News
of The Bahamas - The Bahamian Prime
Minister's Manifesto '97
The following information is the Keynote overview
(primary areas and directions of actions of the current FNM government)
as written and presented by The Bahamas' Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Hubert
A.Ingraham, Leader - Free National Movement for his second term in office.
Similar to a U.S. "State of The Union" presidential address,
the PM's Manifesto provides the "road map" or guidelines for
the PM's party's through the year 2002.
The sections of the PM's Manifesto presented in this overview are unedited
and presented intact as a transcript of the Prime Minister's Keynotes (overview)
Manifesto '97 presentation - both published and verbal.
"The Bahamas Agenda ... To and For The 21st Century"
"The Bahamas - Better Now. Better To Come."
The Bahamas' Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Hubert
A.Ingraham:
"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. New jobs are being created daily in tourism, in financial services, in the retail industry and in construction.
We created more than 14,000 new jobs since August, 1992. 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. Together we will make it even better. The Free National Movement Candidates,in partnership with the Bahamian people, comprise the best team for the 21st century.
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. Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham Leader
Our accomplishments in the areas of law reform, the judiciary, immigration and upgrading of our security services have been quite remarkable.
Just over four and one half years ago the Bahamian people entrusted their government to the Free National Movement. Among our primary objectives as the Government was the mobilisation of the human and financial resources of our Commonwealth, together with such other international resources which we might successfully attract to The Bahamas under terms and conditions beneficial to Bahamians and investors alike. While seeking to advance the interests of all citizens we opted to place major emphasis on preparing our nation's youth for the challenges and the opportunities which will come with the twenty-first century. We also committed to providing improved care for the poor, the ill, the aged and the infirm. Many measures and many innovations have been designed and implemented to address the structural imbalances of our society, both social and economic. And, in essential and elemental areas, large numbers of Bahamians are better off now than they were prior to the election of 1992. The Free National Movement has successfully restored The Bahamas to its proper place among the respected, properly governed and administered states of the world community. We have restored the good name of The Bahamas internationally. Critical to all of this has been and will continue to be, the enlightened economic policies and the fiscal discipline which have been central to the dramatic economic turnaround and the overall good fortune which The Bahamas is currently experiencing. Not only has the tourism industry been revitalised, but we have implemented policies to create linkages between our tourism industry and our manufacturing, agricultural and fisheries sectors; thereby measurably expanding the use of Bahamian-produced foods, Bahamian-made products and Bahamian services in hotels and resorts throughout the country. This is a most significant achievement as The Bahamas today must compete with 191 other states, and numerous dependent territories for tourism, trade and investment.
It is our intention to enact legislation which will eradicate from The Bahamas all vestiges of discrimination against women, and which will guarantee for every Bahamian in the work force, and in the wider community, equality of opportunity which cannot be compromised either in the public sector, or in the private sector. Manifesto II details our Agenda for The Bahamas into the 21st century.
We have promoted and facilitated the expansion of Bahamian entrepreneurship. In small guest houses and resorts, in light manufacturing and cottage industries, and in broadcast journalism, career opportunities have been created for enterprising Bahamians. It is of tremendous importance that Bahamians, particularly young Bahamians, be provided with the education and training that will enable them to compete in the sophisticated technological environment which the twenty-first century will bring. Accordingly, the education system is being upgraded throughout the nation. In various ways the Free National Movement Government has done much to preserve and to enhance the institutions of democracy and the mechanisms empowering the Bahamian people to enjoy the fullest use of the democratic processes and practices. We removed, once and for all, the cloak of secrecy which had shrouded the people's business. In fulfilment of our commitment to transparency and integrity in the governance of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas we have given this our highest priority.
It is of tremendous importance that Bahamians, particularly young Bahamians, be provided with the education and training that will enable them to compete in the sophisticated technological environment which the twenty-first century will bring. Accordingly, the education system is being upgraded throughout the nation.
Indeed, since 1992 a level of accountability and transparency unparalleled in our nation's history - and, indeed, unprecedented in this part of the world - has been firmly established in the conduct of public affairs in our Bahamas. The Government's policies in the areas of health, education, social development (including housing) and youth development, have been consistent with our pledge to ensure that economic benefits accrue to the young, the aged, the infirm and women. The "Fundamental Tenets" of our Party and of our Governmentremain as they were enunciated in Manifesto 92: We seek the evolution of a society marked by full employment and secure jobs, safe streets, good schools, adequate, accessible and affordable health care; a social security net for those least able to care for themselves, the children, the orphaned and widowed and the aged of society, a society marked by love of God, and by compassion for our fellow citizens. We strive for the enhancement of educational standards and the expansion of educational and training opportunities so that our young people will be better equipped to lead purposeful, productive lives. We seek to establish a broadly based community health care system, for the entire country, and geared to produce a healthy, productive population.
We pursue social accord so that Bahamians and visitors can enjoy the full beauty of our islands peacefully, without fear or hindrance, intimidation or victimisation. We consciously promote mutual trust and harmony between the people of our Bahamaland, whatever their ethnic origins or social circumstances. We labour for the strengthening and expansion of our economy so that all Bahamians who want to work, can work, can achieve a better living standard, and can improve the quality of their lives.
And, we remain resolute in our dedication to fair play, integrity, transparency and accountability in all public matters. We have lived and conducted the people's business in accordance with these fundamentals. Four years later, it is better in our Bahamaland; our future is in tourism revenue. Once again The Bahamas is a world leader. Unprecedented levels of investment are transforming this (the tourism) sector which is the engine that drives our economy."
