The Bahamas of 100 years ago... is not the same as the one everyone knows and loves today. Back then, blacks and whites never mingled. The Bahamas was heavily colonized, and black Bahamians just accepted the established quo. There were hotels, restaurants, and theaters where black Bahamians were not permitted to stay. There were schools that black students were not allowed to attend. Imagine not being able to sit in the same church seat as a white person. However, in order to comprehend “Majority Rule Day,” you must first grasp the preceding events. It’s 1942, and laborers are hard at work building a satellite airstrip in western New Providence. The American Armed Forces used this airfield. The Burma Road Riots occurred as a consequence of laborers’ demand for equal pay for equal effort, regardless of color or ethnicity. The Burma Road Riot took place on the airstrip currently known as “Lynden Pindling International EIGHTEEN TO TWENTY — 2
Airport.” This is where employees campaigned for equal compensation for equal effort regardless of skin color. Historians say this was the start of politics in The Bahamas. Welcome to 1949, when Mr. Rufus Ingram just lost his seat in the general election. Mrs. Mary Ingraham and her husband had a talk after his defeat in the 1949 general elections that sparked the Movement. The lost candidate believed that if women had voted in that election, his political fortunes would have been drastically different. The civil rights movement in the United States led by Dr. Martin Luther King was a global event that fueled the flames of social justice and equality in The Bahamas. To return to the PLP, which means Progressive Liberal Party, arose from a movement that encapsulated the ambitions, aspirations, and sentiments of a generation of Bahamians who EIGHTEEN TO TWENTY — 3
The modifications were intended to provide a more accurate picture of the number of voters and their distribution, but both were rejected.
demanded equal work, majority rule, and the freedom to pursue whatever goals and wishes they could conjure. The Progressive Liberal Party is known as the first political party in The Bahamas. Since the Bay Street Boys were not a political party. However, it wasn’t until this young intelligent British trained lawyer returned home that very same year that the party really took off, Lynden Oscar Pindling. Later, the Bay Street Boys formed the “United Bahamian Party” to fight against the PLP. Do you know how we have Black Friday where items are discounted at a price in stores? Well ever heard of Black Tuesday? Under the rules of the 1964 Constitution, the governing United Bahamian Party also known as The Bay Street Boys sought permission on this day for a Borders Draft Order, which set the boundaries for the different constituencies of New Providence and the Family Islands. During a House of Assembly session, the PLP offered two revisions to the UBP’s revision of the Boundaries Draft Order.
Sir Lynden then stepped up to the Speakers’ table, lifted the 165-yearold mace, the Speaker’s authority symbol, and remarked, “This is the sign of authority, and authority on this island belongs to the people, and the people are outside.” Sir Lynden then approached the Speakers’ table, raised the 165-yearold mace, the Speaker’s authority symbol, and declared, “This is the emblem of authority, and authority on this island belongs to the people, and the people are outside.” With that, he raised the mace and tossed it through the House of Assembly’s open window. According to the Progressive Liberal Party, this was “an act of transgression in the cause of liberty and fairness.” As a result, Tuesday, April 27, 1965, became known as Black Tuesday in the Bahamas.
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Every event from the “Burma Road Riot” to “Black Tuesday” led to this major event Majority Rule. On January 10, 1967, the Burma Road Riot demonstrated the strength of Black Bahamians when faced with injustice. The Woman’s Suffrage showed the resilience and determination of Bahamian Women. The formation of the PLP proved that Bahamians were willing to do whatever was necessary to effect change. The General Strike showed the unity of the Bahamian People and their readiness to stand together after years of repression of social injustice and inequality and being under the feet of the rich whites The PLP, in the General Election of 1967 was tied for 18 seats to the UVP until two independents decided to join the PLP. Their names were Randall Fox and Alvin Braynen. Now, the election was in the favor of the PLP. Finally, power was now in the hands of the Black Bahamian people. Every year on January 10th, we pause to commemorate such a historic time and behavior. This day is for all Bahamians, black and white, rich and poor, young and elderly, city residents, and Family Islanders. Majority Rule made it possible for all Bahamians to exercise their constitutional, political, social, cultural, and economic rights, and the government implemented laws and initiatives to facilitate this. On January 10, 2023, the 56th year of Majority Rule starts but our 9th year celebrating it as a public holiday, and as The Bahamas celebrates its 50th.
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