Last week, Tribune chief reporter Rupert Missick Jr used this space to argue that Bahamians have too much deference for authority, and have transferred "fearful reverence of a white, foreign, colonial master to a black power elite who rely on the same tools as our former masters to keep us docile and submissive."
Over time, professionals and politicians from across the political spectrum have closed ranks on the common Bahamian and tacitly declared themselves to constitute a privileged class.
The Bahamas is not a special case. According to Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, following independence from Europe many nationalist elites around the world simply dropped "into the narrative pattern of Europeans, hoping to become mimic men… mere native correspondences of their imperial masters."
Yet as a parliamentary democracy, the Bahamas is also part of a tradition of liberalism founded on an inherent distrust of those who seek power and influence, and which views public servants as just that – servants of the people.
Many factors have contributed to the present situation. Significant among them is the legacy of media control and manipulation by successive governments.
The Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation has arguably done more to perpetuate the culture of hero worship in the Bahamas than the actions of any single politician or party.
The media is supposed to be a crucial counterweight to power. Yet the entity which is the most visible example of the discipline for most Bahamians is little more than a deferential propaganda tool; a lapdog of those in power.
The corporation's deputy general manager, Carlton Smith recognised as much, and said in September 2005 that ZNS cannot act in the best interest of the public as long as it is government-operated.
As in all effective propaganda exercises, the terms of reference set the tone: officials are not simply the public servant that has this or that responsibility, but rather "the Honourable" or "His Excellency".
An air of unapproachability is thus woven around the politician, who commands an immediate, unquestioning respect – in some cases bordering on idolatry.
This, along with the selective bias of coverage, the pro-government slant (whichever party is in power), and the reluctance of ZNS to cover certain stories has done a great deal to condition a particular response to those in authority over time.
ZNS engenders a view of journalism that bears no relation to the watchdog role it is supposed to fulfil and has led to the belief that journalists should be aiding the government in the "nation-building" process.
It has perpetuated the myth that the role of the media is to cover interminable honours ceremonies, pompous "awards luncheons" and other opportunities for self-congratulatory posturing by politicians – rather than constant, rigorous criticism.
Clever politicians- are well aware of how effective this can be and are quick to answer any deviations from ZNS-style journalism.
In a letter to the Editor earlier this month, a public servant criticised The Tribune for perpetrating assaults on "our national image" by failing to accord due respect to the office of the Prime Minister.
To this person, a lack of respect for those who govern is equivalent to disrespecting the people of the Bahamas and the nation itself. In other words, politicians and the offices they occupy are both the root and the measure of our national stability and self-respect and newspapers have a patriotic duty to reflect this.
This sentiment runs directly counter to the political tradition which the modern Bahamas has inherited. This tradition holds that politicians should be seen as nothing more than the trustees of power, and that its rightful owners are the people. Neither the political office or the one who occupies it are sacred. It is the obligation of real journalists to accord each politician exactly the amount of respect he or she has earned – no more, no less.
While the Broadcasting Corporation's monopoly has been broken, old habits of media consumption die hard, and decades of damage have already been done.
Bahamians must realise how dangerous our culture of heroworship is; it cripples our critical faculties, encourages us to turn a blind eye to outrageous double standards and allows our elected leaders to mistake themselves for our born betters.
By PACO NUNEZ Tribune News Editor
Read the previous article by Rupert Missick Jr. entitled, "Should Demand More From Politicians".
