In a televised address, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham extended warm wishes for a blessed and Happy New Year and reported the national accomplishments and challenges during the past year. He also gave a broader sense of the direction of our Bahamas in 2012.
Quoting the poet John Donne, Mr Ingraham started his address by reminding listeners that: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
“Not only are we connected to one another by bonds of family, friendship and faith; we must also place the days and decades of our lives in the context of our overall life journey,” the PM told his audience in his usual calm and confident manner.
“Likewise, as a nation, we must place 2011 and 2012 in the fuller context of world events. The Bahamas is a part of “the main” in terms of our regional and international relations. We are linked to the continents of the world by history and culture, as well as by our commercial and economic relationships.
“We continued, last year, to feel the impact of the international economic crisis of 2008. If ever we needed another reminder of our reliance on and deep ties to the global community, especially our neighbour, the United States of America, it came in 2008 as it did with 9/11 in 2001.”
After giving a summary of the state of the nation, Mr Ingraham talked about the path to economic recovery and the plan to achieve important national goals.
“Last September I had the privilege of chairing the 2011 International Monetary Fund/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington D.C. At that time I spoke with various heads of government and finance ministers from every region of the world about the long-term impact of what is now being called the Great Recession. I spoke also with some of the world’s leading economic and financial experts.
“I came away from those meetings with two overall impressions:
“Firstly: We are a fortunate and blessed country. And,
“Secondly: We are on the right track in terms of our response to the worst economic crisis in the lifetime of the overwhelming majority of Bahamians.
“Despite the severity of the global economic crisis on The Bahamas, we are still a most fortunate country. During my travels overseas to represent The Bahamas, I was struck by the number of leaders who informed me of the high number of civil servants laid off in their respective countries over the past four years.
“I am very pleased to say that not a single civil servant in The Bahamas was laid off as a result of the global economic downturn. As a people we should be rightly proud of this significant accomplishment during this most trying time of our national life.”
He explained the situation regarding the financial situation at Atlantis and gave an update on the Baha Mar development.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of small businesses and outlined the changes his government has made in an effort to make it easier to do business in The Bahamas. He also mentioned the government’s Jump Start programme and the focus on creating jobs.
Numerous other projects and accomplishments were highlighted such as; the Arawak Cay Port Development, infrastructural improvements in the Family Islands, the construction of the airport terminals, road improvements, refurbishment of the downtown area, the SelfStarters programme, the National Job Readiness and Training Programme and the numerous steps taken to address crime in The Bahamas.
When laid out as it was, it became abundantly clear that in the past five years, the FNM has taken the country forward in a dramatic fashion, despite the terrible state of the world economy.
For the full text of Mr Ingraham’s speech, please download this PDF file (111 kb).
