My wise old grandmother, Mrs. Vera SYMONETTE Hanna was awarded the first ever Order of Merit Award for Education in 1996. This distinguished educator firmly believed in the saying that “where ignorance is a bliss, ’tis folly to be wise!” In the face of pure stupidity, she would remark that “if she had the will of them and a tamarind switch, such ignorance will not prevail!’ For those who knew her were certain that Mrs. Hanna’s no nonsense approach would set straight anyone with a foolish thought or intention. Had she still been alive today, Mrs. Hanna would most certainly have reasons to rid the community of plain stupidity as those that should know better all too often behave in a most immature and illogical manner. This group includes persons who are “leaders” in the community that people look up too.
The latest bout of foolishness in the Bahamas centers around statements made about Brent Symonette who revealed to the Bahamian his intention to contest the leadership of the FNM at the party’s next convention. Should the FNM prove successful at the next general election, and be declared the winner, then chances are that Brent Symonette, a white Bahamian or “conchy-Joe” could become the next Prime Minister of the Bahamas. This is a logical and probable sequence of events. Regrettably, this is where the foolish talk begins as there are individuals in the Bahamas who in this day and age are promoting the ridiculous idea that the Bahamas is not ready for a “white” Prime Minister. Man, what a heap of rubbish! How can anyone in this supposedly progressive country have such a backward and immature mode of thinking? Just recently I entertained a discussion with an aspiring politician from West End who maintained this backward point of view. His opinion centered around the history of race relations in the Bahamas. I pointed out to him the fact that countries in the region with a more turbulent racial past had no difficulty electing persons of another race as their leader.
Under the Constitution of the Bahamas, the only qualification to run for public office is that you must be a citizen of the Bahamas. There is no advantage or disadvantage of any race or place of origin under the Bahamian Constitution. Whether you are a “sheep runner” from Long Island or a “crab catcher” from Andros or a “conchy-Joe” from Spanish Wells, there is no hindrance if you desire to run for the nation’s top post. This is the message that we emphasis to our children when we encourage them to “be all that you can be!” Now there is this stupid notion that somewhere/somehow your ability to run this country is somehow related to the colour of one’s skin. What is even more amazing is the fact that such idiotic suggestions have come from the mouths of persons who are supposedly intelligent and are respected in the Bahamas.
Over the years there has been no credible scientific evidence that has confirmed any genetic superiority in a particular racial characteristic. Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany attempted to demonstrate this with his purified Arian nation. However, Jessie Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics shattered any theory of a racial superiority by winning a number of gold medals in the Track and Field events. Dr Martin Luther King Jr put it most correctly when he had a dream of “sitting at the table of brotherly love and not judging a man by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character!” Whatever act of evil or injustice that has occurred in the past must be forgiven for a nation to heal. Isn’t that the Christian way? Just look at Germany today or Japan who just decades ago had a policy of racial superiority and division. Today, virtually no scars of a torrid racial past exist in those countries. Ironically, the new Pope of the Catholic Church was once a member of Hitler’s Nazi youths. Undoubtedly, those views once held are only a distant memory for Pope Benedict XVI.
The Bahamas with its history of slavery and colonialism was a victim of racial practices. During the 1950s, a small group of white businessmen known as the Bay Street Boys were able to control the political and economical life of the Bahamas. They later formed the United Bahamian Party (UBP). Under the leadership of Premier Sir Roland Symonette, the father of Brent Symonette, the UBP ran a Bahamas that excluded input from the coloured majority at a time when many coloured Bahamians were identifying with the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Despite the social circumstances in the Bahamas at the time, too many people try to describe the UBP in racial terms. PLP chairman Raynard Rigby, a man who is always short on his facts was a baby in diapers when the UBP left office. In his press release, he attempted to portray Brent Symonette as the reincarnated UBP with their racial ways. His ignorance of the UBP is obvious as he particularly criticized Sir Stafford Sands. He is clearly unaware of any contributions that the UBP made that impacted positively the development of the Bahamas. It was the UBP that facilitated men to vote without property ownership. It was the UBP that allowed Bahamian women to vote for the first time in 1962. And yes, it was the UBP under Premier Sir Roland Symonette that participated in the first Constitution for self-rule in 1963, paving the way for independence at some future date.
Undoubtedly, Sir Lynden Pindling is remembered as the father of the nation. However, Sir Stafford Sands is credited with being the father of the economic development of the Bahamas. He was the visionary behind the tourism and banking industries rapid expansion in the Bahamas. When Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba, it was Sir Stafford Sands who brought casino gambling and other businesses from Cuba such as those involved in Rum distilleries to the Bahamas. Can you imagine a Bahamas without the city of Freeport? Freeport is the handiwork of Sir Stafford Sands. For those who appreciate the Bahamian culture of Junkanoo, it was Sir Stafford Sands who introduced prize money for the Bay Street parade. The days since Sir Stafford Sands, successive governments have not introduced any new developments in the Bahamian economy, but only expanded on the economic base left by Sir Stafford Sands. Chairman Rigby is so wrong when he attempts to taint with racism the character of Brent Symonette, who was a mere boy at that time. Just look at Marvin Pinder, a former PLP Cabinet Minister and a white Bahamian who indicated in his school yearbook his ambition to be a UBP Premier.
You cannot look at 1950s situations with 2000 and beyond spectacles. Our forefathers made decisions based on circumstances in life at the time. My classic experience with racial maturity deals with a mailboat called the M/V Air Swift. During the early 1960s, the coloured people from Harbour Island sat in second class out in the sun in the bow of the boat. The whites from Spanish Wells sat in first class in the shade at the stern. When the Bahamas became independent in 1973, my father owned the whole boat and I could sleep in the white captain’s room if I wanted too.
After majority rule on January 10th, 1967, it is reasonable to expect that a government that came to power expounding the injustices of racism would ensure that it would be forever banished from the Bahamas. Instead, the PLP government subtly exploited racism to maintain the support of the majority. The facts of history were conveniently distorted for political benefit. All of what most of the young people know about the UBP is a bias view that had come out of the mouths of PLP politicians. Even the most patriotic national symbol, the flag was abused for selfish political interest by the PLP. The black triangle on the flag, they claimed represented the people of the Bahamas. This was an outright lie that served the purpose of dividing the Bahamian people. It wasn’t until the thirtieth anniversary of Independence that the true meaning of the black triangle was revealed by its designer Horace Bain. It simply was a reflection of the energy of all people of the Bahamas. This explanation was also confirmed by Sir Clement Maynard, Paul Adderley and Arthur Hanna on the Darold Miller show. Why is it only just now they have come forward to set the record straight? Was it solely because of the negative impression it gave of other opposing political parties who the PLP felt that the UBP, real or imagine were supporting?
Under this current PLP government, racism still appears to be a matter of public policy despite a recent conclusion by the Nassau Institute that racism in the Bahamas is dead. The silly and disgracefully racially motivated attack by Cabinet Minister Leslie Miller on Sam Dumcombe last Sunday on the radio must be condemned by every decent Bahamian. The fact that no one from the PLP has come forward to reprimand Leslie Miller means that they approve of this unacceptable form of behaviour by a government official. The Grand Bahama Human Rights Association is now asking government to pass special legislation to protect minorities in the Bahamas.
Ironically, the majority of Bahamians are not black, but are of mixed descent. If you are a Tynes, Hanna, Heastie, Lockhart, Miller, Knowles, Wells, Turnquest, etc, you are a mixed bred. Do not be fooled by the shade of one’s skin in the Bahamas. Even Prime Minister Perry Christie doesn’t have to look far to discover his mixed roots. How can anyone suggest that because I have a few more melanocytes in the epidermis of my skin, I can become Prime Minister of the Bahamas and my distant cousin Brent Symonette can’t? If race is the only issue with Brent Symonette, then one thing is certain, he will be a great Prime Minister.
Yours Sincerely
Dr.Leatendore Percentie D.D.S
Boston, Massachusetts
