For democracy, true democracy, to be a fair and effective form of government, there has to be a robust Opposition Party.
For true democracy to thrive, in a two party system of government, the Opposition Party has a major role, which is: “Constructive criticism of government. Putting restriction on arbitrariness of ruling party. Safeguarding liberty and right of people.”
In 1969, for a new majority rule Bahamas, democracy was in peril. This danger was not caused by any objective or direct tyranny by the ruling party, but by an ineffectiveness of Opposition to question—failing to effectively oppose—as it should, mandates put forwarded by majority government.
Decimated in the election polls of April 10th, 1968, official Opposition, United Bahamian Party (UBP) such as it was, had all but abandoned politics. Demoralised and suffering from necrotic decay, UBP leaders had even abandoned their own party convention, to, of all things, a pigeon shooting holiday in Eastern Europe.
“Put it [UBP] in a museum.” says UBP member Basil Kelly
No truer words have ever been spoken about a political party, by its own people, than when Basil Kelly told members at their UBP convention that the party should be dissolved and put in a museum.
A lone wolf opposition emerges in House of Assembly and unexpected opposition faction emerges in ruling party 1969
Randol Fawkes, the only Labour Party member ever to sit in the House of Assembly, and the man instrumental in helping to bring about the first majority rule government in 1967, became, by 1969, almost a lone wolf Opposition to ruling Progressive Liberal Party.
Effectively discarded by PLP leader Lynden Pindling, in the run up to 1968 general elections, Fawkes became a one man band opposition. Fawkes and Pindling clashed repeatedly in Parliament.
Even as winners, even as they held the reins of power, there were some insiders, who realised an unquestioned need for an Opposition.
Fear grew within the ruling PLP government that, with such an overwhelming majority in Parliament, and without an effective Opposition, PLP leader Lynden Pindling had an unchallenged seat of power.
Oddly enough, it was in part, due to the lack of an effective Opposition across the aisle, that within government, some PLP member’s opposition began to fester and grow.
