After a heated debate about a police corruption scandal escalated, the Bahamas Parliament witnessed a chaos similar to that from nearly 60 years ago.
In a matter of seconds, an agitated Bahamas lawmaker grabbed the symbolic parliamentary mace and threw it out the window, forcing the Bahamas legislature to suspend its session on Wednesday.
The incident was recorded on a government broadcast and a video clipping of the moment went viral on social media.
Here’s how things unfurled:
Parliament member Shanendon Cartwright, an opposition lawmaker, was frustrated after Speaker Patricia Deveaux did not let him speak during the debate on police corruption.
In the viral video, he can be seen rushing up to where she was seated, grabbing the parliamentary mace, a heavy ceremonial staff, off the bench, and then tossing it out a nearby window.
He, alongside several ally lawmakers, were forced out of the building by police.
It comes after US federal prosecutors charged several high-ranking Bahamian police officials with facilitating the flow of cocaine into the US in exchange for bribes.
Prime Minister Philip Davis said during the session on Wednesday that the police commissioner had resigned and promised a complete overhaul of the force to weed out corruption.
Check the video here:
The move harks back to 1965, when the leader of the opposition threw the mace out of a window in a push for political change, an event that became known as “Black Tuesday”.
Here’s how netizens reacted:
While several social media users wondered what the significance of the mace is, many highlighted that the security guards at the Parliament were too slow and overweight.
“Good thing those five security guys ran so fast to stop him,” a user said sarcastically.
“They are all overweight,” another highlighted.
“Oh there’s. No better time to be alive than this time,” quipped a user.
Why is the parliamentary mace in The Bahamas symbolic?
The parliamentary mace in The Bahamas symbolizes the authority and dignity of Parliament, rooted in British traditions. It represents the Speaker’s power and ensures the legitimacy of proceedings, as sittings are invalid without its presence.
Historically evolving from a medieval weapon, it now serves a ceremonial role, carried into the chamber at each session’s start by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
Adorned with national symbols, the mace reflects The Bahamas’ sovereignty and its Commonwealth ties. It embodies the connection to constitutional monarchy while signifying the people’s power exercised through Parliament, blending tradition, authority, and national identity in its design and purpose.
