The ‘We the People’ organization gained several members during its Grand Bahama launch at the Regency Theatre on Saturday night.
‘We the People,’ the brainchild of radio show host and communications executive Ed Fields, was launched in New Providence on November 16 last year and to date has almost 700 members.
The organization’s goals are to inspire participation in bringing about a better Bahamas and to research and formulate solutions with respect to major issues facing the country with a view to causing change.
During Saturday’s launch, ‘We the People’ executive director Philip Simon explained to the audience that the members of ‘We the People’ will determine the projects that the organization works to address.
“You join and the very first thing that we expect after joining is participation.”
Work has already begun in New Providence on tackling issues that were brought to the forefront by members, including the traffic situation, the beautification of Government House, and the establishment of a Police Athletic League similar to the one carried out by the New York Police Department.
Chairman Ed Fields stressed that the organization is not aligned with any political party, nor is it seeking to become one itself.
Change cannot happen if only a few persons are engaged in the process, he said, and the organization is structured to encourage engagement.
“From this will spring the ideas that will build our nation and which will lend to improving and maintaining an acceptable quality of life for more of our people,” he said.
“Won’t it be a glorious thing, folks, when we can boast of a Bahamas leading the way with respect to how we participate in the management of our country?”
Resident Anthony Hanna, who attended the launch and signed on as a member of the group, said he thinks the effort will be successful.
“It’s something that has been necessary for the past 25 years, but no one had the ability nor the guts to stand up and do it, and I think Ed Fields has done an extraordinary job in starting something. It’s a little spark now, but let me tell you, it’s going to catch a fire,” he said.
