Gombey Liberation Party
Encyclopedia
| Gombey Liberation Movement | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Gavin "Djata" Smith |
| Founded | July 3, 2003 |
| Headquarters | The Symmetron, 63 King Street, Hamilton, Bermuda |
| Website | http://gombey-liberation.wikispaces.com |
The Gombey Liberation Party (GLP) is a grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
political party in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
that contested the 2003 general election
Elections in Bermuda
Elections in Bermuda have been taking place since 1968. Bermuda elects on territorial level a legislature. Parliament has two chambers. The House of Assembly has 36 members, elected for a five year term in single seat constituencies...
. The party did not contest the subsequent 2007 election and seems to be defunct, having never attained a seat in the Bermuda Parliament
House of Assembly of Bermuda
The House of Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Bermuda. The house has 36 members, each elected for a five year term in a single seat constituencies....
.
24 year old artist and musician Gavin Sundjata Smith, the only known member, created the GLP with the assistance of his brother Corin, a former member of the youth wing of the Progressive Labour Party
Progressive Labour Party (Bermuda)
The Progressive Labour Party is a political party in Bermuda. It has been in power since 1998, winning subsequent elections in 2003 and 2007.- Formation :...
and future United Bermuda Party
United Bermuda Party
The United Bermuda Party was a political party in Bermuda. It represented itself as centrist party in favor of a moderate social and fiscal agenda...
candidate, and used the name of a type of local dancer, the Gombey
Gombey
The Gombey is an iconic symbol of Bermuda, this folklife tradition reflecting the island’s blend of African, Native American, Caribbean and British cultures, incorporating them over time into a unique performance art full of colorful and intricate masquerade, dance and drumming.Dancers are usually...
, to attract interest in the party.
Platform
Under the slogan, "The Power of One", the GLP's political platform — directed towards the Bermudian youth — revolved around removing the remnants of colonialism and British influence from Bermuda. Much of this influence comes in the form of the Governor of BermudaGovernor of Bermuda
The Governor of Bermuda is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government...
, whom Smith claimed was consolidating his power — backed by a conservative neo-colonial
Neocolonialism
Neocolonialism is the practice of using capitalism, globalization, and cultural forces to control a country in lieu of direct military or political control...
movement — over the Bermuda Police Service
Bermuda Police Service
The Bermuda Police Service is the law enforcement agency of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is responsible for policing the entire archipelago, including incorporated municipalities, and the surrounding waters. It is part of, and entirely funded by, the Government of Bermuda...
, the Bermuda Regiment
Bermuda Regiment
The Bermuda Regiment is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is a single territorial infantry battalion that was formed by the amalgamation in 1965 of two originally voluntary units, the all white Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps and the mostly black Bermuda Militia...
and the legal and banking systems.
GLP intended to use "therapeutic" instead of "adversarial" measures to attain its goals, including civic engagement and a balance between "grassroots values" and "establishment priorities":
Grassroots values
- Faith
- Family
- Fulfillment
- Fairness
- Freedom
- Fun
- Flexibility
- Unity
Establishment priorities
- Ideology
- Bureaucracy
- Necessity
- Force
- Control
- Protocol
- Efficiency
- Order
Other goals included the rejuvenation of local culture through the establishment of "culture centres" on several derelict site. More ambitious proposals included relocating the Bermuda International Airport
Bermuda International Airport
L.F. Wade International Airport , formerly named Bermuda International Airport, is the sole airport serving Bermuda, a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is located in the parish of St. George's and is northeast of Bermuda's capital city of Hamilton. In 2006, L.F. Wade...
and redeveloping St. George's historic forts for a variety of purposes, as well as initiating truth and reconciliation
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected...
.
Public response
Though many individuals found Smith and the GLP an entertaining concept, few took him seriously. Of those that did was a section who responded with great hostility, including threats to Smith's family. The origin of this hostility is attributed by some to the use of the phrase "Gombey" and the fact that the GLP was running against then-Premier Jennifer Smith.2003 Election
During the 2003 General Election, founder Gavin Smith was the party's only candidate and ran for the St. George's North constituency, against the PLP's then-Premier Jennifer Smith and the UBP's Kenneth Bascome. He received 16 votes, or about 0.02% of the ballots cast, compared to J. Smith's 423 and Bascome's 415.G. Smith's final count was the lowest of the Election, followed by 41 votes for the National Liberal Party's lone candidate Graeme Outerbridge, and 51 votes for the lone independent candidate Stuart Hayward, both of whom were more publicly known than Smith. In fact, these three, and one each from the two main parties, were the only candidates to receive fewer than a hundred votes.