Press
Statement
Mrs.
Paulette Zonicle
The Women’s
Branch of the PLP
30
th
December 2009
Party Leader, National Chairman,
The Women’s Branch, Party Officers, Media and friends, good afternoon
and thanks for joining us this afternoon; I am Paulette Zonicle.
It is with great pride that
the upcoming Majority Rule Day will be celebrated under the auspices
of the Women’s Branch of the PLP.
On Sunday, 10th
January 2010, the Progressive Liberal Party will celebrate the 42nd
anniversary of Majority Rule. This singular event in Bahamian played
a significant role in shaping the modern Bahamas we experience today.
The significant events leading up and emanating from Majority Rule must
become permanently etched in the Bahamian historical landscape as these
events define us as a people, reveals what we believe in as Bahamians,
and serve as a constant reminder us of our vision and values.
With your indulgence, I will
give a cursory account of the significant events surrounding Majority
Rule; talk a bit about the meaning of Majority Rule; and pay homage
to the freedom fighters that fought this epic battle in the name of
freedom and justice.
The Burma Road Riots
Many local political historians
believe that June 1, 1942 marked the beginning of the modern political
history of the Bahamas. The events of the Burma Road Riots came as a
result of the agitation by labourers for equal pay for equal work, regardless
of colour or nationality. As you know, a satellite airfield was being
constructed in western New Providence for use by the American armed
forces. A labour dispute ensued over equal pay and this dispute took
on a life of its own and became intimately interwoven with the overall
movement for freedom and social justice. Today that site is the Lynden
Pindling International Airport.
So it is clear that from the
first stirrings of political activity in the country, labour has been
an integral part of the struggle.
The
birth of the PLP
The PLP was born out of a movement
that embodied the hopes, aspirations, and feelings of a generation of
Bahamians who were demanding equal work, majority rule, and freedom
to pursue any hopes and wishes they dared conceive.
The man who generally credited
with conceiving the Progressive Liberal Party was William Cartwright,
a publisher, real estate broker, and Member of the House of Assembly
for Cat Island. In August of 1953, Mr. Cartwright reportedly invited
to the first meeting on Bay and Frederick Streets, the following men:
The Hon. Charles Rodriquez, Mr. Henry Milton Taylor, Mr. Cyril Saint
John Stevenson, Mr. Samuel Carey, Mr. Holly Brown, Mr. Clement Pinder,
Mr. F.W. Russell and others.
Many black businessmen and
lawyers were invited to join, but for reasons of their own, decided
not to be identified with the new movement. But the party’s course
was clear from the beginning; the PLP was designed to represent all
that was opposed to unfair privilege and the wealth and power this afforded
the Bay Street Boys.
General Strike of 1958
In support of 1957’s protests,
a 16-day General Strike brought Nassau to a screeching halt. Unionized
or not, just about every worker participated, and the strike was quite
peaceful. The result was the Trade Union and Industrial Conciliation
Act and the setting up of a Labor Department. The General Strike took
place in January 1958.
Later that year in June, Allan
Lennox Boyd, Secretary of State for the Colonies ordered that the first
constitutional steps be taken toward Majority Rule. The voting franchise
was extended to all males whether they were land owners or not; the
once ubiquitous unlimited plural vote was ordered to be reduced to two
and the abolition of the company vote was ordered.
Women’s Right
To Vote
In November of 1960 Sir Henry
Taylor led a delegation to London to champion the right of women to
vote in The Bahamas. Accompanying Sir Henry were notables like Dame
Doris Johnson and Eugenia Lockhart. Shortly after their return, women
received their right to vote and exercised those rights during the November
26, 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.
Black Tuesday
On this day, the governing
United Bahamian Party sought the approval for a Boundaries Draft Order,
which established the boundaries for the various constituencies of New
Providence and the Family Islands, under the provisions of the 1964
Constitution. During a sitting of the House of Assembly, the PLP proposed
two amendments to the revision of the Boundaries Draft Order which the
UBP had presented. The amendments were designed to get a fairer idea
of the number of voters and their distribution, but both proposed amendments
were rejected.
It was at that point that Sir
Lynden walked over to the Speakers’ table and lifted the 165-year-old
mace, the symbol of the Speaker’s authority, and said, "This
is the symbol of authority, and authority on this island belongs to
the people and the people are outside."
With that he raised the mace
and hurled it through the open window of the House of Assembly.
The Progressive Liberal Party
describes this event as "an act of deviance in the pursuit of liberty
and fairness." So Tuesday 27, April 1965 was destined to go down
in Bahamian history as Black Tuesday.
Majority Rule Day
Some have argued that the great
significance of Majority Rule was that after years of struggle by many
freedom and justice loving people, the back of the old oligarchy was
finally broken. More importantly, Majority Rule presented the opportunity
for real democracy to come to the Bahamas, underpinned by equality,
tolerance, economic justice, social justice, all important elements
in the creation of a free, modern, democratic state.
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.
January 10th is a day in the
national calendar that belongs to all Bahamians – not just PLP’s
but to all Bahamians, black and white, rich and poor, young and old,
city dweller and Family Islander, and, yes, PLP and FNM alike.
January 10th needs to be commemorated
and celebrated by all of us because it represents one of the truly great
and defining moments in our evolution as a people.
With the exception of Emancipation
from Slavery in 1834 and the attainment of Independence in 1973, there
is no event of more consequence and historical importance than the attainment
of Majority Rule on January 10th, 1967.
January 10th, 1967 represents
the transition from the old Bahamas to a New Bahamas; the point of transition
from minority government to Majority Rule; the point of transition to
a modern democracy.
It also represents, however,
one of the highest pinnacles in the historic – and still ongoing
– struggle of the Bahamian people for economic empowerment, for
equality of opportunity, and for social justice.
January 10th, 1967, to be sure,
was neither an end nor even a beginning. Instead, it was an important
milestone in a journey that was begun centuries ago when some anonymous
slave struck a blow for freedom for the first time.
We pause to pay homage to the
personalities and players in this epic struggle. In a hard fought and
competitive election in 1967, the PLP delivered the following 18 members
to a 38-member House of Assembly. They were:
Lynden Pindling, Preston Albury,
Clarence Bain, Milo Butler, Clifford Darling, Elwood Donaldson, Arthur
Foulkes, Carlton Francis, Arthur Hanna, Warren Levarity, Curtis MacMillan,
Uriah McPhee, Maurice Moore, Edmund Moxey, Jimmy Shepherd, George Thompson,
Jeffrey Thompson and Cecil Wallace Whitfield.
Randol Fawkes who successfully
ran as Labour in 1962 and 1967 with the support of the PLP threw his
support behind the PLP and became a member of the first Majority Rule
cabinet. He figured prominently in the movement toward Majority Rule.
Successful Independent candidate
Sir Alvin Braynen threw in his lot with the PLP and accepted the post
of Speaker of the House.
These two warriors for justice
and freedom tipped the proverbial scale in favor of the PLP and the
first Majority Rule cabinet was formed:
This distinguished group consisted
of Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, Milo Butler, Arthur Hanna, Clarence Bain,
Jeffrey Thompson, Carlton Francis, Randol Fawkes, Warren Levarity, Curtis
McMillan, Clement T. Maynard and Lynden Pindling.
So in closing we simply say
that we in this generation of leadership can say that the PLP has crafted
the foundation for success for our nation’s economy for generations
to come with the diversification of income for the Family Islands through
Anchor Projects, the plans for National Health Insurance, the University
of The Bahamas, the transformation of the City of Nassau, and a policy
commitment to ensuring that Bahamians own a greater percentage of the
Bahamian economy.
As we look to the future, it
must be that the average man, making the average salary, with children
to educate to university level; that they see not a glass ceiling but
opportunities that give rise to hope as we work to build the best little
country in the world.
And so, my friends, we come
here to mark a critically important milestone in our progress as a people
– and to re-commit ourselves to a struggle that never ends.
The Progressive Liberal Party
will commemorate the 42nd anniversary of Majority Rule with
a service of Thanksgiving at Saint John’s Native Baptist Church on
Meeting Street on Sunday, January 10th 2010 at 11:00 am.
Dr. Rev. Michael C. Symonette, General Superintendent of the St John’s
Particular Native Society, will deliver the Sermon.
We cordially invite all party
members, supporters, and the general public to worship with us.