Today marks the 57th anniversary of the achievement of Majority Rule in The Bahamas. January 10, 1967, is a red-letter day in the history of our country.
Without majority rule, the economic and social progress and advancement of the majority of Bahamian citizens, markedly Black Bahamians, but including poor white Bahamians, would have been considerably slowed.
Instead, following two decades of struggle for improved labor conditions, educational opportunities, the enfranchisement of women and fair demarcation of electoral constituency boundaries, the political domination of the country by a small white elite represented by the United Bahamian Party (UBP) led by Sir Roland Symonette, was successfully defeated by a burgeoning group of Black professionals and small businessmen who had formed themselves into the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) led by Lynden Pindling, later Sir Lynden.
The 1967 general election produced a tie between the two groups, broken only by the agreement of two members, one representing labor, Sir Randol Fawkes, as he later became, and the other an independent, Sir Alvin Braynen, as he later became, a white Bahamian. Both threw their support to the PLP.
There is little doubt that the achievement of majority rule served as a catalyst to the expansion of education and training and the increase in economic opportunities for Bahamians of all races and income brackets resulting in development of a vibrant middle class and a prosperous country.
It is a landmark in our history, well deserving and worthy of recognition and celebration.
Within four years of Majority Rule, eight members of the PLP, led by Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, later Sir Cecil, and hundreds of their supporters, parted ways with that party, first forming the Free PLP and later, in 1971, founding a new political amalgam, the Free National Movement (FNM), which included former members and supporters of the UBP.
They were later joined by another of the 1967 parliamentary freshman class, Edmund Moxey.
Only three of the 18 elected members of the first majority governing party elected on January 10, 1967 are still with us. They are Sir Arthur Foulkes, Maurice Moore and Dr. Elwood Donaldson. The last member of the first Cabinet, A.D. Hanna, passed away on August 3, 2021.
In a twist of fate, the three surviving members of the first majority government were among the disaffected PLP members who created the FNM. In doing so, they became architects of the further political advancement of the country establishing the foundation of a strong two-party political system that has served us well.
In the years following 1967, some in the PLP have sought to take ownership of the struggle to achieve majority rule as well as of the benefits that followed.
This made it uncomfortable for others, who were equally responsible for the achievement of majority rule but who later fell outside of the PLP, to fully participate in recognizing and celebrating this important milestone in our path to nationhood. But the record shows that leaders of both major political parties in The Bahamas made substantial contributions to the achievement of majority rule.
And so, today, we also acknowledge and record the names of the other patriots first elected to majority Bahamian government in 1967: Carlton Francis, Dr. Curtis McMillan, Milo Butler as he then was, Jeffrey Thompson, James Shepherd, Clifford Darling, as he then was, Warren Levarity, Uriah McPhee, Clarence Bain, George Thompson, and Preston Albury.
It is appropriate that as we observe Majority Rule Day, we take time to acknowledge the commitment and dedication of so many from both the PLP and the FNM, from different walks of life, different races and ethnic groups, varying professions and income levels to achieving majority rule and hence better for all Bahamians.
Happy Majority Rule Day.
