Labour Day in The Bahamas — now formally known as Randol Fawkes Labour Day — is not a gift of political patronage, but rather a solemn and enduring tribute to the Bahamian worker. It was established in 1961 through the relentless efforts of The Honorable Sir Randol Fawkes, the only elected Member of the Labour Party in the House of Assembly at the time. Fawkes successfully passed the bill to create a public holiday dedicated to the working men and women of The Bahamas — not to any political party, not to glorify a regime, but to uplift the dignity of labour itself.

This day was always intended as a unifying occasion, a celebration of the sweat and sacrifice of the average Bahamian worker. It was meant to foster solidarity among labourers, transcending divisions of race, party, or class. Yet today, we are witnessing a further distortion of that noble vision.

The PLP has shown itself to be very disrespectful by the politicization of a national legacy. Recent statements by Deputy Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Obie Roberts, and other party figures indicate an alarming attempt to hijack the Labour Day platform for political purposes. Roberts’ call for party members to “prepare for political war” and his declaration that the PLP will launch its 2026 reelection campaign on Labour Day is not only tone-deaf — it is profoundly disrespectful to the legacy of Randol Fawkes and the working people for whom this day was intended.

It must be emphasized, as history bears out, that the PLP did not create Labour Day. The legislation was introduced and championed by Fawkes a full six years before Majority Rule was achieved in 1967. While it is historically accurate that Fawkes and Independent MP Alvin Braynen supported the PLP after the 1967 general election — thus allowing the party to form the first Black-majority government — this political alliance does not retroactively transfer the authorship or ownership of Labour Day to the PLP.

Indeed, the very renaming of the holiday in 2013 to Randol Fawkes Labour Day was an intentional act of historical correction, seeking to restore credit to the true architect of the day. And yet, in spite of this, the PLP continues to propagate the false narrative that the holiday is their domain — a “gift” from their party. Such revisionism is not only misleading, but it also threatens to erode the collective memory of a critical chapter in Bahamian labor history.

The rightful guardians of Labour Day — the trade unions — have not remained silent. In a principled stand, Trade Union Congress President Obie Ferguson announced that the TUC will not participate in the 2025 Labour Day parade, condemning the PLP’s blatant politicization of what should remain a worker-centered celebration.

Ferguson’s words strike at the heart of the issue: “Labour Day now is a political parade. That’s not what we do.” His commitment to return the focus to workers — by gathering at the House of Labour to discuss critical concerns — it is necessary.

We must not allow political pageantry to drown out the voices of those who built this country with their hands and their sacrifice. Ferguson’s stance is courageous, and it deserves commendation, not scorn, even some may now question his motives.

Labour Day is not a partisan platform. It is not a rallying point for campaign slogans, nor is it a symbolic battleground for political might. It is a day of reflection, unity, and gratitude — for the Bahamian worker, and the man who stood for them when no one else would: Sir Randol Fawkes.

To attempt to recast this national day in party colors is to desecrate its meaning. It is a betrayal of the very principles it was founded on — and those responsible should be held to account by the historical record, no matter who they may be.

In times like these, we must remember that history is not merely a tool of power, but a guardian of truth. And the truth is clear: Labour Day belongs to the people — not the PLP nor any other political organization.

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