The governing party has changed.
Apart from my cynicism, as expressed below, what this means from the point of view of posterity is that the PLP government of 2002-2007 has made history by being the first one-term government to hold office in the independent Bahamas.
There is something else that is historic. This is the first non-landslide victory since 1968. The unofficial results as they are being reported are as follows: Free National Movement 24 seats, Progressive Liberal Party 17 seats. This gives us the first opposition that is considerably larger than one-third of the House of Assembly. The win is a decisive one, but not an overwhelming one. This spread may not seem tight to people outside of The Bahamas, but it is a new thing in our democracy, where swings tend to be major. How this will work remains to be seen. It is not likely that it will change the outcome of legislation hugely, but it does provide more scope for sensible debate on issues, rather than hot-airing of personal differences.
At least, I hope so. This is the kind of opposition for which I have been waiting and watching for all my life. Whether it will do its job remains to be seen.
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The pundits speak, the candidates speak, but ultimately in a democracy it is the people who speak.
I can appreciate the cynicism of Larry “Throw The Bums Out” and Nicolette “A Pox On Both Your Houses”. The Bahamas is certainly not the only place where parties are devoid of ideology and campaigns are devoid of substance.
But I am curious what ideological parties you would see in the Bahamas. What contradictions would you like to heighten? In an overwhelmingly Christian nation, Christian Democrats would form a one-party state, and denominationally-based parties wuold seem the wrong way to go. Socialists? Libertarians? Greens? These all would be tiny niche parties in the Bahamas. A Patronage Party might attract substantial support, if people were honest with themselves, but that seems going backwards too.
I think the real issue here is the lack of competition for control of government. You have a duopoly of look-alike parties. But I do not think the solution is the introduction of ideological parties. I think the Bahamas would be better served if competition existed on a different vector — as competition between the national government and local governments.
I am of course talking abour REAL local goverments; with their own budget and legal authority, and their own revenue sources. Ideally the local governments would provide water/waste, transportation, recreational, fire, and local police services. National government would have the oversight role, with the threat that services would be provided centrally (and local revenues seized accordingly) if the locals messed up badly.
Such a scheme would introduce a natural and healthy tension between local and national governments which would drive both to be more efficient and effective. The government functions that matter most day-to-day would be in the hands of non-partisan, frequently elected local governments. The national government (now much smaller) could focus on longer-range and nation-wide matters.
It wouldn’t solve every Bahamian political problem. But it would be a good start.
An adjustment in the numbers based on what was reported in the morning papers: 23 FNM seats, 18 PLP seats. An even better ratio, to my mind. In the future I’d like to see that reduced to about a difference of 5 seats.
In response to Bob: the fundamental bit of ideology I would like to see a part espouse and commit to is the question of sovereignty and national pride. Currently, both political parties have practised the policy of selling off the nation — either literally, in terms of land (the Christie administration), or figuratively, in terms of labour (the old Ingraham administration). I would like to see an ideology of self-determination and confidence permeate our people and our community — something that has not been encouraged by governments in The Bahamas since the 1970s (when it was over-encouraged to the point it became a liability).
I too would like to see an extension of real local government, but within a climate of federal regulation about how far a local government can go until such time as we Bahamians gain enough self-respect to temper the current rush to make money. Hope Town is no longer a Bahamian settlement. It may look cute, but it is an enclave of expatriate owners, and Bahamians can no longer afford to live there. Harbour Island is caught in a strange limbo, suspended between the expatriates who would turn it into another Hope Town, and local officials who believe that Development a la Nassau levels is the way to go.
There isn’t much that’s healthy about our government right now, I’m afraid. Our democracy may be growing — thank heaven! — but our governments? That remains to be seen.
Can you tell me who won the seat in the Marco island district –
I heard that Pleasant Bridgewater was ousted – is that correct or an error.
thank you.
It’s correct. She was beaten by Zhivargo Laing — by about 60 votes or so, last I heard.
Check here for the official results.
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN WITH THEIR VOTES. IT WAS A CORRECT DECISION. ALL PARTIES MUST LEARN FROM THIS ELECTION THAT IF NOT PRODUCTIVE AND FAIR, YOU WILL BE VOTED OUT. DONT TAKE IT PERSONAL, IT THE PEOPLE ‘S PERROGATIVE TO CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT.
Mr Darling your quite clear the people have spoken with there votes,however to say that the PLP government was not productive and fair is not all to true. The very concept of putting an anchor project on most islands is a great one.This will surely provide economic growth and stability for locals through employment and education not to mention the hundreds of spin-offs in business opportunities.
As far as being fair im not quite sure whats your spin on this.But the one thing Christie did not do like most previous administrations is to remove all non party supporters from high positions in office.
The next five years will prove to be one of substantial growth with contracts and agreements signed by the former government.
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