Grand Bahama, The Bahamas – The turnout was low for the June 23 Local Government elections in the City of Freeport, when compared to some Family Islands districts.
“In the city of Freeport, the turnout was not as good. In some of the polling divisions, the turnout was as low as one-fifth of the registered voters or in some of the polling divisions, as low as 25 percent,” said Byran Woodside, Minister of State for Lands and Local Government in the Office of the Prime Minister.
“What we find in the remote islands, local government plays a vital role in their local community. The turnout was as high as 80 to 90 percent. Some districts the voter turnout was not as good as other districts.”
“The day, from every indication, has gone quite well. Bahamians have come out in full force in some of the districts to vote for persons whom they wish to serve for the next three years in their local government councils and town committees,” said Mr. Woodside.
“It [low turnout] speaks volumes for certain things. In the city of Freeport, because they are a whole lot more sophisticated than some of the remote Family Islands, people tend to believe that they do not have to rely on local government as much as in Mayaguana, Exuma, Long Island, what have you. So you have a different dynamic at work in the city of Freeport.”
The central government wants young people to be exposed to the importance of governance, teamwork and negotiation by letting them sit on a junior council.
“One of the things we started was the local government junior council and we used two schools here in the city of Freeport. What we seek to do by encouraging young people to embrace local government and understanding the civics and the importance of local government, as it relates to governance of a people,” said Mr. Woodside.
“We hope that will bear some fruits in the future. So, when you have a cadre of young people in the city of Freeport, believing the strong view that local government is important. They will not only embrace voting in the local elections, but also offer themselves for leadership in the local government council in the city of Freeport.”
“What is critical to appreciate is that generally people understand local government. They want local government to be empowered to do more and they certainly support this democratic evolution that started in 1996 in The Bahamas,” said Mr. Woodside.
“Grand Bahama has a unique situation as a result of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which some 50 plus years ago, enabled the establishment of a port authority, so in a sense, the city of Freeport had local government well before the establishment of the 1996 Local Government Act. So, they have been a very sophisticated society, in that sense that they have had what may be considered a three-tier form of local government with the state municipality and at a local government council level.”
“They have a great opportunity to build on what has historically allowed them to be an autonomous district. So, it is important that they continue to work in harmony with the Port Authority and they seek to partner with them and go beyond the types of things that local government would tend to do, like cleaning the parks and building community centers and things of that nature,” said Mr. Woodside.
“They should also look at local government as a means to empower people, to provide employment, and to deepen the economic development for the city of Freeport. And God knows, Grand Bahama needs it.”
By Gena Gibbs
BAHAMAS INFORMATION SERVICES
