January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Independence
Our pasts are heavily linked — our futures too?
On July 10, 1973, the independence instruments were handed to the Prime Minister, Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling by Prince Charles at Clifford Park.
Recently at a PLP discussion on independence, cabinet minister Walter Lister recollected witnessing that moment in the Bahamas, describing it as one of the most moving experiences of his life. This momentous event was also of great significance to Bermuda because of our historic connection with the Bahamas.
The Bahamas is an archipelago of 700 islands and islets, spread over a 5,382 sq mile area. Its population is estimated at 305,000 and enjoys a per capita income that is among the world's top 30.
The country's main commercial and tourist centres are in New Providence Island, Grand Bahama and Great Abaco. The islands' economy is dependent on tourism and banking.
The Bahamas had a 'Bermuda Period' from around 1647 to the 1690's. Two governors of the Bahamas were either Bermudian or had a long-standing connection with Bermuda: William Sayle, leader of the Eleutherian Adventurers and Nicholas Trott.
William Sayle, a sea captain, was the governor of Bermuda from 1640–42 and 1643-45; the Bahamas from 1648-57. Sayle was part of a group of religious independents active in Bermuda. He was able to attract support for setting up a new colony in Eleutheria and the Bahamas islands, with the signing of Articles and Orders of the Company of Eleutherian Adventurers on July 9, 1647.
The purpose was to chart a different course of greater freedom, throwing off the shackles of the Crown and the established church. In October 1647, Sayle managed to gather 70 persons in Bermuda on the ship the William and a six-ton shallop, setting out for the Bahamas in the spring of 1648.
The exact location of landing is not certain but tradition holds that it was the north side of Eleuthera. This was the first English settlement in the Bahamas.
Following the Bermuda slave rebellion of 1656, expelled free blacks also elected to go to the Bahamas, the island of Eleutheria.
Nicholas Trott, in 1694, became the governor of the Bahamas colony, succeeding the previous governor who was sacked by the law proprietors of the Bahamas. Trott, a Bermudian landowner and merchant, is reported as an energetic governor and is associated with the re-establishment of Charlestown, which eventually became Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.
The connections were strong in the early colonial period. Both, colonies had parallel paths as maritime-based economies. Bermudian families are known to have had business houses in both Nassau and Bermuda. In the 20th century, the Bahamas and Bermuda remained close politically and economically.
40 Thieves
We had similar legislative frameworks until the early 1950's when the Bahamas outpaced Bermuda as it advanced with voting reform, the formation of political parties and social reforms. There were close connections between our infamous '40 Thieves' and the Nassau 'Bay Street Boys', the pre-eminent political and business rulers of their day respectively.
The road to independence began with social and political reforms of the 1950s. In 1956, racial discrimination was outlawed in the Bahamas opening an era of progress. Political reform came in 1964 with a new constitution, virtually identical to what Bermuda has today. The next dramatic step came with the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) victory under the leadership of Lyndon O. Pindling (later Sir Lyndon) in January 10, 1967. In June 1971, Premier Pindling announced to the country that independence would be sought after the subsequent general election. That election, held in September 1972, resulted in an astounding victory for the PLP and an unequivocal mandate for independence.
Since independence, the Bahamas has made great strides in economic, political and educational development to the benefit of her people, making it one of the successful democracies of our region. Like any country, it also faces challenges as a member of the global community.
The Bahamas assisted Bermuda after Hurricane Emily in 1997 and has done so repeatedly. Bermuda shares a common history, culture and political tradition with the Bahamas.
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