History Finally Done Q3
3) Study Sources B and D. You are a Bahamian protesting outside Parliament during the 1965 Mace incident. Give an account of your experiences during this event. It was April 27, 1965 on Bay Street the main thoroughfare in Nassau. Thousands of us protesters and supporters were outside protesting that the government should listen to the voice of the people. The Parliamentarians could hear all of that what was being said from the crowd below. We were led by the late Sir Cecil Wallace. Everyone came in full support of Sir Lynden O. Pindling, who was inside of the House telling the House that the governing white merchant known as the Bay Street Boys would not listen to the voice of the people and reasoning with regard to the Boundaries Commission report for that year. After the House denied the motion formed by the PLP to have the constituencies redrawn under the United Nations, Lynden Pindling publicly declared that the Bay Street politicians as dictators. The distribution of seats in favor of the Family Islands was not acceptable to the PLP when the majority of the population lived in New Providence. Before Mr. Pindling went inside, it was said that he was scared to go in and do what he did, so much that he needed coaxing from Sir Milo Butler to go ahead with the plan. Inside we could hear Mr. Pindling accusing the ruling United Bahamian Party of dividing some areas into political units to give their group an unfair advantage. Mr. Pindling took the Ceremonial Mace along with the Speaker’s Hour Glass and tossed it out of the window into the crowd of people below. "This is the symbol of authority, and authority on this island belongs to the people and the people are outside." said Pindling. It was an act of deviance in the pursuit of liberty and fairness. The police officers who also surrounded Parliament was surprised and astounded by the spontaneous act . In my mind the act made Mr.Pindling a legend and made that day a very memorable one to me and to the other