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We are entering a new era in local politics. Two successive Fridays, one of duty not done, one of public demonstration, have signalled an awakening of public engagement I’ve not seen for decades.

Last Friday, a broad cross section of the public gave our parliamentarians a mostly-gentle earful. The message was clear: it isn’t acceptable to decide a troublesome issue without debate. The more troublesome the issue, the greater the need for explanation, challenge and education.

We know our politicians understand the principle. At election time they will all knock on our doors to explain and attempt to educate us on why we should vote for this person or group and should not vote for the other person or group.

As long as they recognize the value of explanations and education when it applies to their agenda, the public is insisting they apply the same principle when dealing with our agenda.

Who’s the boss?

Some of our MPs seem not to remember that we, the public, are their employers. Some of them have been left to their own devices for so long that they have grown accustomed to being less than responsive to our needs, and instead in some cases focus more on their own.

This was the case with the Human Rights Amendment where, for some politicians, saving their own political skins seemed more important than meeting the needs of their constituents.

Of course there will be some MPs who will be unhappy. They will perceive this as an intrusion on their supremacy. Savvy politicians, however, will see this heightened public interest for what it is, an evolution in the practice of democracy. Enlightened representatives will step outside their partisan pigeon-hole and embrace this movement as a good thing for democracy, and for Bermuda.

Savvy and enlightened leaders could seize the moment and join with the ‘Rally for Democracy’ group to push now for a Parliamentary Code of Conduct. This is not the same as the Rules of the House of Assembly, which we already have. House Rules guide their behaviour and procedure in the interest of Parliament. I am talking of their conduct in the interest of the electorate, the people of Bermuda.

Such a Code of Conduct would include a responsibility to engage meaningfully in the debate.

It would include a reduction, if not elimination, of raw partisan bickering while conducting the people’s business. It would discourage the influence of single-interest groups and amplify responsiveness towards broad-spectrum policies.

I recognize that a Code of Conduct won’t solve all our problems, but it would be a way of solidifying the commitment most politicians verbalized on the House grounds last Friday. It will give us and our representatives a solid and ongoing benchmark against which to measure their performance.

The group that organized the pro-democracy demonstration now have some measure of support for their effort. They should consider making this a regular event: The public’s meet and greet on the last Friday every month that Parliament is in session. It would require setting some ground rules: That the public agree to treat those MPs who attend with a healthy measure of respect — listening and speaking without being either defensive or offensive; that MPs don’t pre-suppose our issues or our positions.

Perhaps the ideal would be for the public to be in small groups that MPs could circulate to for five or ten minutes or so, each group with a moderator to prevent heckling from one side or grandstanding from the other.

Let’s nurture this new shoot of public concern and activism. These are exciting times.[[In-content Ad]]

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