Tuesday, 25th August 2009
British Colonial Hilton Hotel
 

Our Country is headed in the wrong direction and we must change its course.  I want to make a change!

Party Officers, Stalwart Councillors, Branch Officers, PLPs, Family, Supporters, well wishers, Friends All.

Tonight I recommit myself to helping make changes in our Bahamas.  American physician James Gordon once famously said: “It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.” Are you? I am starting with the proverbial ‘man in the mirror’!

By your presence here tonight, I am reassured that many of you are ready to join in the quest to Change The Bahamas!

I am humbled by the support, well wishes and words of encouragement received to date. I wish to thank the many of my close friends, family members, political colleagues and supporters who have come together to organise and sponsor this event. Indeed, it is a testament that they appreciate, believe in and understand my vision for a better Bahamas. I am committed to restoring the Bahamian dream.

The new dream is really part and parcel of the dream of my and many of your time - a dream which seems to have gone astray.

A time when it took a community to raise a child; when we were our brothers and sisters keepers.  A time when a child was educated, fed, disciplined and loved by people in the community;  A time when neighbours knew each other by name and looked out for each other;  A time when ‘D’ was NOT an acceptable national grade average. A time when it didn’t matter what time we were on the road and where we were going. A time when people chose to hold down TWO jobs;  A time when one could sleep at night without having to worry about being robbed or hurt by criminals.  A time when young people proudly joined scouts, brownies, pathfinders, boy’s brigade and other clubs and not gangs; A time when it was not cool to be ‘gangsta’.

The new dream is about implementing new methods to keep us safe and reduce crime; looking for new areas to create employment including in recycling, solar and wind energy.

It is about how we treasure our God given beautiful country and preserve its beauty. This dream is about having a government that makes decisions with long term effects in mind and not just for short term returns.

Our dream is about a Bahamas where people work together for the common good; where political affiliation has nothing to do with the colour of one’s skin but, rather, what is right!

It is about a society where politicians stop playing the blame game and work together across party divisions to achieve a common goal.

I know that the Progressive Liberal Party is the vessel to restore the dream and change The Bahamas!

We PLP’s must always be the sober, thoughtful alternative and we must promote ideas that offer solutions to problems.

We must ensure that our conversation with the Bahamian people is not simply a celebration of our history but we must use our history to develop and communicate a road map of policies and programs that assists them in realizing their hopes and dreams.

It pains me to realise that violent crime has gotten to the point where we seem to have become desensitised to the commission of heinous murders and other horrible crimes.

News reports of murders of people who are the children, fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers of people we know happen all too frequently.

This morning’s news headlines speak to a significant increase in the commission of serious crimes over the past six weeks and the challenges faced by our witness protection program.

Last year we suffered from almost eighty murders- a rate of 23 for every 100,000 citizens while the United States suffered only six per 100,000. The murder rate in The Bahamas is FOUR TIMES the murder rate in the United States.

During the last few months, six people were murdered in the Bain Town area- the same area where the Urban renewal programme was, according to former Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson, a great contributor to the reduction of criminal activity during his time in office. Is it possible that these people might still be alive had the programme been allowed to continue? Think about it.

We need to fully reintroduce the Urban Renewal programme of the early 2000’s and give it institutional and financial support. We need to provide more rehabilitation programmes for juvenile offenders. We do not need to cutting back and fiddling with successful programmes as the present Minister of National Security does- a clear case of fiddling while the city burns!

We need to revise, strengthen and publicise the penal code so that penalties act as a deterrent  and aid in the rehabilitation of offenders.

The community, the government and the Police Force must work hand in hand together to re-establish the positive linkages between all and to enhance the Force’s ability to serve our citizens.

It is time that we get serious and innovative on crime in this country. We cannot afford to lose another soul to senseless violence.

As some of our leaders beat their chest and spout hot air, the peaceful, serene country we once knew and which we love is slipping away.

We need to fight for our Bahamas! We need to fight for change!

I am a fighter in the great and noble tradition of the PLP. My record- both professional and political- speaks for itself.

I have always fought tirelessly for the rights of Bahamians regardless of their politics, race, gender or their circumstances. We must all fight to ensure that our people are able to be major players in their own economy.

Those who know me know that I am a straight talker who is concerned about making things happen, not grabbing a few headlines.

I have put my shoulder to the wheel and ask your help in moving our Party forward as we, together, bring about change in our country. These are serious times and serious times call for serious leaders.

There are those politicians who say ‘yes’ to any and everything.

We need leaders who are brave enough to say a resounding NO- no to criminals who terrorise us in our homes and streets; and, no to politicians who take for themselves at our expense.

We will not prosper until we educate and properly train our young people, create good jobs and end the culture of crime in the street and the culture of corruption in politics.

We cannot shy away from solving problems.

This is a time for the courageous and brave to stand up and take on problems head on. I ask you to be brave with me. Together we can fight crime and corruption; together we can educate our people and create jobs for the future; together we can change our Bahamas.

I am absolutely confident that the Progressive Liberal Party is the vehicle to restore the dream and Change The Bahamas!

May God Bless you and our Bahamas.

PLP!