January 10 - Majority Rule Day in the Bahamas

nPosted on January 10, 2020

Key points

nToday’s holiday commemorates the Bahamas gaining majority rule for the first time on this date in 1967. Majority Rule Day symbolizes fairness and equality for all Bahamians.

nI am used to living in a country where the majority rules, and let me tell you – it DOESN’T always mean fairness and equality. Unfortunately, the majority is often quite unfair in its laws, in its enforcement of laws, and in its justice system – unfair to minorities, whether they are racial or ethnic minorities, religious minorities, or minorities in the area of sexual orientation and gender identification.

nThe truth is, people’s rights cannot be up for a vote. For example, we should never decide whether people can or cannot practice Hinduism by popular vote. We can’t shrug and say, “Sorry, Hindus, majority rules; that’s just democracy!” Instead, human rights must be enshrined in first principles, in constitutions, in the fundamental basis and structure of a nation’s laws.

nSo…if “majority rule” isn’t necessarily a recipe for democracy and fairness, why is Majority Rule Day billed that way in the Bahamas?

nAh….you have to look at the history of the Bahamas!

nFirst inhabited by Arawakan-speaking Taino peoples, the Spaniards led by Christopher Columbus found no value in the forested islands of the Bahamas, and they forced the Taino people onto ships, taking them to other islands to be used as slave labor. The Bahamas were literally uninhabited for a number of years, although a variety of European groups tried to settle the islands.

nEventually, the Bahamas became a sort of pirate republic. (The “pirates of the Caribbean” were not just a Disney ride and movie!) When the British got serious about squelching piracy, British weapons, ships, and people came to the islands and controlled the islands for the next couple of centuries!

The thick forests were cleared for British-owned sugar plantations, and as you can guess, many African people were enslaved and brought to the Bahamas to work the plantations. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of people living in the Bahamas from the early 1700s on have been Afro-Bahamians. These days, Afro-Bahamians make up around 90 percent of all Bahamians.

nIn other words, black people were and are the majority. Decidedly!

nBut because of the history of the Bahamas, with the black people being enslaved, with the land being owned by white people, with the government and other positions of wealth and power being controlled by white people, the minority ruled over the majority.

nAfter World War II, Bahamians were seeking self-rule and more autonomy from Britain. At the time, the two most powerful political parties were split along racial lines, but the playing field was still tilted toward white people. It wasn’t long after the new constitution went into effect, in 1964, that the Afro-Bahamian majority of the population finally gained a majority of the seats in the Bahamian parliament and the Bahamas finally had a black Premiere (the position was soon renamed Prime Minister). And less than a decade after that milestone, the Bahamas finally became fully independent of Britain!

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nWith that history, with the vast majority of a country being controlled by undemocratic shenanigans pulled by a richer minority, I can certainly see why “majority rule” was an important beacon for equality and democracy!

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The Bahamas are known for their beautiful beaches,
for cruise ships and resorts, and for Pig Beach, a teeny
island that is uninhabited by people but very definitely
inhabited by feral (wild) pigs!