The Bahamas celebrates 41 years of independence today. I heartily join in hailing our motto: “Forward, Upward, Onward, Together” … my Bahamaland!
We are a nation of only 320,000 people. Yet not even the political and cultural hegemony of the United States can chasten our national pride.
But this is precisely why we make such a mockery of our “independence” by continuing to pledge allegiance to a British Queen – when we should be referring to Her Majesty as nothing more than our children’s fairy godmother; and by continuing to appeal to a UK Privy Council – when we should be appealing to a Bahamas Supreme Court as our court of last resort.
Nothing brings the former into instructive relief quite like the recent appointment of Marguerite Pindling, widow of our first prime minister, as our new governor general. After all, if mere accident of birth qualified Elizabeth II to be our head of state, surely the good sense to marry well makes Marguerite even more qualified.
And nothing brings the latter into instructive relief quite like our politicians throwing temper tantrums every time Privy Council judges tame (i.e., deny) their bloodlust to have a Bahamian murderer hanged. After all, if each of the 50 states in the USA can assume the grave responsibility of deciding whether or not to impose the death penalty, surely our “independent” nation can do the same. No?
Incidentally, with all due respect to the Caribbean Court of Justice, I’m on record arguing repeatedly (most recently in “Idle-minded Debate on Privy Council Continues,” June 30, 2011) that there’s no point in ridding ourselves of a colonial arbiter of our legal fate only to subject ourselves to a regional one.
But don’t get me started on how silly we look aping the royal pretensions and appurtenances of our former colonial masters – by doing everything from wearing those stupid white wigs in court, to putting on airs with titles like “Sir” and “Dame”.
I mean, how is it that so many of our people see no self-abnegating contradiction in such titles; or in demonstrating their Bahamian pride by flaunting an image of a white woman with our Bahamian flag painted on her face and the British crown hovering above the seemingly delusional caption, “I’m Bahamian and Proud”?
The point is that the time has long since passed for us to completely sever the umbilical cords of colonialism and stand proud as a people beholden and answerable only to ourselves.
So, let’s truly “March On, Bahamaland.”
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