and the southern Americas left behind artifacts and
other physical relics as evidence of their most illustrious existence as a
people. But by and large Mr. Speaker we begin to reminisce about the history of
the Bahamas as the gateway
to the New World with the arrival of Columbus
and his not so merry men. We know the story all too well, they placed emphasis
on it in our schools in our learning in what could be summed up as “they
came, they saw, they conquered.” And we also know Mr. Speaker that in
many instances the arrival of Columbus, and I am not attempting to diminish his
historical significance, resulted in the annihilation of the peoples he met on
this side, while opening the West to merchants in search of the next great
merchandise to rival the spices of India and the precious stones of Africa.

However, Mr. Speaker, the role of the Bahama Islands proved less
significant post Columbus’ stumbling onto our rocks just before he made
his way into America, aided of course by the true discoverer, Amerigo Vespucci.
We held for the old world no natural value, and so we became a place of transit
only with very few life events to speak about, particularly after our
“heroes” savagely killed off the peaceful defenseless Arawaks. No
there is said to be very little activity here until about 1648 when the British
attempted their first settlement of our Islands, trying as best they could to
make a living from the mining and export of salt, and the planting of crops,
which not long after proved too difficult for that people of that era. Not to
mention, Mr. Speaker, the presence and mischief of pirates made matters even
worse and living standards totally unbearable. Again, nothing much to speak of
in this brief era.

However, a few
short years later in the late 1700’s, the Loyalists, those in America not
in support of the War of Independence but loyal to their mother Country
Britain, left the Americas, along Mr. Speaker with their slaves to forge a new
life in this geographically fragmented Country. And here, Mr. Speaker is where
things become relevant for persons like me and you of a brown skinned
complexion. For while these loyalists held high moral convictions in the area
of patriotism, they carried with them also the accepted practice of slavery,
unsuspectingly of course paving the way for people of African descent to commence
a march to freedom.

We do not like to discuss it Mr. Speaker,
not just in this Country but all over but the enslavement of the peoples of
Africa is not a thing of ancient history, it is very much enshrined with the
history of the new world. Those of fairer complexion get nervous about the
subject, Mr. Speaker but it is not until we are able to confront the demons of
our past that we can adequately reconcile it. Don’t think for one moment
that I want to get stuck looking back, Mr. Speaker but the wisdom of the ages
has taught that if a people truly want to get where it is they need to go, they
must know and understand where they are by additionally knowing and
understanding from whence they have come.

Crime is big, big on the minds of
Bahamians, and big, big on the political agenda of the opposition and we cannot
address crime without addressing some of the pent up, unresolved hostility of
some Black people of this Country. No one has apologized to the memory of the
fore-parents of our past Mr. Speaker, and until someone does, as secret as we
may allow it to be, hostility in some form or another is alive and manifesting
itself in the communities of people of predominately Black descent. Former
President of the Untied Sates of America, Bill Clinton, while in office addressed
this historical mis-happening with kid gloves and recently, just falling short
of an apology lest there be some call for remuneration by the peoples of the
Black Diaspora, Prime Minister Tony Blair has released a statement of regret.
In his words, Mr. Blair said,

"It is hard to believe what would now be a crime against
humanity was legal at the time.

"I believe the bicentenary offers us a chance not just to say
how profoundly shameful the slave trade was - how we condemn its existence
utterly and praise those who fought for its abolition - but also to express our
deep sorrow that it could ever have happened and rejoice at the better times we
live in today."

And so arriving with what would become the relationship of the Loyalists
with the Bahamas runs
concurrently, the relationship of the Loyalists’ slaves with The Bahamas. 1807
saw the Abolition of the slave trade; 1834, brought the abolition of slavery;
and after a period know as the “Apprentice Period” where Blacks
were “free” but not entitled for pay for their services rendered to
former slave owners, as Mr. Speaker, remuneration from Britain to slave owners
for the Abolition of slavery, the mid 1800’s finally brought a new level
of freedom to former slaves and their descendants.

Let me also make note Mr.
Speaker, and I’ll come back to it later that with all the evil swirling
about in those days, somehow, former slaves and their descendants came into a
kind of gift, God given gift that will reach into our future to secure our
place in the development of this Country, freed slaves came into large tracts
of land. Even more blessed they became, Mr. Speaker, the amount of land so many
former slaves came into once their former masters, unable to make a living,
packed up and moved away. This is how I know there is a God Mr. Speaker, they
were brought here under inhumane circumstances to till the land and after
sometime of hardship, so many went on to own the said land.

But we move own from this era of history Mr. Speaker, fast forwarding
through a period about which little is published up to around 1942, the
beginning of the twenty five year concentrated trek to Majority Rule. My friend
and colleague, the Member for Fox Hill the Hon Fred Mitchell in fine fashion,
tells of the events of 1942 in an essay entitled, Burma
Road: The Awakening, taken from his literary contribution,
“Great Moments in Bahamian History.” The essay reads thusly,

“In the generally peaceful history of Bahamian politics,
Monday, June 1, 1942 was a strange sight. On that fateful day, hundreds of
Bahamian workers, employed on the American government project at the Western
end of New Providence were marching toward Nassau in a disgusted and angry mood. This
was a measure of last resort---extremism in the pursuit of liberty. For three
frustrating weeks, their leaders, such giants as the Hon. Charles Rodriquez,
Dr. CR. Walker and the Hon. A. F. Adderley, had attempted to bargain and
negotiate, without recourse to force, for the rights of the workers.

Now it was obvious to these Black Bahamian labourers that a show of
force was the only thing the white rulers would understand. STRANGELY ENOUGH,
FEW OF the political analysts of the day could foretell the implications of
this action. They seemed to wish that the problem would go away by insisting
that the people were not interested in the voting system and other political
problems. Thus wrote The Guardian, bulwark of the white establishment. Perhaps
this was so, but in retrospect, one can clearly see that from June 1, 1942,
only a short jump was needed to bridge the fight for equal pay with the fight
for political rights in the country. Just over a decade later, the first
political party in the country, the Progressive Liberal Party, was to announce
its beginning, make its presence known as the working man’s friend, as the
Party to bring justice and equality for all.., the party of the great majority.
And even if they were not clearly crying for political rights, they were
interested, nonetheless, in something which was symbolic of political rights.
They were being cheated out of something that was due them. Their money was
their bread, and their bread was their life, and since these essentials were
being withheld from them, they were impelled to fight --- not necessarily with violence
but with a positive and determined spirit that would force the issue.

BRIEFLY, THE EVENTS OF the case began to unfold on May 6, 1942, when
an American based company began work on the present Nassau International
Airport and the expansion
of Oakes Field. Since this project was an American Government to British
Government project, both governments had agreed that the wages for labour
should be at the local level which, in The Bahamas, was set at four shillings
per day. Four shillings were roughly equal to one American dollar. The trouble
was that American labourers, imported into the country, doing the same work
were being paid twice as much. On May 20, at a meeting of Bahamian Labourers,
it was decided that this was unfair and had to be stopped. For three
frustrating weeks, letters were written and meetings were held to no avail. By
Sunday, May 31, it was obvious that things had come to a head. By 5 p.m. that
day, four hundred workers, led by George Green, a carpenter and saxophone player,
gathered on the sight. IN TYPICAL COLONIAL fashion, the Labour Officer for the
government said that the matter would be dealt with at the earliest opportunity
and suggested disdainfully that the crowd disperse. But the workers were
determined to have their way and refused to leave. It was only under threat of
death, when a gun was drawn by Captain E.D. Sears, Assistant Commissioner of
Police, that the crowd scattered. Soon death itself would no longer be a threat
to the workers in the pursuit of equal pay for equal work. Despite the ominous
rumblings of that Sunday, the authorities, after consultation with the labour leaders,
concluded that work could resume the next day. The labour leaders agreed to
help ease the tension by appearing at transportation sites in the early
morning. But the workers had other ideas. That Monday morning workers gathered
at the usual hour, armed with sticks, clubs, and machetes to march to the city.
When the day was over, the streets were littered with broken glass from windows
and soft drinks bottles.

THE RIOT ACT WAS READ In Grant’s Town. Policemen and imported
soldiers fired on the workers --- two men were killed and five were wounded.
Then they withdrew. This time the people returned with a vengeance. This time
they attacked and destroyed the police station, the fire station and the
library. Sunset. The next day, June 2, there was more trouble. One more person
was shot and killed. A crowd marched two and a half miles from Grant’s
Town to Coles Pharmacy in the Eastern District without being headed off by the
police or military. They pelted the pharmacy with rocks, doing great damage
before the police arrived. By evening, though, it was clear the disturbance had
spent its force. What followed this rude awakening for the Bay Street Boys was not a reaction of
compromise or reform on their part. The Bay Street clique, instead of complying with
the wishes of the workers, set up a committee to hound out and embarrass supporters
of the workers. Their main concern seemed to be compensation by the state for damage
done to their property.

ONE PERSON WHO REFUSED to submit to their tactics was our present
Governor-General, Sir Milo Butler,
the champion and voice of the poor man.’ The House committee described
him as a most unsatisfactory witness, who attempted to obstruct the inquiries
made of him by the committee, even to the extent of refusing to answer
questions.” In fact, Sir Milo went so far in replying to the question of
whether he considered eight shillings per day a proper wage for unskilled labour
by stating, “I’ll answer that question any place except here. But
what is more important than the reaction of the Bay Street Boys is the first awakenings
of a new political awareness beginning to be felt in the hearts of the Black
people. Time and the remarkable foresight, courage and determination of a few
ardent members of that majority were all that were required to crystallize the awareness
into a mighty political force.

FREDDIE MUNNINGS, OWNER of the Cat and Fiddle, sang it this way:
Beware Abaco, Beware, Bay Street Comin’ down, Beware Abaco.

And then, too, the workers, the fore-runners in the struggle had
their own song:

Going Down Burma Road

Going Down Burma Road

Going Down Burma Road

Don’t like Nobody.

Thus, the events of June 1, 1942 went down in the annals of Black
political history as a major step toward majority rule in 1967 and the
nation’s rise to identity.”

Mr. Speaker, again,
I commend The Honourable Member for Fox Hill on his thorough account of those
events but I also wish to highlight the role of Grant’s and Bain Towns in
that particular movement. In
1951, the SOUTHERN
PUBLIC LIBRARY(now renamed The Lillian Coakley Library) was
built, replacing the Grant’s Town Library which had been destroyed in the
Burma Road Riot of 1942 located on the
SOUTHERN RECRATION GROUNDS. And I wish to point out that
2007 also marks the 65th anniversary of the Burma
Road Riots.

Mr. Speaker, I
deliberately make mention of this transition period because before then, there
is little mention of action on behalf of Blacks and the less privileged in
agitation of a fairer Bahamian society. 1942, some 65 years removed, seems to
represent a time of frustration. What had been contained for so long was
beginning to come to a head and a movement was launched because it had to be
launched by an indomitable human spirit which knew it had to be released in
order to survive.

This movement organized itself some 10
years later with the formation of the Progressive Liberal Party and took center
stage on the landscape of Bahamian history, with the timely return and
involvement of such great educated Bahamian sons and daughters of the soil,
like the late, great Sir Lynden Pindling, our now Governor General, Arthur
Hanna, the late, Sir Cecil Wallace Whitfield, the late Dame Dr. Doris Johnson
and many others.

So began, official
partisan politics, the tool by which ordinary Bahamians in 1967 would win their
right to full citizenship. But this would not be achieved, Mr. Speaker without
the many, constitutional and organizational hurdles that were to be overcome.
In 1956, the Progressive Liberal Party made more than a name for itself by
landing six representatives in the House of Assembly. However, the battle was
far from over. In the midst of these years, through acts of non violent
agitation the PLP made inroads into hurdles facing ordinary Bahamians. One such
account for Bahamian workers in Banks, a field widely available and celebrated
today is captured in the official Biography of Pindling, whose spirit must be
hovering above us today.

It tells of the courageous acts of Sir
Milo Butler
another Spirit amidst us and moreover tells of Sir Lynden’s respect of
the businessman/giant of a man. The account found in the book written by
Michael Creighton reads as follows,

“To illustrate his admiration for Butler and his debt to his
methods, Pindling gave a vivid account to what he called, “the first time
Milo literally took me by the hand,” in 1956 when Butler had unilaterally
decided to protest the employment discrimination in Bay Street Banks. The
formidable figure of Milo Butler, closely
followed by a posse of black supporters, thrust his way through the glass doors
of the Royal Bank of Canada
and demanded to speak to the manager. A young white lady clerk asked, “Do
you have an appointment?” to which Milo
said, “No, but I bank here. I don’t need  an appointment when I have money to
discuss. Why do I need an appointment to see him now?” The young lady
scuttled off and came back to ask what it was that Milo
wished to speak to the manager about. In a loud voice, easily heard by all
those in the Bank, Milo replied, “I want
to discuss his employment policies. “Gee Whew!” recounted Pindling.
The girl dashes in and dashes out to say that the manager is busy and can’t
see you today. Milo leans over the counter and says, “I will speak to him
from here if he doesn’t allow me to speak with him in there.” So, added
Pindling, “Milo makes his speech to everyone in the Royal Bank of Canada in his
Southern Recreation voice: “Believe it or not, the day will come, when
all the tellers in here will be Black Bahamians.”” “What a
revolutionary thought!” said Pindling with a chuckle. “Well that
brought the manager out. “Oh Yes.” He said, “Come
inside.” But Milo said, “No.
I’m finished now” adding to his group, “Let’s go and
(in a quieter voice) I think we’ve done what we came to do.”

Just before the 1962 Elections, women,
led by the very formidable, Dr. Doris Johnson, won the right to vote, and
brought about universal suffrage, one person, one vote, in this Country. But
power through gerrymandering proved the people unsuccessful in the ’62
Elections which showed that while the Progressive Liberal Party won the
Majority of votes, it did not secure electoral victory.

Between 1962 and
1967, the Progressive Liberal Party, Mr. Speaker, a Party of purpose, unlike
those others formed for personal gain, whether elected or in Opposition,
mounted a strategy, which in collaboration with the Bahamian people would
change the course of Bahamian destiny. In the year 1965, two events aided in
this achievement. The first and more significant, in April of 1965 and recorded
as Black Tuesday, saw a peaceful demonstration of a highly organized people
just outside the House of Assembly where Lynden Pindling from one of the
windows in this place, threw the Mace out of the window, and the hourglass
followed from the hands of Milo Butler. The Mace according to Pindling was the
symbol of power, and power belonged to the people and the people he noted, were
outside.

The day ended
peacefully with a rally on the Southern Recreational Grounds but they had made
their point and sufficiently rallied their people. The second event was an
appeal made to a special committee of the United Nations in August of 1965 that
while unsuccessful, brought the plight of Bahamians to the forefront of
International media. Highlighting the corruption of the day. The delegation led
by Sir Lynden, pointed out the need for international intervention in the
cause. An excerpt from his speech knocking the Government of the day read,

“Ministers own large block of shares in the majority of local
enterprises and benefit from government contracts, all with the tacit approval
of the United Kingdom
Government. For example, the Prime Minister [in fact, Premier] is perhaps the
biggest road builder in the Country. The Minister of Maritime Affairs is a
major supplier of lumber and hardware goods to the Government and perhaps the
biggest ship-owner in the Country. The Minister of Agriculture has large
farming interests and supplies air-conditioning material to the Government as
does the Minister of Electricity. The Minister of Finance and Tourism is the
head of a food chain, an insurance company and a law firm which often
represents his Ministry and his clients at the same time.”

The chip Mr.
Speaker they say seldom falls far from the block. But I digress!. Mr. Speaker,
the international appeal did not prove very rewarding at first instant but all
of these things led to the day for which we have assembled in honour of. By
1967, possible in part because of Constitutional victories, our people went to
the polls and in a tight victory, secured only by the support of those two men
afore mentioned, Randol Fawkes and Alvin Braynen, the PLP, the ordinary
majority of this Country, emerged victorious and gained control of our destiny.

Mr. Speaker, as you
can see, the events of 1967 was not just a PLP victory or a Victory for Black
Bahamians but it was a National victory, deserving to be celebrated by all Bahamians
irrespective of race, class or political persuasion because this victory over a
century long entrenched evil proved beneficial to a Nation under the scrutiny
of international press, and proved a milestone necessary for the attainment of
Independence. Bahamian writer, whose first literary work I was privileged to be
among the first to view and critique, Faith Hall, puts it this way in her
recent article published in the Freeport
News of January 9, 2007,

“January 10, 2007 will mark the 40th Anniversary of
one of those significant, historical manifestations of our relationship to and
with our God. The 10th day of the first month, as it was for Moses,
and the people of Israel
so it is for Bahamians. In 1967, this day heralded a new reality not, as it is
so emphasized for Black Bahamians only, but for all Bahamians, as that much
needed segment of Bahamian society, the average, the ordinary, the majority
gained full rights to participation in Nation building, thus making Bahamian
society in general, resemble more closely true humanity, true civility.

We had on that day been liberated not from evil white men, NO! We had
been liberated from the crippling effects of a twisted consciousness possessed
by some and accepted by the rest, that somehow privilege (back then, money and
power) vested in the few, gave inherent license to deny the less privileged
fundamental freedoms and opportunities. We were to go from a reality where few
owned and few ruled to a reality that guaranteed that all would own and all
would rule by virtue of the fact that by citizenship, all belonged.”

Mr. Speaker I wish
now to turn away from my historical overview and focus on the many achievements
resulting from, and very relevant today because of the attainment of Majority
Rule.

In addition to
Independence, the creation of the Central Bank, the Royal Bahamas Defense Force,
the College of the Bahamas, National Insurance, National Health Insurance,
National Youth Service, the Development Bank, The Bank of The Bahamas and the
list goes on and on and on, Mr. Speaker, I very consciously wish to now focus,
on the educational and vocational accomplishments since Majority Rule,
particularly those in the field of medicine, law and accounting, and the
various successes in fields related to my Ministry.

Post 1967, the
Progressive Liberal Government had a very serious commitment to educating the
majority people of The Bahamas.
They recognized that in order to really be successful as a Nation, its people
had to be qualified to fill every position necessary to run an effective Country.
Some of those of UBP heritage who vanished from this place post the Elections
of 1967, left because they hinted or suggested out right, that Bahamians,
namely the Black majority would be unable to successfully run and manage a
Nation. In fact, if we truly examine why it took so long for that Black
majority to be fully incorporated into Bahamian society and why they had to
struggle for status as opposed to voluntary evolution, it was because of an
underlying belief that somehow because of the colour of his/her skin, people of
African descent, Mr. Speaker were predisposed to ruining an empire. In
today’s reality however, the Black majority of this Country have proven
for decades now, that not only can we manage successfully a nation, but that we
can with the greatest finesse fill any role necessary for the further
advancement of a Country.

And so, in the
field of Law, Mr. Speaker, a most noble profession, there are over 800
Bahamians today registered at the Bahamian Bar, and many others, making a
living in some associated field of this profession.  History provides for us the limited
examples of returning Bahamian lawyers who returned home not so much to
lucrative financial opportunities but most decided to enter the realm of
politics and apply their knowledge of the Law there, in hopes to gain justice
for our people as opposed to personal gain for self.

In today’s Bahamas
however, the field of Law is open to all Bahamians and many take advantage of
this opportunity. While of late, due to the mischief of some, the judiciary has
come under close scrutiny, might I mention, that it was here, in and
Independent Bahamas, no less that the Privy Council decided to sit, for the
first time outside of its usual place.

Mr. Speaker, the statistics are
almost the same in the Medical Profession, where there are some practicing 477
Bahamian doctors in our hospitals. And this does not reflect the many that may
be practicing elsewhere in the World. In the controversial book, “The
Bell Curve” it was science that Darwinian theorists turned to, to suggest
that somehow, Blacks or people of African descent, are genetically less
developed than those of a “pure white” race, Mr. Speaker. Well I
tell you, give me one of my own any day. Even in the driving decision making
force of our day it is the Bahamian Dr. Bernard Nottage, or Dr. Marcus Bethel
or even Dr. Ronald Knowles Mr. Speaker, qualified to oversee the health care
needs of the Bahamian people and manage efficiently the portfolio charged with
responsibility for this matter. But some thought in their heart of hearts that
we could not do it. At the helm of the new initiative to ensure that every
Bahamian has access to affordable health care, 40 years since Majority Rule, is
Bahamian, Dr. Bernard Nottage who is featured often in our media for his drive
toward fulfilling a promise of National Health Insurance. Here is what is said
in one of those first articles since recently assuming the role of Minister of
Health,

Dr. Bernard J.
Nottage, the new minister of health and national insurance, told The Bahama
Journal in a recent interview that he’s ready to get to work.

“It’s extremely important because too many people in our country do
not have the capacity to get care,” he said of the government’s
proposed National Health Insurance Plan, which has risen high on the public
debate agenda.

“A lot of people pay for
insurances now and many people do not, but I think that the contributions that
have been proposed are something that everybody can afford.”

It was a similar message that was
pushed by Dr. Marcus Bethel, the former minister of health, who faced
challenges in some circles, including among some local doctors, in trying to
sell the proposal.

Dr. Nottage told The Bahama
Journal that implementing the plan would have huge historical significance.

“I think this could be
– after National Insurance, the College of The Bahamas
and the Defence Force – one of the most significant social events in our
history,” he said.

Prime Minister Perry Christie
believes that the position of Minister of Health and National Insurance is one
for which Dr. Nottage is ideally suited.

“He has had a long and
illustrious career in the practice of medicine during the course of which he
has developed a profound understanding of the complex challenges that face the delivery
of healthcare in our nation today,”

Mr. Speaker, today all of the Senior Partners of public
accounting firms in The Bahamas are Bahamians, all partners are Bahamians
except in one instance and that partner is married to a Bahamian. In addition, a
significant majority of the Senior Managers and assistant Managers in the Accounting
Firms are Bahamians. A personal account from a notable Bahamian Accountant
after being questioned about significant advancements in his field since 1967
led to the following revelations:

·
The
accounting profession has changed and grown dramatically since Jan 10/67 based
on his experience and observations since he was a part of it from October 1970.

·
When
he started his articleship, there were less than 10 Bahamian professionally
qualified accountants that he could remember: Franklyn Wilson, Basil Sands,
Clifford Culmer, Barry Nottage, Maitland Cates, Macgregor Robertson, and Ron Atkinson.
There were also the ACCA's - I can only remember Chris Stuart, Garnet Knowles.
Now I think the Institute has 400 - 500 members, most of whom are Bahamians.
There are also many qualified Bahamians who are not members.

·
The
interviewee remembers that the push in 1970 was Bahamianzation and enforcement
of the Immigration policy (driven by our current governor-general). That
encouraged firms to hire and train Bahamians.  That was how he got his
opportunity to be hired as an articled student with the Nova Scotia Institute
on the strength of his GCE O levels. He had planned to work for a short period
and then go off to university. But he was able to go straight into professional
training. Others like Kiki, Ishmael, Clarita Lockhart, Pat Albury, Max
Sweeting, Ken Pyfrom, others came on the scene around the same time.

·
In
1970 all firms were owned and managed by non-Bahamians. All firms are now owned
and managed by Bahamians (and not naturalized Bahamians but indigenous).
Similar changes came about in the banking, insurance, and other financial
services sectors (if not necessarily at the ownership level but certainly the
training). When he went about to audit in the early days everyone he dealt with
were mostly white and foreign. That has substantially changed except for parts
of the private banking sector.

·
Professional
Bahamian accountants are now not only found in the firms and in the finance
area of commercial and government entities (as controllers and CFO's), but in
banking, trust companies, fund administration, executive management (even as
CEO's), teaching, public sector, investment management, consulting and advisory
services, and as entrepreneurs and business leaders.

·
Another
interesting fact is the number of Bahamian professional accountants working
abroad - US, Canada, Europe - in firms and in other businesses. Some are
seconded by their firms or banks/trust companies; others are recruited
directly. All of the local Big Four firms continue to discover Bahamians
working in their offices all around the world. Our firm as part of regional
integration operationally with our Cayman and Bermuda counterparts now deploy
Bahamians to work in these jurisdictions not just because we have the numbers
and trained resources but specialized skills (e.g. in banking audits and
advisory services).

·

Mr.
Speaker when researching my Ministry, I found to great delight that in the
Water and Sewerage Corporation, and in the Bahamas Electricity Corporation,
there have been massive thrusts at Bahamianzation since 1967, and most of the
top positions in the said entities, BTC as well for that matter, are held by
Bahamians. As an example, a report handed to me by an official at the water and
sewerage Corporation reads s follows:

Training Opportunities for
Bahamians since Majority Rule in 1967

When the Corporation was established in July 1976 there was a
considerable reliance on the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC)
for technical expertise.  At that
stage only 2-3 qualified Bahamian engineers worked in the Water Department when
the Corporation was formed out of the Public Works Department.  However by February 1977, the first
Bahamian General Manager, Mr. E. George Moss was appointed and he added his
strong personal conviction on Bahamianzation to the Government’s.

Throughout the years through a process of selection and financial
support at College of the Bahamas followed by international education and
training, in a short time a cadre of Bahamian engineers and other professionals
has been developed within the Corporation. The Water and Sewerage Corporation
can attest today that it is a fully Bahamianized organization with all key
positions held by well educated Bahamians who have no doubt benefited since
1967.  This encompasses all areas of
General Management, Accounting, Engineering, Environmental Sciences and other
technical and related fields that are required in the water and wastewater
sector.  This sector has become
increasingly attractive for its diverse areas of study and career
opportunities.

A quick review of our records shows that the Corporation started with
some 362 persons and as few as 2 professionals.  Today with some 392 employees the
professional team includes some 24 persons with Engineering Degrees in various
disciplines of civil, chemical, mechanical, electrical, engineering hydrology
and geographical information systems.
10 licensed electricians at various levels along with 10 technicians and
7 licensed plumbers support this team.
In addition to those here today, another 13 professional engineers have
acquired training and exposure within the Corporation and contributed to the organization’s
development during their era.

A similar analogy can be made on the Finance and Accounting side
where some 20 persons have achieved degrees, and 5 have completed the CPA
examination.  13 former employees
were also trained over the years.

The day to day management of the operations is further supported by a
number of Bahamian specialists including but not limited to Human Resource
managers, to address personnel training and industrial relations matters.  The training and tuition reimbursement
program that the Corporation supports and maintains has allowed many
opportunities for advancement for a significant number of employees past and
present. It is an integral part of the Corporation’s commitment to
continuous training and development, both for employee career development and
personal enrichment,  and to enhance
efficiencies and improve our service delivery.  For those who have been around over the
past 30 years of the Corporation’s existence it has truly been a time of
opportunity and the reality is that one could not objectively detract from the
educational and professional accomplishments achieved by Bahamians since
attaining majority rule.

Mr. Speaker

I am neither,
lawyer, doctor, accountant or engineer. I am a successful
businessman/entrepreneur, turned politician in a post Majority Rule Bahamas. Today
Mr. Speaker the Bahamas,
socially, economically and politically, can boast of being stronger and better
than it ever was before. 40 years since the attainment of Majority Rule, the
future of the Bahamas is at its brightest, thanks to the visionary leadership
of the Hon., Prime Minister, Perry Gladstone Christie and his new PLP
government. The forecast of the Bahamian economy projects a growth spurt at a
percentage never realized, there are forecasts of full employment, and the many
entrepreneurial opportunities on stream because of the billions of dollars of
investments in the pipeline, will ensure that there are more and more Bahamian
millionaires making it to the table of prosperity.

Mr. Speaker

Let us also return
to the discussion of the ownership of land, particularly in the family Islands
by descendents of slaves. Ownership of land Mr. Speaker, I can assure will
emerge the most lucrative form of wealth for our people in the coming years.
And Mr. Speaker will ensure that ordinary Bahamians can go on to play a more
meaningful role in the ownership of our economy.

In 1967 it was
estimated that the 15% minority owned some 85% of the economy while the numbers
were reversed for the ordinary majority. In today’s reality Mr. Speaker,
the thrust to greater ownership of our economy remains a challenge as figures
also report that sadly in excess of 85 cents of every Bahamian dollar leaves
our Country. But I am optimistic Mr. Speaker that one day because of more and
more Bahamians partnering to develop these large tracts of land, many of which
sit along beautiful coastline, and because of the will of Bahamians to feed
ourselves and cloth ourselves and provide all of the various services that
would prove us to be more self sufficient, we shall overcome that last hurdle
to full nationhood, first world nationhood and prove to the world in memory of
our ancestors that ordinary Bahamians were more than able to make this nation
great.

It causes me to
need to say Mr. Speaker, in the words of that great Civil rights leader of our
brothers and sisters to the North,

“Well I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got
some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because
I’ve been to the mountain top. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I
would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not
concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s
allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve
seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know
that we as a people will get to the promised land, And I am … I’m
not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen
the glory of the coming of the Lord.”  Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Today I am prouder
than ever to be PLP Mr. Speaker. I am proud because I am member of an
organization that has meant more to this Country historically than just a
political Party trying to win General Elections. We are the agents of the past,
chosen by God above who brought about all of the major new realities of the
Modern Bahamas.
Even in times when relegated to the role of Opposition, you can see the hands
of the Progressive Liberal Party assisting in bringing about greater freedoms
and opportunities for the people, the ordinary of the Bahamas. We
defined ourselves in Opposition in the 14 years leading up to Majority Rule, as
not just a political force but a Movement, Mr. Speaker. And a movement I dare
say, Mr. Speaker that has only gone from strength to strength and from glory to
glory over the years. A movement that has always held as its primary mission,
the continued advancement of the ordinary Bahamian.

Mr. Speaker as I
close therefore, I lift my head to the rising sun, as our glorious future
beckons us come. I lift my head to the rising sun Mr. Speaker in jubilation
with all Bahamians from around this archipelagic Nation, from MICAL in the
south to West End and Bimini in the North Mr. Speaker, from Long Island, Cat
Island and San Salvador, Exuma, North and South Eluethera, Mr. Speaker, North
and South Andros, North and South Abaco. I lift my head to the rising sun Mr.
Speaker in harmonious elation with the people of High Rock, Eight Mile Rock,
Pineridge, Lucaya and Marco City, and here in our Nation’s capital I lift
my head to the rising sun with the people of Delaporte, Blue Hills, Adelaide, Carmichael,
Pinewood, South Beach, Golden Gates, Marathon, St. Thomas More, Kennedy, Holy
Cross, Mt. Moriah, St. Margaret, Bamboo Town, Montagu, Garden Hills, Elizabeth,
Yamacraw, Fox Hill, Fort Charlotte, Englerston, St. Cecelia, Farm Road, and
finally Mr. Speaker, Bain and Grants Town, Mr. Speaker. 40 Constituencies,
representative of 40 years of freedom justice and equality in our fair Country.
I raise my head to the rising sun until the road we trod leads unto our God,
and I admonish us to continue to march on … march on, Bahamaland!