The second Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival is over. Many are still recovering after a weekend of frolicking. This will be an unproductive week for hardcore revelers. Many only took in a few hours of sleep between Thursday and Sunday, with more liquor than water to sustain them.
There was a large turnout along the part of the carnival route closest to our office. Poinciana Drive and Nassau Street were lined with people who came to see the costumes and dancers, and to listen to the music. Bahamians like carnival despite the controversy surrounding it. The large crowds at the concerts and parade are evidence of that.
The governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) launched carnival last year, and from its inception it has been caught up in a culture war and politics. The PLP says carnival was created to add another festival to our calendar that could draw visitors to The Bahamas. Social conservatives and the opposition disagree. They say this is a foreign festival being given importance over indigenous Bahamian culture and that it is designed to reward PLP supporters. Critics also say that the overt sexuality of carnival brings down our national moral standards.
Last year, then Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Michael Pintard said his party in office would discontinue carnival and broaden Junkanoo. FNM Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest said last month that carnival was too expensive and focused on foreign artists. FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis complained at the last sitting of the House of Assembly that carnival disturbs Seventh-day Adventist worship services.
To put it simply: The FNM does not support the PLP's vision on this issue. If it were to win the next election, it is likely that would be the end of government-sponsored carnival in The Bahamas. It is unclear if carnival can be sustained without heavy state subsidies.
Prime Minister Perry Christie has had few successes this term. He looks tired. He seems more isolated politically.
Carnival isn't a substantive achievement for him, but it is popular. Watching him look at all the people who came out to see it on Saturday, you could see he was pleased. Christie's fate as a leader is simple: If Minnis is the FNM's leader, he's likely to be prime minister again. If the FNM changes leader, however, and a more capable person replaces Minnis, the PLP will be voted out in a landslide.
If the end is near for our prime minister, a man who has ruled the PLP for nearly 20 years, then he should be allowed his simple pleasure of watching his people enjoy something he created. There may be few days left like that for him before it all ends.
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