Last Friday Bahamians marched to the city center in Nassau in protest of the governance being delivered by Perry Christie and his administration. People had various issues they wanted highlighted. Some were upset by the sale of Crown land to foreigners; others about the crime problem; some the state of the economy.

At the march's peak there may have been 1,500 people. For the modern Bahamas that is a large gathering of dissent, especially considering that a political party did not arrange it.

Ranard Henfield, founder of the Our Carmichael community group, led the march. He is an unknown. Bahamians felt comfortable enough to join with him.

At the end of it, Henfield said another march would be organized for January 9. He and the other activist organizers are planning focus groups to discuss the issues Bahamians want addressed. They have also said they will prepare draft legislation they would like to see passed by Parliament.

Many commentators have commended Henfield and the other march organizers for trying to awaken the activist spirit in Bahamians. We are not known for hitting the streets to hold power to account.

Henfield now, however, seems to have let "perceived power" get to his head. Yesterday he forwarded to the media a letter he sent to Prime Minister Perry Christie. In that email to the media, with the letter attached, he threatened a national strike.

"We are prepared to initiative a national strike in one week should the PM not publicly address the nation on what he has done since Black Friday to advance these issues that affect the people of The Bahamas," wrote Henfield.

Striking would be foolish. The suggestion is utter nonsense. The Bahamas is in a dangerous place. We are in recession. The unemployment rate is likely somewhere between 14 percent and 16 percent. We have just been hit for the second consecutive year by a major hurricane. Some Bahamians were without power for a month.

Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) has had problems with blackouts since the hurricane. People are being shot and killed with regularity on New Providence. Bahamians are already in a state of misery and Henfield wants to shut down the economy and turn off the utilities in a strike? What an absurd suggestion.

There will be a general election in The Bahamas within six months. If Henfield wants the government gone he should organize his people to vote Christie and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) out. He should in the interim work with the official opposition party, the Free National Movement (FNM), to this end. He could seek to lobby that party to adopt the issues his group thinks are most important. If you want the PLP gone, the most logical way to achieve that is by voting for the opposition party that has governed before.

If he doesn't like the FNM, then Henfield could work with the Democratic National Alliance (DNA). If he doesn't like that party he could try, in the short time left, to form his own political organization and run for office. The point is: It is voting time. Bahamians can bring to power the people they want to govern. Striking would only bring further hardship to a people struggling to survive.

Additionally, strikes are governed by law. Certain processes must be carried out before workers withdraw their labor. Workers can't just leave their jobs because Henfield tells them to.

The young activist seems intoxicated with self-importance. Seeing himself on television and in the newspapers clearly has made him over-assume his "power".

When you are on the national stage and people support you it is important to reflect before offering positions. Making outlandish threats of strikes demonstrates to Bahamians that Henfield is not yet mature in his thinking. The same people who marched will disassociate themselves from him if he acts like a hotheaded radical.

Our people want the next generation of leaders to emerge and get their chance to chart the course for our country. They are watching and evaluating these men and women as they step onto the public stage. If Henfield wants to be taken seriously he should retreat from the strike threat. After a long and difficult year Bahamians want to enjoy the company of family and friends during the holiday season. They will not support crazy strike talk.

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