The Speech from the Throne was met with mixed reaction yesterday with government supporters applauding the new agenda, saying it has something for everyone, and opposition supporters expressing disappointment and doubt over whether the initiatives will be accomplished.
“It was basically a rehashing of what has been said so many times,” Member of Parliament for North Abaco Alvin Smith said. “I expected more initiatives.”
“The government has basically brought back the outstanding matters on the agenda. Instead of talking about the initiatives that they have planned, they were praising themselves. I expected more. I expected the government to lay out its plans for initiatives that will enhance the development of this country.”
Neko Grant, the member of parliament for Lucaya, said he thought the agenda is “very ambitious” given that the government is approaching the final year of its present term.
“I simply do not believe that it can be accomplished,” he said.
Government members of parliament also recognized that the agenda is aggressive, but see that as good news.
“You’ve got to set an ambitious goal,” Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service Fred Mitchell told The Bahama Journal.
“If you don’t set the goal you won’t get there. You may not make it, but you set the goal and that’s the idea. From my point of view, the main thing is not us; is not the political directorate. The public administration in the country is going to have to fall behind it and make sure it gets done.”
Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe believes the government will meet its goals in the new agenda.
“We are very aggressive in our work and we’re very focused and the prime minister being the leader that he is – the very focused and visionary leader that he is – we will accomplish that and more that was announced today, ” Minister Wilchcombe said.
He added that the poor really will be attended to in this agenda.
“What the media should look at is what we’ve done in the past three and half years. The former government can’t even measure up to what we’ve accomplished,” Minister Wilchcombe said.
“The broad speech that was given today [summarizes] all that we want to accomplish as a government over the next year and at the end of the term to look back and check the record and see how successful we’ve been in the first term.”
Ruby Ann Darling, a former parliamentarian who was present to hear the speech, said she was impressed and satisfied that the government is focused on what it needs to be doing.
“I think it was a well thought out, well planned, well delivered speech and I think Bahamians and non-Bahamians wherever they are, are quite pleased to see the government now is very, very focused,” Mrs. Darling said. “It has people at the epicenter of what’s about to happen.”
She pointed then to the government’s plan to introduce a Children & Young Persons Bill and a Domestic Violence & Sexual Harassment Bill, and a Rent Control Bill.”
“I like what I hear,” Mrs. Darling added. “It’s going to be an accelerated programme as members form a cohesive togetherness.”
Bahamas Consul General to New York Ed Bethel, who flew into town the night before just in time for the opening of parliament, agreed.
“It sounds like it’s going to be an exciting and busy legislative year for the government,” Mr. Bethel said.
“I was very happy to hear the things that they plan to do. It seems to me that with another 15 months left in office before another general election, they’ve got to accelerate the pace to do the things that they want to do. I think there’s something from the Speech from The Throne for every ministry and it’s certainly a lot of good stuff.”
“I think the government now is very, very focused-they’ve seen what is wrong and they’re about to fix it and I think they will.”
Mr. Bethel indicated that he was happy to hear the plan to fight illegal immigration.
To more effectively combat the illegal trafficking in human persons that the government says has grown significantly, the government intends to increase the punishment of persons who assist in the illegal landing of aliens; and to increase the punishment of persons who employ illegal immigrants without obtaining the requisite work permit.
“They sound serious and they also sound compassionate,” Mr. Bethel told The Bahama Journal.
Larry Cartwright, the Long Island MP who recently joined the FNM team, is doubtful that the government would be able to do all that it says it will do.
“I think basically most of the agenda is what has been left over from the last session and I would say that I think it’s overburdened.” Mr. Cartwright said.
“We may not have enough time to take on all of those bills-It seems like we’re going to spend a lot of time in this place from here on and that’s okay. That’s what government is about. The government has bitten off quite a lot with a little over a year left.”
But as far as Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Raynard Rigby is concerned, the speech hit all the right notes and the government is well prepared to execute its new agenda.
“I thought the speech was a comprehensive speech in terms of the substance of it. It dealt with all the major areas of the government. I believe it rightly foreshadowed the government’s programmes and initiatives for the remaining period of this first term,” Mr. Rigby said.
The speech also correctly put into focus the government’s successes and the achievements made since the last Speech from the Throne and I believe it is futuristic in the sense of setting an agenda that is both comprehensive and that will require the government to be efficient in the marshalling of the legislation and its policy initiatives.
“Overall, it is my view that the speech rightly places the focus on the Bahamian people and it is a solemn continuation of our party’s agenda.”
Independent Member of Parliament Tennyson Wells said he thought the opening of parliament went well and he expressed disappointment that Leader of the Official Opposition Hubert Ingraham, and Free National Movement Deputy Leader Brent Symonette failed to show up for the event.
“It’s total arrogance,” he said. “I’ve never seen that happen before and I don’t see how they can justify it.”
Regarding the actual speech, Mr. Wells also said that parliament would have to meet regularly to achieve the legislative agenda.
He added, “They didn’t given much historical background of what they have achieved. I would have thought that moving toward an election, they would have at least established their record and then go on to say what they intend to achieve.”
The House of Assembly will meet next Wednesday at which time debate on the Speech from the Throne will begin.
By: Macushla Pinder, The Bahama Journal
