On July 23rd, 2025, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Hon. Mario Bowleg, decided to skip the whole “listening” phase of leadership and went straight to the “we’re doing it anyway” stage, boldly declaring that the government would “move ahead on the proposed Junkanoo Bill despite JCNP protest.”

Fast-forward to August 11th, and suddenly he is hosting a nice, polite little online town hall at 9 a.m. to “consult” with the public — and, of course, the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) — on the matter. One has to wonder: how exactly are we supposed to take this consultation seriously when the Minister already made it crystal clear that JCNP’s pushback was about as effective as a cowbell at a reggae festival?

Now the headlines read: “Govt still wants feedback from JCNP, Bowleg says” — which is quite generous of him, considering his earlier stance was basically, “Thanks for your opinion, but we’ve already decided.”

According to The Nassau Guardian, Bowleg is now giving JCNP until the end of the month to provide feedback. He assures us that other organizations, particularly in the Family Islands, have already sent in their recommendations — and what do you know, they “appear to be in full support of the bill.” Translation: Look, the Family Islands are on board, so why can’t you be?

This is where the minister’s version of “consultation” starts to look suspiciously like “sign here to agree with us.” Is the JCNP expected to provide token recommendations and then obediently line up behind the bill? And even if they do submit thoughtful, legitimate concerns, will they actually be considered? Or will they be politely filed in the circular bin under “Public Relations Exercise”?

The Minister says he wants “all impacted parties to move forward happily.” That’s sweet — except the tone so far suggests the happiness in question is conditional on everyone agreeing with him. It is hard to believe there’s any real willingness to compromise when the opening shot from the government was more of a declaration of inevitability than an invitation to collaborate.

Let us be honest: Junkanoo belongs to the people, not the government, and certainly not to any one group — JCNP included. But the way Bowleg and his ministry have handled this has been about as productive as trying to tune a brass section with a hammer. His initial outburst toward JCNP was not only unnecessary but unprofessional, and it transformed what could have been a straightforward, amicable discussion into an avoidable standoff.

And therein lies the problem with the PLP’s approach to… well, just about everything. They fail not because the issues are unsolvable, but because it is in their very nature to mistake stubbornness for strength, and to confuse consultation with condescension.

END