In Celebration of Ceremony

by Sir Arthur Foulkes

The ascent of Arthur Dion Hanna to the highest position in the nation is a matter for celebration, and it was celebrated in grand style at Government House last week.

It is well that we observe such important events in the life of the nation with suitable ceremony and pageantry.

These rituals speak in rich cadences about our good fortune to be living in a land where justice, law, order, democracy and peaceful transition are cherished; a land where some of the finest are still willing to serve in politics in spite of the hazards of that arena and in spite of their own human frailties.

Many other nations in this troubled world are not nearly so fortunate. They have no politicians to criticize and blame and kick out of office whenever they wish. Their lives are controlled by foreign occupiers or home-grown tyrants who dictate by the barrel of a gun or the edge of a machete.

In a Bahamas which has escaped bloody upheaval, Arthur Hanna°¶s journey is instructive. He progressed from the remote settlement of Pompey Bay, Acklins, to preside at Mount Fitzwilliam overlooking the capital City of Nassau.

He is one of the founders of the modern Bahamas and one of the chief architects of majority rule and independence. Like others of his generation, Mr. Hanna was inspired and motivated on his journey by a fierce love of his native land and a vision of what it could become.

No one should doubt the sincerity of his words when he speaks in glowing terms about unity and peace, social harmony and concord, solidarity and common purpose.

His life and his commitment to service should serve as an inspiration to young Bahamians (especially our young men), an inspiration to pursue personal development and to commit to the task of nation-building.

°ßThe past is over and it is the future that beckons us now,°® said His Excellency Mr. Hanna. That is what all of us must now be about if the Bahamas is to overcome its many challenges, external and internal, and fulfill the brightest dreams of those who laid its foundations.

* * *

°ßNever say never,°® is a piece of advice frequently offered, especially to politicians. It was not meant to be absolute, of course, because there are a few things one can say never about.

It does, however, serve to remind us that often in life circumstances change, perspectives alter and passions subside. Arthur Hanna°¶s attitude towards the monarchy and things royal is well known since he has never been shy in speaking about it.

So he will forgive an old friend a chuckle or two -- but an understanding nod °V as he watched him swear allegiance to Queen Elizabeth and become Her Majesty°¶s personal representative in the Bahamas!

* * *

The House of Assembly has been prorogued and just in time for the new Governor General to open a new session of parliament with the usual pageantry and the speech from the throne. There is nothing wrong with this except that the PLP government has ignored this important part of parliamentary life for nearly four years.

This is the longest period without prorogation since independence with the exception of the tumultuous 1982-87 parliament. Records indicate that there were no new sessions in this entire parliament. The FNM had at least two prorogations in both its five-year terms °V in 1993 and 1996, and in 1999 and 2000.

Most parliamentary democracies have new sessions annually and that is what we should do in the Bahamas. It is not a constitutional requirement but it is an important convention that ought to be observed nevertheless.

Like the opening of the court sessions each year, prorogations and the ceremonial opening of new sessions of parliament speak of stability, order, discipline and continuity. They are opportunities to celebrate an institution which is central to our democracy.

They provide opportunities to regulate and order the work of parliament, for the government of the day to report progress to the people and to tell the people what is next on the agenda, and for the opposition to hold the government to account by debating the speech from the throne.

In Great Britain there is a ceremonial opening of a new session of parliament every single year when the Queen reads the speech from the throne. This is usually around October or November, except in an election year when there may be an earlier opening of a new parliament.

We have started something which looks to become a tradition and that is the annual church service for parliamentarians. It would be nice if this can be incorporated into a celebration of our parliament with a ceremonial opening of a new session each year.

* * *

When our independence constitution was being debated, one point at issue was whether the Attorney General °V a politician and a member of the cabinet °V should have the final say with regard to prosecutions.

The British Government wanted to create an independent director of prosecutions. I believe it was Loftus Roker who pointed out that in Britain the attorney general had this power, for good reason, and argued that Bahamian politicians could also be trusted not to abuse it.

There are times when a decision has to be made as to whether it would be in the public interest to proceed with a particular prosecution. One such occasion occurred in the Bahamas in connection with the death of a child who had been disciplined by a teacher.

It is necessary for ministers of government and the attorney general to have power and discretion in certain matters. These must not be abused and the conventions governing their use must be observed.

The question is: How well have we respected and observed the conventions which are so important to the operation of our system of government?

* * *

Paul Adderley has speculated that Arthur Hanna could very well be the last Governor General of the Bahamas and that the next person to preside at Government House could be a president.
Mr. Adderley is in a better position than most to make such a judgment since he is co-chair of the Bahamas Constitutional Commission. No doubt the Commission will recommend, among other things, that the monarchy should be abolished and that the Bahamas should become a republic.

Still, it is not all that safe a bet having regard to the state of politics in the country. Even if the Commission reports in short order, there is very little chance that significant constitutional reform can be debated and put to the people in a referendum °V or referendums °V before the next election.

One of the chief criticisms of the PLP government is its dithering and indecisiveness, something Mr. Adderley himself has commented on. So can he really expect Prime Minister Perry Christie to push constitutional reform in this parliament, or even in the next if the PLP is re-elected?

The real debate on constitutional reform will only begin when the Commission makes its findings and frames the questions to be put to the people. And it is likely to be a furious debate which will make already edgy politicians quite leery of another referendum.

If the FNM should win the next election, it will come in with an agenda that is not likely to have constitutional reform, or another referendum, anywhere near the top.

The FNM will also remember its experience with the referendum prior to the last election. Opposition Leader Perry Christie and his colleagues supported the proposed changes in parliament then went out into the country and vigorously campaigned against them!

Comments

[Interested]

A very interesting report by the IMF on "Brain Drain" has surfaced showing that between 1965 and 2000 The Bahamas has had 61%

of its college trained citizens emigrate, and 90% of these to the U.S.. On analyzing the groups who do not emigrate it is

obvious that perhaps more than 90% of Bahamians who graduate from U.S. Universities do not return home. Considering that U.S.

trained graduates are more likely to have the kind of training, experience, and exposure that the Bahamas needs to be

competitive, these are devastating statistics for the future competiveness of the Bahamas. Futher, the study shows that

unlike other Caribbean countries the ratio of those leaving with tertiary education versus those with only secondary

education is extremely high. In other words the Bahamas has a much higher percentage of its lesser trained citizens that do

not emigrate. What this tells us is that the talent pool in the Bahamas is very thin. despite all the hoopla about the

potential for progress, it is obvious that these sytatistics show that in the competitive global environment the Bahamas will

continue to have very serious problems competing in the major leagues with only minor league talent. It's only common sense,

and the govt has been advised of this in great detail but has made no movement to attempt to address it.

This study supports the claims that Dr. B.J. Nottage and others have been making that our greatest resource for development

may be harnessing the talents of these expatriate Bahamians. While these individuals cannot be expected to return home Dr.

Nottage proposed in his "Bring It Home Initiative" that the govt develop a structured organized approach to harnessing the

talents of this group. Other countries are doing it.

Hopefully now that he is in the governing party some of his excellent ideas can be put in play. The full report can be read

at http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2006/wp0625.pdf