The Voice Nat'l News August Edition
Recent Elections Resulted In Heightened Polarization
Message to the Nation following the 2007 General Elections
After a hotly contested election campaign, the Free National Movement (FNM) under the leadership of the Right Honourable Hubert Ingraham has emerged victorious over the former administration led by the Right Honourable Perry Christie of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). Several commentators have identified three significant aspects of the outcome of the General Elections viz, the first time in Bahamian history that a former Prime Minister was returned to lead the Government, the first time that a Prime Minister has only served one term in office and the first time since 1967 that the distribution of seats in the House of Assembly reflects the voting pattern of the electorate with the governing party capturing twenty- three seats and the opposition party capturing eighteen (18) seats. Most Bahamians were pleased to note that the transfer of power in our parliamentary democracy took place peacefully without any major disturbance. Our immediate task as a nation that values our democratic heritage, is to ensure that the management of our national patrimony is conducted in an efficient and nonpartisan manner with due regard for the welfare of all the citizens and residents in our beloved Bahamaland.
There are, in my opinion, three issues related to the conduct of the election campaign that should concern all Bahamians who are genuinely interested in the growth and development of democracy in our nation.
In the first place, there can be no doubt that money has played a major role in the campaign. Bahamians have never experienced such a proliferation of paid political advertisements in all sectors of the public media. In addition we have never witnessed such a massive demonstration of party paraphernalia by both of the major parties. Both parties expended significant funds on expensive rallies and other public events. If this pattern continues, access to considerable funding will become a prerequisite for offering oneself as a candidate for any political party and this will not promote democracy because it will automatically exclude those persons who do not have access to financial resources. The time has arrived for the citizens to require a national policy on campaign financing that will promote a truly democratic process. The Bahamian populace has a right to know the names of all contributors and the amounts contributed to all political parties and to individual candidates. The existence of these present faceless and nameless contributors does not reflect a transparent democracy. In addition, these secret donations are made by persons and institutions that have access to “power” and such access has the potential to exert influence. If we are serious about our democracy, we will insist in legislation to govern campaign financing.
Secondly, our recently concluded campaign, although conducted on the Westminster model, was in fact conducted, for the most part, as a contest between the leaders of the two major political parties. In this leadership contest the individual candidates in the various constituencies were relegated to the background.
Without detracting from the importance of leadership in any sphere of public endeavour, we should be seeking to ensure the integrity of the system. Our present system is predicated on the voters in each constituency electing a person to represent the constituency in the House of Assembly. In this system the candidate in the constituency really matters. In a system where the leader of the Party plays the determining role, the local constituency is reduced to “following the leader”. As Bahamians, we must seek clarity in respect of the integrity of the system by which we wish to be governed.
Thirdly, the closely contested campaign has introduced a state of heightened polarization between the supporters of the two major political parties. The danger inherent in a politically polarized environment is the tendency to make political affiliation an overarching absolute in the affairs of the society. There is ample historical evidence to indicate that when party politics becomes an overarching absolute, political affiliation invades every sector of the society including private and public institutions, organizations and families. As a society, our immediate response should be a concerted effort by the leaders of the political parties and the leaders of our various institutions and organizations to intentionally pursue reconciliation and healing in the nation. The Bahamas belongs to all of us, irrespective of political affiliation, and it behooves all of us to contribute towards the creation of a harmonious environment in which the inherent worth and value of every person is recognized and respected. We neglect this to our peril!
Meanwhile, all of us should pray God’s blessing and direction on our Prime Minister and the members of the Cabinet, all members of the House of Assembly including members of the Opposition and all members appointed to the Senate. The future development of the parliamentary democracy depends upon the manner in which these persons work together for the effective management of our national patrimony. Let us all, under God, move forward with hope and optimism as we build a better Bahamas.
Culture Threatens Christianity
Courtesy of Candia Dames Bahama Journal
Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez
asserted that Christianity is in conflict
with culture and has been for some
time, but he said the tension has
increased in recent times across the
globe where culture is dominating the
pace of life and the church is put in a
position of either being against culture
or accommodating aspects of culture
that ultimately lead to the diminution of
faith.
"So [the question] is how do you hold on to your faith and still be part of this community and share in its cultural values etc. and all Christians; whatever persuasion; have to come to a point where they have to resist culture and stand up against it," said the archbishop, who was the special guest on the radio Love 97/JCN TV flagship programme "Jones and Company", which aired on Sunday.
"People of my theological persuasion believe that at the heart of our current problem with sexuality is that it’s becoming captive to the culture because if you look in North America and Western Europe, all of the civil governments have given in and are changing their legislation to fit in with Culture the present cultural norms and cultural perspectives." Archbishop Gomez said this cultural surge that’s enveloping the whole world is the biggest threat to Christianity.
The Anglican Communion, as an example, is facing a possible split over the issue of ordaining gay priests and same sex marriages.
Archbishop Gomez said the church in The Bahamas is also facing the question of how to live in a culture, but not become captive to that culture.
Political Tribalism Concerns
While on the show, Archbishop Gomez also raised concerns about the existing political division in the country, indicating that while the temperature may have lowered in recent weeks the upcoming election court cases could heighten the tension.
"We’ve reached the stage now where our political scene is dangerous because it has become too partisan and the only accurate word really is to talk about political tribalism," he said.
"To me that [was] extremely evident in this exercise leading up to the election and after the election. The political temperature as far as I was concerned rose too high."
Asked what the current political temperature is in the country, Archbishop Gomez said, "I think it has lowered. I think as time goes on that will lower the temperature except in this instance the question of the election court, the way in which the court deals with the three matters before it, that process could heighten the tension.
"I have never seen polarization in The Bahamas at this level, never."
Archbishop Gomez said a number of complex matters led to the level of tribalism the country is experiencing. He also said he was concerned by the fact that there was no real debate on important issues impacting the future of the country during the recent election campaign.
"What I found rather strange was this was the first time in my adult life I saw an election in which there was really no discussion of the public issues, the manifestos were issued 10 days before the election; insufficient time for any kind of debate," he said.
"So the emphasis of the election was the two leaders; which of the leaders would emerge victorious and not on the issues of governance or the issues of national concern and I found that alarming that in the 21st Century we would have general elections where the community didn’t even seem concerned about identifying the big issues about the future of the country."
Archbishop Gomez also said, "I firmly believe that there are two types of issues a country must deal with: they’re what I call the narrow political issues and then there are the national issues, which should transcend political allegiance; for example, education. There should not be a political debate on the need for The Bahamas to improve on the quality of education for our citizens."
The archbishop also said there was no doubt in his mind that money influenced the outcome of the May 2 election. "I saw that as not only a challenge to democracy, but a way of excluding the ordinary Bahamian from seeking political office because if it is going to become necessary to have the kinds of funds that were spent in the last election that automatically excludes a lot of people and I [believe] parliament should pass an act which would control the level of expenditure in elections," he said. "I felt that in this last election we’ve gone over the edge in terms of spending and I think it’s a bad sign and it should not be necessary to spend that type of money to win an election, whichever party. I hope that this question of funding for elections will come up [during] this term in this parliament."
He said the recent elections were free. "They were free because persons were free to accept money or the things that money can buy and they were free to respond to the propaganda that was being put out by all parties concerned," Archbishop Gomez said. "I don';t know that freedom was curtailed. I would say that persons refused to exercise good judgment. That's not the same thing as not being free. The elections were fair in the sense that there was opportunity for each person to cast his or her vote."
Long Island Gets Its
1st
Female Deacon
Mission And Ministry
Alive In
Andros Parishes
Memorial Plaque In
Honour
of
Archdeacon
Thompson
Archdeacon Cartwright
Celebrates 25 Years
Christianity
Recent Elections
Resulted In
Heightened
Polarization
Presentation by
Archbishop
Gomez to
the General Synod
of
The Church of England