Whether Bahamians will ever come together and make a bold statement about their country outside of a General Election remains to be seen. Until such time though, I see a lot of Bahamians saying we need a change, as if we do not understand that we are the reason that we are in the state we are in, in many instances. We are calling on “leaders” to “stand up” as though we do not see that one person alone did not bring us to this point, and one person alone will not save us either. You want things to change and get better? Unlearn wrongdoing.
Stop accepting bribes – stop selling your vote, your fellow Bahamian, your soul or your birthright for a couple of dollars. When the money runs out you, your family and your country will be no better off. Those couple of dollars can’t and never have saved you. You got the couple of dollars and you are still struggling outside and inside, no matter how much you pretend you are not. Stop selling yourself out. You will always be a slave to whoever buys you.
Stop worshiping politicians – they work for you – you do not work for them. They are not gods. They are not better than you. They do not have superhuman powers. The power they do have is what you give them. Stop bowing down to who is supposed to serve you. Stop loving politics more than you love yourself or your country.
Stop worshiping a government job – many Bahamians act like a government job is everything. Serving your country in the public sector is noble (if you actually are honorably serving and not just taking up space and causing trouble through a government job a politician got you); but nothing about a government job is worth selling your soul or selling out other people for. The people you are doing dirty work for today will abandon you as soon as it becomes convenient for them to save and protect themselves. Wake up.
Get your own identity – many Bahamians don’t know who they are or what they can accomplish outside of being connected in some way to a politician or Party, and getting a position or praise from a politician. Many of us will do anything to be in the clique, to feel “connected”, to be “in the inner circle”. I’ve been in those places people who get involved in politics lust after. It ain’t all that. Get your own identity.
Stop swallowing everything you are told without thinking – learn to think. Stop allowing politicians to tell you things they cannot prove or tell you things your own eyes can see are not true. Stop swallowing whatever a politician tells you just because they are in the Party you support. Become a thinker, not just a follower.
Stop being a lazy Bahamian – not just on-the-job lazy, but lazy in your democracy. You cannot want change, but don’t want to educate yourself, don’t want to get informed on what’s happening in your country, don’t want to learn what you need to learn, don’t want to get involved – yet you expect someone to swoop in and fix all your problems. That’s not reality.
Lastly – stop being satisfied to let fear control your destiny. How much longer is fear going to be the reason you don’t break free of being abused and neglected?
Sharon Turner
