The Bahama Journal Editorial
Another Majority Rule anniversary has come and has gone.
And so, today we reference matters germane to labor, politics and Majority Rule in the Bahamas.
And for sure – even as this one recedes into the mists that come with memories effaced; another will arrive and some other Bahamians will venture that, the General Strike of 1958 did play a massively important role in the social transformation of the Bahamas.
And so we would argue that those who now go in search of the mainspring governing action in those days might first wish to look at the leadership cadre behind the General Strike; there they would find Randol F. Fawkes [labor’s main man and champion of the so-called grass roots]; Clifford Darling, a taxi-driver [and therefore an owner in his own right of his means of production] and Lynden O. Pindling [as Parliamentary Leader of the then-nascent Progressive Liberal Party].
Fast forward to the social history available to most Bahamians and you would find that, it was the Progressive Liberal Party – with the help of a distinguished cadre of intellectuals and other political savvy men and women [with some of them like Clement Maynard, labor leaders in their own right]; that was able to command the support of the so-called “Majority”.
We would also venture that the role played by Clifford Darling and his men was the maneuver that did more than any other tactic to show the resolve of the Bahamian people not only in the specifics that had triggered the strike, but also in the broader struggle for full adult suffrage in the Bahamas.
And yet again, any fair reading of the social history of the past fifty-plus years would show that it was Pindling’s fate and that of his party to take the mantle and become the pioneers of development in a Bahamas that had entered history’s stream in a truly big way when the case of the Bahamas [that is its case for freedom] was argued before the United Nations.
This was like Black Tuesday of April 27th. 1965 uniquely Pindling’s.
As the record attests, Pindling and his Progressive Liberal Party went on to a series of victories that took them and the people they led to both so-called Majority Rule and Independence.
Evidently, they also faced some major challenges.
Highest on that list would be the damage done by the illicit trade in drugs throughout the Bahamian archipelago; the corrosive effects this trade had - and which it continues to have on social life in our country.
Notwithstanding this challenge and a host of others, there is no doubting the conclusion that the Bahamas built by Pindling endures. In this regard, it is nothing short of exemplary that the man who is today Chief and the man who would be Chief are both distinguished political alumni of the late and truly great Sir Lynden O. Pindling.
And so we would argue that if there is a legacy of 1958 that resounds even now; the resonance is to be found in the ascendancy of the Progressive Liberal Party in the years subsequent.
But even as we make these brief points concerning the General Strike of 1958, the eclipse of Fawkes and his supporters, the subsequent ascendancy of Pindling and the PLP, we also note that, despite their advances and that of the nation itself – there has always been an underclass of workers who have not benefited as much as they might have at one time or the other dreamed.
In addition, there are clearly any number of so-called ‘small’ businesses that have not been able to consolidate themselves in the all the years since the achievement of so-called Majority Rule.
This is not as surprising as it might – on first blush- appear; this because regardless of intention, no government no matter how well-intentioned, can make someone [or better still anyone] succeed in business.
And as an old saying puts it, money goes where money lies – and so it has and so will it continue.
But for sure – even as the evidence mounts that this is so, there remains a persistent cry to the effect that this or that group is being oppressed by another.
This is evidence of the highest order that the real struggle in our country and others has to do with the struggle between classes and the masses; and not that between the so-called ‘races’.
Indeed, such is the current state of political play in the Bahamas that both of this nation’s political parties now vie for the support of practically the same people; and thus the current slide towards a politics of tribalism and personal destruction.
January 11, 2011
The Bahama Journal Editorial
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Showing posts with label Randol F. Fawkes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Randol F. Fawkes. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Thursday, June 15, 2000
Who was Sir Randol Fawkes?
All About Sir Randol Fawkes - Bahamian Hero
A Hero of The Bahamas
Biography of Sir Randol Fawkes
THE POSITIVE ACHIEVEMENTS OF SIR RANDOL FAWKES
March 20, 1924 - June 15, 2000
He was born in Nassau on March 20th, 1924 - and was the second son of Edward R. Fawkes and Mildred Fawkes. He was educated in the public schools in the Bahamas and in the U.S.A. Three months after his graduation from high school in December 1942, Sir Randol's father indentured him to Mr. T. August Toote, a Barrister-at-Law. Afterwards, he was called to the Bahamas Bar in April 1948. On June 3rd, 1951, Sir Randol married Jacqueline Rosalie nee Bethel of West End, Grand Bahama. This marriage produced three sons: Francis, Douglas, David and one daughter, Rosalie.
In his struggle for equality for all, this great innovator conceived of many of the social and historical milestones that we as present-day Bahamians should not take for granted. As one of the chief architects of majority rule, he was instrumental in bringing into existence the first black government. He is also the recognized father of the Free Trade Union Movement, which is still a formidable force in this country. It is because of Sir Randol Fawkes that a bill was piloted through the House of Assembly, thus making Labour Day a paid public holiday.
Because he was a great visionary, many times he anticipated major national developments long before they were recognized or even implemented. For example: the motion for independence; the existence of the Court of Appeal and many other developments are attributable to his farsightedness.
Multi-talented in athletics and the fine arts, he was the President of the Viking Sporting Club. He also showed a flair for music and the visual arts. However, he intuitively recognized God's purpose of his life. His ministry was to the poor and dispossessed and to this end - this supreme liberator fulfilled his mission. In Bermuda, he acted in an advisory capacity in the formation of the Progressive Labour Party thus ending an oppressive era of minority rule. In 1999, he launched the trade union movement in the Cayman Islands. For his work at home, he has been honoured and officially recognized as the father of Human Rights in the Bahamas.
Perhaps, the greatest legacy he left for this generation was his strength of character.
Recognized internationally, he was never spoiled by fame. He never became arrogant or unapproachable. Instead, his mighty meekness prevailed - and he never lost the common touch. As a highly principled and moral Christian leader, he was tempted by wealth but did not succumb. He was never materialistic, but successfully defended his pension as a matter of principle. His greatest character trait was his willingness to stand up for what he believed in almost life-defying circumstances. This singular quality - which is almost non-existent today - set him apart from most. This seems to be the hallmark of Sir Randol Fawkes - one of the greatest foundational leaders of our times.
Here is a Chronology of the Accomplishments of this Bahamian Hero:
1948 - Called to the Bahamas Bar
1948 - Spearheaded the movement for the existence of the Court of Appeal
1949 - Joined the Citizens Committee
1951 - Married Jacqueline Rosalie nee Bethel of Grand Bahama
1951 - Founder and secretary of the first commercial bank: The People's Penny Savings Bank
1952 - One of the founding fathers of the Bahamas Amateur Athletic Association (BAAA)
1955 - Founder of the Bahamas Federation of Labour
1955 - One of the founding members of the Progressive Liberal Party
1956 - Elected to the House of Assembly for the Southern District
1956 - Spearheaded the movement for associating the Bahamas with the University of the West Indies
1956 - Served on the house select committee on labour relations and Constitutional reforms
1958 - Played host to the late Dr. Martin Luther King
1958 - As president of the Bahamas Federation of Labour, he led the General Strike, resulting in major constitutional and labour Reforms. Later, it paved the downfall of British colonialism in these islands - nine (9) years later
1958 - On a lecture tour of New York City, he was recognized by the Caribbean League of America and Abyssinia Baptist Church for Outstanding contributions to Bahamian life and times
1958 - Honoured in Nassau by the National League of Beauty Culturalist in Nassau
1959 - In Bermuda, he assisted fellow trade unionists in the formation of the Progressive Labour Party – as an alternative to minority rule
1961 - Piloted a bill through the House of Assembly thereby Establishing Labour Day as a paid public holiday
1961 - Responsible for the resolution for the creation of a Labour Exchange and Old Age Pension Act
1962 - Re-elected to the House of Assembly
1963 - Represented the Labour party at a Constitutional Conference in London
1963 - Was one of the first and the strongest proponents for Local Government in the Bahamas and addressed his concerns at the Constitutional Conference in London
1966 - As one of the first persons on record to advocate national Independence, he pleaded its cause before the United Nations
1967 - As an elected Labour leader, broke the deadlock between the United Bahamian Party (UBP) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) by throwing his vote with the P.L.P
1967 - Became Minister of Labour and Commerce with Copyright Law in his portfolio in the P.L.P - Labour Coalition Government.
1967 - Successfully launched the Industrial Relations Charter for The Bahamas in Freeport
1968 - Represented the Labour Party at the 2nd Constitutional Conference in London
1970 - He was the architect of the November motion of no confidence in the P.L.P government. This resulted in the dissident eight who formed the basis of the F.N.M. government.
1972 - Listed in Personalities Caribbean - The International Guide to Who's Who in the West Indies, Bahamas and Bermuda
1978 - Knight Bachelor conferred by the Queen
1990 - Cited by the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association and the Abaco and the New Providence Associations as the Father of the Human Rights Movement in the Bahamas
1993 - Named man of the year by the Cable Beach Kiwanis Club, New Providence, The Bahamas
1997 - Reaches an amicable settlement of his pension case in the Court of Appeal. This resulted in the Parliamentary Pensions Act 1995 for former parliamentarians and senators; and the Sir Randol Fawkes Pension Act 1998
1998 - Received the Silver Jubilee Award in recognition for his outstanding national contribution in the field of Trade Unionism and Labour
1999 - Launched the Trade Union Movement in the Cayman Islands
1999 - Cited as one of the most influential Bahamians of the 20th century in the Tribune's souvenir edition at the turn of the Millennium
1999 - Featured as one of the faces of the century in the Guardian's edition of Memories - The Turning of a Century
2000 - Was listed in the Wendell K. Jones Publication: The 100 Most Outstanding Bahamians of the 20th Century
POSTHUMOUS RECOGNITION:
2013 ‐ The Senators passed a bill to rename the Labour Day Holiday: “Randol Fawkes Labour Day”
2020 ‐ Received the official title of: “The Right Excellent Sir Randol Fawkes” National Hero; Knight Bachelor at Government House on 19th November
2023 ‐ Received from The Government High School Alumni Association: “The Phoenix Lifetime Achievement Award” on 14th January
2023 - Received the Golden Jubilee Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions - on the 10th July.
BOOK PUBLICATIONS
- You should know Your Government, 1949
- The Bahamas Government, 1962
- The New Bahamas, 1966
- The Faith that moved The Mountain, 1979 (three editions published)
- A Memorial Edition of The Faith that moved the Mountain, 2004
- SIR RANDOL FAWKES AND THE BAHAMAS FEDERATION OF LABOUR - See: https://web.facebook.com/p/Sir-Randol-Fawkes-and-The-Bahamas-Federation-of-Labour-100035369065962/
AFFILIATIONS
- Chairman, National Association for the Protection of Human Rights
- The Bahamas Trade Union Congress National Executive Board
The Revolutionary Etude Op.10, No 12 by Frederic Chopin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)