The Renaissance era, which is believed to have commenced in Italy before spreading to other parts of Europe between the 14th and 17th century, contributed to the development of intellectual life, social and political philosophies and art. It can be argued that The Bahamas is witnessing a form of renaissance with the emergence of activism and advocacy that has not been seen since the quiet revolution.
The number of civic and civil rights groups that have been formed in recent times is a testament to the renewed level of engagement of Bahamians on national matters. It is anticipated that such engagement will remain constant regardless of the times and which party governs the nation.
When considered alongside the increased quality of intellectual debate in our country of late, one can only conclude that a new day has come in our Commonwealth. In the midst of this phenomenon, the government has a duty to administer the affairs of our country and above all to govern.
The age of accountability and advocacy
The following extract from an article entitled "A call to national conscience", published in The Nassau Guardian on May 3, 2012, foreshadowed the current environment and is instructive in understanding the times that we live in: "Political leaders and aspiring candidates, on the other hand, should be reminded that post this general election, the electorate will hold them accountable like never before in the history of The Bahamas. Suffice it to say that with a more educated and informed electorate, the era of empty promises and lies is behind us".
The ultimate beneficiaries of this renewed hunger for transparency and responsibility in governance are the people of The Bahamas. However, the government stands to gain extensively from the courage of the populace to voice their concerns and views without fear of intimidation or retaliation. This is indeed the beauty of the democracy we practice and the freedoms that we enjoy. Indeed the age of accountability is no longer in our future, it is upon us.
The need for tolerance and respect in debates
While the increased quality of our intellectual debate is welcomed, it is sometimes painful to listen to and observe the quality of discourse on the national scene. This is indeed more disturbing when the discussion relates to matters of national importance for present and future generations. What becomes quickly apparent in these instances is that the opposing sides are not listening to each other. Hence, rather than comprehend the words or comments of the other party, individuals typically "tune them out" and focus on the next statement they have to utter, leading to a prolonged and unnecessary conversation.
Confucius, who is regarded as China's most famous teacher, philosopher and political theorist, said it best when he stated that "real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance". In the Bahamian context, it is important that we uphold the moral value of mutual respect that has brought us this far as a country. It is disappointing to witness from time to time, our diminished level of tolerance for one another, especially when an individual holds a view contrary to ours. This writer submits that the level of intolerance within our Commonwealth is a major contributor to the high crime rate in our nation.
The treasure of occasional silence
The wise King Solomon in the Book of Proverbs offered these insightful words: "Even a fool when he shuts his mouth is considered wise." It has also been suggested and coded in an adage that individuals that resort to derogatory remarks and personal attacks often do so to conceal the limitation of their vocabulary and deficient oratory skills.
We as a people should be able to have intelligent conversations even though we may not agree. This is even more important because no one individual or group has the monopoly on knowledge. Put in another way, no one knows everything and multiple heads are often better than one. After all, we are all unique and oftentimes different in our views, philosophies and persuasions. The fact that an individual disagrees with our perspective does not make him/her our enemy and definitely does not give us license to insult such a person or resort to innuendo.
Consultation and governance
It is important for governments to maintain the proverbial finger on the pulse of the populace to ensure that the needs of the people are understood and addressed to the best of their ability. This is in no way straightforward or easy for any government to do, for the simple reason that the electorate can be selective about when they want their views to be heard and when they expect the government to make decisions no matter how hard or controversial they might be.
In striking the right balance, the government must ensure that the ultimate decisions made are in the best interest of the majority. It must be noted that all persons or special interest groups will not always be pleased by the decisions made by the government. In this sense, while the government should be mindful of the views of various stakeholders, such views must not hinder the government from moving forward and implementing its agenda as documented during the election campaign.
The following popular quote is worthy of reference in this regard: "The best decision one can make is the right decision, the second best decision is the wrong one and the worst decision that can be made is no decision at all." History will judge which category governing parties should fit into. Unfortunately, the window of opportunity is very limited and human nature often reveals impatience at the polls when it's all said and done based upon the decisions and/or indecisions taken by the government of the day. This has certainly been the trend in Bahamian politics for the last three election cycles.
Conclusion
The challenges confronting the current administration are vast. The government must confront our fiscal crisis which previous and successive administrations have put us in (albeit we have played a major role via our actions or lack of action). The government must implement the long overdue tax reform without delay, complete our accession to the World Trade Organization, oversee an amendment of the constitution to ensure gender equality, address the current crime situation, actively and responsibly pursue universal healthcare and return our economy to a more healthy state, just to mention a few.
It is often said that while the best time to plant a tree may be 30 years ago, the next best time to plant such a tree is now. In essence, we have a duty to work with the government to address the aforesaid matters with the urgency of now. The government must stay focused on the tasks at hand and channel its resources towards the accomplishment of its goals. Whereas the political process which entails elections produces our leaders and the government of the day, the government is charged and entrusted with the responsibility of governance upon assumption of office.
Hence, the government ought to listen to the concerns of the people, incorporate their views, where appropriate, into its plans, but in the final analysis the government must act based on the mandate of the people and govern accordingly. In doing so, the only prerequisite is that all that it is done is for betterment of our Bahamaland.

o Arinthia S. Komolafe is an attorney-at-law. Comments on this article can be directed to a.s.komolafe510@gmail.com.

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