The Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham, Prime Minister, Leader Free National Movement The Bahamas Agenda to and for The 21st Century Better Now. Better To Come |
On August 19th, 1992, in a historic election result applauded around the world, the Bahamian people voted for deliverance from the crumbling regime which had governed this nation for more than a quarter of a century. The people selected the Free National Movement to form their new government. Our Mission as a new Government was to make life better for the Bahamian people. This Mission committed us to three critical imperatives: to stop the disintegration of the Bahamian society; to stop the collapse of the economy; and to restore the good name of The Bahamas internationally.
A focused, detailed programme of reconstruction and economic expansion was set out in our platform - Manifesto ‘92. No sector of the economy and no segment of life was left out. And each undertaking in Manifesto ‘92 has served as an article of faith between the Bahamian people and the Free National Movement. We have kept the faith. The FNM has delivered. And it is better in The Bahamas.Now the Bahamian people are again being asked to choose the Free National Movement, which has led the country to a new level of prosperity and respectability, as their government for the next five years. Now is not the time for turning back the clock, to change direction and move backward. Now is the time to consolidate our achievements and to continue to move Forward, Upward, Onward, Together, with God as our Beacon, our Leader and our Rock. |
| Overall, it is better for the Bahamian people in 1997 than it was in 1992 - much better. This Government has done what governments are purposed to do: to provide physical and social infrastructure, to provide security and to provide an environment in which citizens can earn their livelihood. We restored and installed public infrastructure throughout The Bahamas. We repaved and/or reconstructed more than 400 miles of Family Island roads; upgraded more than 200 miles of roadway in New Providence; and brought electricity to the remotest communities in our Family Islands. For the first time many Family Island communities are enjoying the benefits of access to essential utilities and other infrastructure long available in New Providence These benefits are consistent with civilised living and ought to have been provided long ago without exception, and as of right, to all citizens in every island in The Bahamas. Provision for the education of students has been increased and more places are available in the nation’s schools for our children than ever before. With better and more facilities, and more better-trained, and better-paid teachers, the system has begun to show real improvement. The Bahamian people can now take comfort in knowing that the police force is better-staffed, better-equipped, better-trained, more efficient and more effective. Quicker response to citizens’ calls for assistance occurs now than used to be the case in 1992. In health we are improving and upgrading | facilities and services available at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau and at the Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport and we are extending the Community Health Clinic network to outlying neighbourhoods in New Providence and to more and more of our Family Island communities.
In the social services sector meaningful funding has been employed in improving the quality of the lives of our most vulnerable citizens - the aged, infirm and disabled.
We implemented year round licensing of vehicles and linked drivers’ licences to their birthdays, thereby eliminating long lines and unconscionable delays.
We removed political intervention from the
issuance of shop, business and restaurant licences.
We caused the reduction in the cost of home mortgages and business loans and reduced inflation through our enlightened fiscal and monetary policies.
Our enlightened tax policies reduced the cost of construction by 10% and we eliminated or reduced real property tax for owner-occupied dwellings in New Providence.
We brought economic empowerment to 7,000 Bahamian citizens by facilitating their participation in ownership of The Bank of The Bahamas and Cable Bahamas. |
| Once again The Bahamas is becoming the premier international financial centre in our region. Once again The Bahamas is a world leader in upscale tourism achieving record highs in tourism revenue. Unprecedented levels of investment are transforming this sector which is the engine that drives our economy. We have made significant gains in linking tourism to agriculture, manufacturing and light industry. We have intensified the diversification of our economy and, as a result, created new Bahamian entrepreneurs in manufacturing and light industry, in hotel decoration and landscape, in food processing, in uniform making, in agriculture and in fisheries. We improved the working environment for hundreds of small business persons and independent operators - for taxi drivers, surrey drivers and hair braiders at Prince George Dock; and for fish, conch and vegetable vendors at Potters Cay and at Arawak Cay. We brought economic empowerment to 7,000 Bahamian citizens by facilitating their participation ownership in The Bank of The Bahamas and Cable Bahamas. We created more than 14,000 new jobs since | August, 1992. New jobs are being created daily in tourism, in financial services, in the retail industry and in construction. We repatriated more than 12,000 illegal immigrants since August, 1992. The repatriation of illegal immigrants is, for the first time in our history, being conducted in a systematic, humane fashion. In the most profound sense the election of the FNM to Government was the beginning of a new era in this country. We have created the genuine lasting empowerment of the Bahamian people through measures such as the introduction of effective local government; the dismantling of the state monopoly on radio and television; enactment of legislation to simplify the procedure for Union recognition; and the establishment of Labour Tribunals to expedite the settlement of trade disputes. All of this bodes well for the future of our democracy and for the well-being of the Bahamian people. Our country and its representatives are now welcomed as respected participants in the international community of nations. And all of this has been achieved in the sun- shine, with total transparency, with the Government reporting to, and being at all times accountable to the Bahamian people. The Bahamian people know that their Government is now working for the people and not for the aggrandisement of individual members of the Government. |
| National Movement Candidate in your constituency, and I ask you for your counsel, and your involvement as a volunteer in our campaign. The Free National Movement Candidates, in partnership with the Bahamian people, comprise the best team for the 21st century. Together we will make it even better. | This is our Agenda. It embodies the strategies for the next five years, which, when taken with the last five years, but for six months, will represent a decade of development for our country. We ask you to endorse this Agenda and accept it as your own. |
Our accomplishments in the areas of law reform, the judiciary, immigration and upgrading of our security services have been quite remarkable.