Our speaker last week was David Forbes, Parliament Clerk.  Mr. Forbes gave us a lesson on how parliament works.  Mr. Forbes detailed differences in how our parliament works compared to some other countries.  For example, in Britain to be  a member of parliament one would be nominated by the constituency association, whereas in The Bahamas the leader of the party determines who will represent a particular constituency.

When we the people nominate and elect our own Member of Parliament instead of endorsing what was chosen for us, we have more control over what happens in our area and the decision making process. But this is not what always happens.  Parliament is the supervisor of the Executive Branch and therefore the Prime Minister and his cabinet and the public service are under the supervision of the parliament.  Decisions made by parliament are done so by a democratic majority vote, where the majority wins the vote.  The Parliament represents the people and also gives the government the authority to borrow and spend money.

Additionally, Mr. Forbes spoke of the advantages and disadvantages of the way our parliament works, The Bahamas’ voting process, local government and the Westminster system.