2008/09 BUDGET COMMUNICATION
SENATE OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS
20th day of June, A.D. 2008
Review of FNM’s first 12 months
Madam President
I open my remarks to this debate where I concluded my
remarks in the 2007/2008 Budget debate. You may recall that I concluded
my remarks on the 2007/2008 Budget by saying the following:
“I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak
on this so-called “Truth Budget” – unlike our budgets, which are now truth,
fact and history – the truth of this budget is yet to unfold into facts.
We look forward to this Truth and Fact unfolding in the coming months.”
Madam President
The truth and the facts have unfolded and have disclosed
without doubt or fear of contradiction that the FNM and its “proven leader”
have been an absolute failure in its first year of office. This was acknowledged
by none other than the Prime Minister himself in that other place when
wrapping up this budget debate he stated :-
“at some point in time, the public is going to have the
opportunity to judge us on our record and our record will not be over a
12 month period.”
Madam President,
Failure is a word that best describes the FNM Administration’s
performance since their return to office in May 2007. We need not
look any further for evidence of this failure than the 2008/09 Budget which
clearly demonstrates that they have failed in just about every aspect of
governance over the past 13 months. Hubert Ingraham and the FNM have
failed the Bahamian people miserably. This Budget in the opinion
of many is an admission and an acceptance of that failure.
They have admitted and accepted that they do not have
the capacity to govern this country.
They have admitted and accepted that they do not have
the imagination to address the pressing issues of crime, education and
social decay.
They have admitted and accepted that they have no solution
to providing affordable health care to poor and disadvantaged Bahamians.
They have admitted and accepted that they cannot build
affordable housing for the ten thousand Bahamians on the list waiting for
a home.
They have admitted and accepted that they have no shame
and cannot be trusted and that words such as “accountability” and “transparency”
are no more than catchy words designed to disguise their arrogance and
incompetence.
They have admitted and accepted that they have no plan
or vision for this country.
They have admitted and accepted that they are lost, lost,
lost, and as someone said to me the other day and I quote, “They can’t
tell what time it is with a good watch.”
Madam President,
I noted with interest that there was no reference in
this Budget Communication to the promises of the previous Budget or what
transpired over the past 13 months. It is as if the Prime Minister and
his colleagues have anticipated that the Bahamians would just forget about
their poor performance. But in order to put this 2008/09 Budget in
perspective, we must first examine how we got here and use the 2007/08
Budget Communication and what transpired over the past 13 months as a basis
for moving forward.
Madam President,
I have stated inside this place and outside that myself
and thousands of Bahamians were not impressed in any form or matter with
the performance of the “proven leader” and the FNM during the past 13 months.
They have completed less than ten percent of what they set out to do in
the Speech from the Throne and have put forth one excuse after the other
as to why they were not able to perform the functions and duties that the
Bahamian people elected them to do.
Madam President
What is interesting is that a columnist in one of the
dailies when assessing the government’s performance over the past year
gave the government a C- and gave the Prime Minister a A. I found this
rather curious, the Prime Minister, the CEO of the country, the Minister
of Finance who presided over and engineered through his policy of stop
review and cancel, the greatest economic meltdown in our history, could
actually get an A for his performance. No credible objective thinking Bahamian
could give the Prime Minister an A for his performance this past year and
obviously the writer thought more of the Prime Minister’s performance than
he thought of it himself. (see PM quote above).
Madam President
I give the government a D for their first 13 months.
I have not given them an F because I do believe they are trying and this
Budget is a step in the right direction and shows that at least the FNM
is pretending to be listening to the Bahamian people. For some reason though,
my gut tells me that this government has not totally bought into their
own Budget and resents the fact that out of an act of desperation this
Budget was forced upon them. Desperate times call for desperate measures
and this is definitely a Budget hatched in desperation.
Madam President
When reflecting on this FNM administration I am reminded
of the old saying “hard head bird don’t make good soup”. We warned them
of the consequences of their ruinous policies, but they did not listen
and the Bahamian people felt the pain and are still suffering as a result.
I am convinced that this Prime Minister and the FNM don’t really care about
the plight of the Bahamian people. They say they do but their actions don’t
match their words.
Madam President
The PLP cares about people and the FNM cares about things.
On May 5th 2008 the Tribune reported that while the Prime Minister was
addressing the Abaco Chamber of Commerce and asked what he feels about
the failing grade given to him by many on that Island he said “Who cares?
I don’t care.” That about sums up the arrogance and lack of compassion
this Prime Minister has toward the Bahamian people, he simply doesn’t care.
He is constantly reminding the FNM and the Bahamian people that they brought
him out of retirement as if he is doing us some favour. If his performance
over the past year is any indication of what we are in for over the next
3-4 years many Bahamians including those who voted for the FNM in the last
election, simply now wish that he had stayed home. If he didn’t want the
job, why accept it? If he knew he had no vision or plan other than to destroy
every good thing done by the PLP, why did he accept the position of leader
of the FNM?
Madam President
This year has been a year of excuses for the FNM. One
excuse after another. A year filled with half truths, smoke and mirrors
and plain good old fashioned untruths. The Prime Minister and the FNM have
done everything but accept responsibility for their failed policies. What
the Prime Minister and the FNM need to do is apologize to the Bahamian
people and promise to do better. Instead they have pointed fingers and
blamed every Tom, Dick and Harry for their arrogance, irrational behavior
and failed policies.
Madam President
I want to take a moment to examine the excuses that have
been given this year for the failure of this FNM administration and show
that these excuses are baseless and without merit. The most outrageous
excuse also turns out to also be one of the most far fetched untruths told
by them and that is that “they met the country in a mess” when they came
to office in May 2007. Myself and thousands of Bahamians have been trying
to determine what “mess” they are talking about. Surely it cannot be a
greater mess or greater challenge than what the PLP met in place when we
came to power in 2002.
Madam President
In 2002 we met an infrastructure that was deteriorating.
We met the main runway at the then Nassau International Airport that was
in such disrepair that it was described as a “death trap”. We met tractor
tires being used as bumpers at the cruise ship terminal. We met morale
at BTC at an all time low. We met generators at BEC which were in dire
need of repair and replacement. You will recall that island-wide power
outages were a regular occurrence prior to 2002 and have now resumed since
May 2007. We met water pipes which had been in the ground for years and
no water flowing in them. We met a Bridge authority which had been losing
money for years to the point that the auditors were unable to give an unqualified
opinion until 2002 when the PLP was ushered back to office and moved the
control of the Bridge Authority from the Central Bank to a properly constituted
board chaired by a businessman and a hard working team of Bahamians. We
met an Education Loan scheme which had not been properly constituted as
an Authority with a functioning Committee and Board as was mandated under
the law. Can you imagine no board or committee was set up to manage and
regulate the $100 million that the people borrowed. By 2002 after two years
of operation with no management in place the Education Loan scheme had
already been depleted by 35 million dollars approximately one-third of
its total funding in the space of two years.
Madam President
At the College of The Bahamas when we took office in
2002 there had been no audit for 5 years. During the Audit process we discovered
that the College had 14 million dollars sitting in various accounts which
no one knew about. We used this money to embark on a very aggressive capital
works campaign. We met Bahamasair losing 30 million a year and it is projected
to lose 28 million this year. We met poorly constructed government houses,
some of which we actually tore down. In one subdivision, there were so
many complaints that we simply gave the money to the residents and had
them hire private contractors to complete the work.
We met a GDP growth rate of less than 1%. We met foreign reserves at 400 million. We met a 100 million overdraft at the Royal bank of Canada and 25 million dollars in trade payables that the FNM left behind. They have the gall to talk about mess.
Madam President
This is just some of what the PLP met in 2002. But did
we point fingers, cry or make excuses. No we got to work in a mature and
deliberate fashion to complete the work the people sent us to do. Our record
is there for everyone to see. Madam President
During the first year the PLP was in office between May 2002 and May 2003 the PLP completed 120 new homes, in 2003 367 new homes were built, in 2004 660 new homes were built and up to June 2005 140 new homes were built bringing the total to 800 new homes in 3 years. Over the last 13 months the FNM built not one single home, and they have the nerve to talk about a mess.
Madam President
The then Minister of Works the Honourable Bradley Roberts
gave his personal undertaking that he would use all in his power to convince
his Cabinet colleagues to provide funding for that critical commodity –
water – to the Bahamian people throughout The Bahamas.
The Water and Sewerage Corporation was the only utility that published a monthly balance scoreboard in all major newspapers – an invitation to the public to watch and monitor the performance of the Corporation and its leaders, in fulfilling the national mandate. This initiative was not management-led but Board-directed and Minister-endorsed. I can still recall Minister Roberts reciting how you can survive without food for a couple of days but you cannot survive without water.
Madam President
I can tell you where a mess is now, the Water and Sewerage
Corporation is now in a mess. They have failed to continue the scorecard.
The policy of providing fresh water to every home appears to be dead. The
Junior Minister is obviously lost and overwhelmed and the Government says
“where you put me”.
Madam President
The net profit of the Bridge Authority as of December
31st, 2006 was in excess of $1.3 million. This is up from a $450,000 net
loss when the Christie led PLP took over in 2002. It is also interesting
to note that the Authority’s auditors were so relieved and, I guess, impressed
with the turn around of the Authority that they went so far as to say in
their management report for the fiscal year ended December 31st, 2002 and
I quote:-
“It should also be noted that this is the first year since we were appointed auditors that an unqualified opinion will be issued on the Bridge Authority’s financial statements. This would not have been possible had it not been for you and your staff’s dedication in resolving all of our Audit issues.”
Madam President
In 2003, the PLP appointed board led by Mr. Al Jarrett
at BEC renegotiated an IDB loan. The savings generated as a result of the
early payment of the IDB loan ended up saving BEC some $5 million per annum
over 10 years - that is $50 million in savings that the PLP Government
saved the people of The Bahamas. In so doing, this enabled a reduction
in the basic cost of electricity of approximately 17% to homeowners and
approximately 11% for commercial properties. This took effect from October
1st, 2003 less than 18 months into the PLP’s Administration. What mess
did they meet in place, surely not there.
Madam President
BTC under the PLP Government generated an average net
profit of $35.8 million per annum. When compared to the profits of
BTC in 1992 to 2007 where an average of $12.9 million per annum was generated,
the PLP’s annual profit on average was almost three times better than the
performance under the FNM
Madam President,
BTC, under the Christie Administration, spent $353 million
in capital development projects in five years, spending a whopping amount
of $93 million in 2006 alone. BTC generated $300 million in revenue
for the first time in its history and all of this, notwithstanding the
significant reduction in telephone rates as mentioned before. These successes
enabled BTC to attract an offer of $260 million for forty-nine percent
of BTC. This represents a 100 percent increase or $130 million more than
the FNM was able to negotiate 5 years earlier. No mess here!!
Madam President
I am sure you are wondering just as I am where exactly
was this “mess” to which they are referring. It surely was not in the economy.
We left them with 4.5% GDP growth rate and they couldn’t even manage to
hold on to that. We left them with record foreign reserves and they squandered
that. We left them with bank liquidity at a healthy level. We didn’t ask
them to say thank you, we only asked on behalf of the Bahamian people that
they do the job they were sent to do, but alas they appear incapable of
doing even that. And so instead of admitting to their failures and promising
to do better, they blamed the PLP, for what I have no idea, maybe setting
the bar to high for them. I put them on notice during the last Budget debate
that they would have to work night and day to keep up with the performance
record set by the PLP let alone surpass it. The truth is that they have
fallen woefully short of what even their worst critics had expected. I
have been specific and I have pin-pointed the “mess” that we
met in place. They have been digging in plenty files surely they will find
just one Ministry or one Corporation that was in worse shape in 2007 than
it was in 2002. I challenge them, find just one. The FNM is a government
of one liners, no substance they just throw stuff out there and hope it
sticks.
Madam President
They have no shame. None. They will go to any lengths
to cover up their incompetence hide the fact that they are lost, overwhelmed
and incapable of leading The Bahamas through the challenges of the 21st
century. They are taking our beloved Bahamaland on a course and they know
neither their direction nor their final destination. It is both scary and
pathetic.
Madam President
The second excuse. They have given for their failures
over the past 12 months is that they met no legislation in place when they
came to office in May of 2007. I find this quite amusing when one considers
that when they came to office they were supposed to come with their own
agenda which was supposed to reflect their Manifesto 2007 and their 2007
Speech from the Throne. Nowhere in the Manifesto 2007 or the Speech from
the Throne did I see any reference to legislation left behind by the PLP.
Indeed when the PLP came to power in 2002 we came with our own agenda and
the first year we brought many bills to the House which impacted the lives
of ordinary Bahamians and jump started the economy. Between May 2002 and
December 2002 the PLP passed the following bills in the House:
That is what the PLP did in its first 9 months in
office and as I have demonstrated we were faced with many more challenges
than this hapless administration.
Madam President
The third reason or excuse that they give for their incompetence
and lack of productivity is that we in the PLP were obstructionists and
prevented them from implementing their agenda. This is outrageous. We could
not have possibly prevented them from implementing their agenda because
they had no agenda and they still have no meaningful agenda or vision.
Madam President
These past 13 months of the FNM Administration could
be used as a case study on how not to govern a country. History will show
that over the past 13 months the FNM government and its proven leader squandered
yet another golden opportunity. They appear to be quite adept at squandering
opportunities. You will recall that it was the then Governor of the Central
Bank who said they had squandered a golden opportunity to propel our economy
forward during their last term in office, when between the years 1998-2002
they presided over the greatest reduction in our GDP in any four year period
in the history of The Bahamas. A reduction of 6% over 4 years. When they
left office in 2002 the GDP growth rate was less than 1%. And they talking
about a mess!!!!
Madam President
These are all just excuses, excuses for dismal failure.
Embarrassing really when one considers what the PLP left in place on May
2, 2007. The president of the Contractors Association, Mr. Stephen Wrinkle
put it best when describing the state of the economy since the FNM resumed
power, he said “ in 60 days we have gone from boom to bust”. The PLP left
the action agenda for greatness and the FNM and its proven leader squandered
it, again.
The Budget 2008/2009
Madam President
The 2008/9 Budget is one on which I would commend the
government. The Budget goes some way towards reducing the pain and suffering
the FNM has inflicted on the Bahamian people over the past 12 months with
their policies of victimization, firing of civil servants and stop, review
and cancellation of government contracts. The Bahamian people are grateful
that this Budget is an indication that the FNM government has changed course,
now sees the errors of many of their irrational decisions and are attempting
to make amends to correct those and bring relief to the Bahamian people.
I thank them.
Madam President
You will recall that during the last year the FNM government
canceled the duty-free exemption on building materials for the Family Islands,
they failed to renew the $250,000 exemption on first time homeowners and
failed to renew the exemption from customs duties for taxi drivers to import
new vehicles in The Bahamas. You'll also recall the various reasons the
FNM gave for the cancellation of all these exemptions even though we were
against it, they said the government couldn't afford to do it and we argued
that the government couldn't afford not to continue these incentives. They're
now seeing the wisdom of the PLP’s policies and they are now listening
to the cries of thousands of Bahamians who were negatively impacted by
their previous short sighted, irrational and immature decision-making.
The question one must ask is why were these exemptions stopped in the first
place? If they were too expensive for the Public Treasury then, why are
they now not too expensive?
Madam President
In the Prime Minister’s Budget communication 2008/2009
the word “trust” is used twice and one of those times was a reference to
what was said last year. The word “accountability” is used once and the
word “transparency” is used once, but amazingly not once is there any mention
of the word “leadership”. If there was ever a time our country needed leadership
it is now and not one mention of it in this Budget Communication. This
is in stark contrast to the Budget Communication of 2007/2008 where the
word “trust” and “leadership” were used ten times in the first three pages.
Why have they abandoned these empty catch phrases?
Madam President
Could it be that the FNM now realize that they have made
“trust” a bad word in politics and thousands of Bahamians now see trust
and the FNM with its “proven leader” as mutually exclusive.
Madam President
This Budget amplifies the schizophrenic nature of the
FNM. They take with one hand and then give with the other or give with
one hand and take with the other. They had taken away the exemptions for
first home owners, taken away duty free exemptions for Family Islands and
taken away duty free exemptions for taxis, then they give it back. They
fire you and then invite you through this Budget to come and get a hand
out or food stamps. They bring the economy to a screeching halt so Bahamians
are either out of work or their income reduced, then they give you incentives
and exemptions you cannot afford to take advantage of. They suspend the
customs duty and stamp tax on BEC fuel imports on one hand and they fail
to adjust the tax on diesel imports which still has a duel tax structure
which means it is taxed on volume and price. Gasoline is only taxed on
volume. This will probably mean that the government will benefit from a
50 million dollar windfall as a result of the increase in the price of
fuel and they have not adjusted the tax on diesel. Diesel as we know is
the choice fuel for commerce so this cost will be passed on to the consumers.
With this one item alone the FNM have taken back 50 million dollars worth
of incentives and exemptions. They take they give, they give they take
and at the end of the day the Bahamians are worse off and they want you
to say thank you. This FNM government is so mixed up sometimes they really
remind me of a chicken running round without a head.
Madam President
The Prime Minister continues to say he is a “friend of
the poor”. This is again one of his famous one liners that is not grounded
in fact and he must reason that if he says it enough he will convince others
as to its truth. The past 13 months have shown us that the Prime Minister
is many things, but a friend of the poor he is not. Ask the people who
his government fired, ask the construction workers who lost their jobs
from the ruinous policy of stop review and cancel and the poor people who
die everyday because they cannot afford healthcare, ask the people in those
socially challenged neighborhoods where he removed the award winning Urban
Renewal Program. You want to know what the Prime Minister is to these people,
just go ask them and I can assure you the word “friend” would not even
come to their mind. They are likely to use words such as cold, callous,
vindictive and indifferent. Hardly words used to describe a “friend”.
Madam President
During this Budget debate the Prime Minister made some
incredible remarks. Some were not founded in fact or logic, some were half
truths and other times he appeared to be talking off the cuff or “shooting
from the hip”. Some of what he said was just plain outrageous.
The National Debt
Madam President
I would like to deal with the issue of the National Debt
that the Prime Minister claims that the PLP accumulated during its 5 years
in office. He states that the PLP accumulated 828 million dollars in debt
in 5 years. I am not sure where he got this number from, but I know he
did not get it from the Central Bank reports and how do I know because
I checked. As far as I am aware the Central Bank is the independent agency
that tracks all financial indicators as they relate to our economy, balance
of payments, debt etc. According the Central Bank reports at the end of
June 2002 (2nd quarter), the national debt stood at 2.224 billion dollars
and at the end of June 2007 (2nd quarter) the national debt stood at 2.889.
Therefore based on the Central Bank reports the national debt increased
by 665 million dollars during the PLP’s 5 years in office. Remember when
I mentioned earlier that when the PLP came to office in 2002 we met a 100
million dollar overdraft at the Royal Bank of Canada and 25 million in
trade payables. Well one of the first things we had to do when we came
to office in 2002 was borrow 125 million dollars to cover this overdraft
and pay outstanding bills left behind by the FNM. And they want talk bout
mess. So when you subtract this 125 million from the 665 million you end
up with 540 million dollars. 540 million dollars over 5 years is what the
PLP is responsible for not 828 million dollars.
Madam President
Where did this extra 300 million dollars come from. I
have no idea, but I suspect the same place where the surplus came from
in the mid term budget. You will recall the Prime Minister was talking
about a surplus during the mid term Budget, then the Central Bank reports
came out and revealed that for the first 6 months the FNM government was
running a 100 million dollar deficit. “The truth is a stubborn thing” as
the Prime Minister said in that other place, but I also submit that so
are fact and figures and sometimes I wonder whether the Prime Minister’s
“facts” are a figment of his imagination, because when it comes to facts
and figures, it’s almost as if he makes it up as he goes along. No facts
to support the outrageous claim of 828 million dollars in debt during the
PLP’s 5 years in office.
Madam President
You may ask why would the Prime Minister tell such a
blatant untruth. I will give you a hint, the deficit last year under the
FNM was in excess of 200 million and this year’s will be worse, so realistically
in 2 years this FNM government would have accumulated 500 million dollars
in debt equaling what it took the PLP 5 years to accumulate. I suggest
that is why the FNM are coming up with these phantom numbers.
Madam President
Another point of interest when looking at the national
debt is keeping a close eye on the portion which makes up the foreign currency
part on the debt. When the PLP took office in 2002 the foreign currency
debt was 525 million dollars or 23.6% of the National debt which stood
at 2.224 billion dollars. In 2007 when we left office the foreign currency
part of our debt was reduced to 430 million dollars or 15% of our National
debt of 2.889 billion. The FNM government has already borrowed 100 million
in US dollars since coming to office to boost our foreign reserves so our
foreign currency debt has increased over 500 million dollars again. This
is something we must keep a close eye on as our foreign currency debt is
directly linked to the strength of our dollar.
Revised GDP Data
Madam President
On page 20 of the Budget Communication the Prime Minister
says the following:
“The GDP figures for both 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 are
the revised data recently released by the Department of Statistics…..The
reduction in the GFS Deficit from 2006/2007 to 2007/2008 shows that this
Government is firmly committed to fiscal prudence in the interests of the
welfare of the people of The Bahamas”. If I am not mistaken during 2006/2007
the PLP was the government and our GDP numbers were revised upward by some
500 million dollars and we do not even know why or by whom. Therefore it
would appear that this reduction in the GFS deficit resulted from the revision
of the PLP GDP numbers. We know from a press release issued by BIS on the
22nd of May 2008 that the GDP numbers were revised, but no one said why.
I am advised that the IMF was here a few months ago and uncovered an error
in the Department of Statistics, but nothing was said about this. This
however is the “transparency” and “accountability” the Bahamian people
have come to expect from the FNM. They say one thing and do the opposite,
they give with one hand and take with the other and they pull numbers out
of their heads and pass them on as real.
The Port Relocation
Madam President
On page 33 of the Budget Communication the Prime Minister
said the following:
“It is also expected that the dredging of the harbour
will provide sufficient material to facilitate the expansion of Arawak
Cay westward, or alternatively the creation of a second artificial Island
connected to the mainland by a bridge or causeway, to accommodate the relocated
commercial port.”
Madam President
I have raised this matter many times in this place in
some cases to point out that there are those who appear determined to go
to any lengths to stop the movement of the container port to the southwest
portion of Nassau even if it means telling untruths and making up numbers
something this FNM government has mastered.
Madam President
You remember the 400 million dollar price tag they said
was needed to buy the land for the South West Port. This number was repeated
by the Minister of Works, the Deputy Prime Minister, the leader of Government
business in the Senate and the editor of one of the dailies. You will also
recall that I made a serious allegation of conflict of interest against
the Deputy Prime Minister for chairing not only a meeting with interested
Bay Street merchants, but also for sitting in on a meeting when the Ecorys
report was presented to the Government which recommended the Southwest
port as the favoured location.
Madam President
I have presented a summary of that report during our
last debate, and nowhere does it talk about 400 million dollars to buy
land or construct the port. So where does this number come from? I have
no idea but I would guess from the same place the 828 million dollar debt
figure the Prime Minister attempted to attach to the PLP and the same place
where the Prime Minister found a surplus during the mid term budget; a
figment of someone’s imagination, a great story teller, someone who just
pulls numbers out the air and has no respect for the truth or those to
whom he is telling the story.
Madam President
A report was commissioned by the Government and the private
sector at a shared cost of $500,000 to determine the cost and feasibility
the Southwest port after the EDAW report in conjunction with the Coastal
Systems International Environmental impact Assessment, concluded that the
Southwest Port was the best location for the port. The Ecorys report was
concluded and presented to the Government last September, 9 months ago
and still today no mention of it. Not one word from the government of “transparency”
and “accountability” not one word, not even an acknowledgement that they
received it. The Bahamian people contributed $250,000 towards this report
and they will not even tell the people what it contains. Why? I’ll tell
you why, because it doesn’t say what they want it to say. This is just
another example that the words “transparency” and “accountability” are
nothing more than catchy phrases the FNM use for their own convenience
and twisted motives.
Madam President
After extensive research and analysis, the EDAW Group
concluded the following:-
“The project design team investigated seven possible
new locations for the consolidation of cargo activities which included
(1) No action/optimization of the existing port facilities;
(2) Arawak Cay;
(3) Clifton Point;
(4) Power Plant;
(5) South Ocean;
(6) Adelaide; and
(7) Coral Harbour.
Relevant information for the alternatives analysis/assessment
was obtained through literature review, a series of site visits and field
inspections, interviews with Government officials, stakeholder meetings,
and preparation of an intensive coastal engineering analysis for each of
the project alternate sites. The project team used the compiled data
to evaluate each potential port relocation site according to a matrix of
criteria covering environmental impacts, compatibility with island long
term master planning, engineering and construction issues and socio-economic
concerns.”
They concluded the following based on the Coastal Systems
International Environmental Assessment:
“From their review of all available data concerning the proposed cargo relocation and consolidation project, the project team selected the power plant site as the preferred alternative. Relocating the port to the Power Plant site would clearly meet the Project goals of increasing port capacity, beautifying downtown Nassau and alleviating traffic. In terms of environmental impacts, construction of a port facility at the Power Plant would minimize the impact to marine resources to the greatest extent practicable.”
Madam President
They have ignored the report and the advice contained
therein and begun to spin a story so wild and crazy that one would reason
that it was made for fiction. The untruths were so outrageous and blatant
that in a letter to the editor of the Tribune entitled “editorial on container
port has several serious errors”, Mr Richard Coulson who I am told was
involved in putting together the financing for the project said the following:
“Your editorial of Friday, March 7, titled “Container port pros and cons” has several serious errors that need to be corrected. It states that Government would have to spend $400 million to buy the land for the Clifton Port in the southwest, a sum that could be saved by using Government-owned land at Arawak Cay. The $400 million figure has been floating around for some months, with no basis whatever in fact. The only detailed analysis of the southwest site, last year’s 154-page Feasibility Study by the Dutch consulting firm Ecorys, gives the figure of $256 million for the total cost, with only $10 million required for land acquisition, which would be bought from three owners who have indicated their willingness to sell. A recent study by Tropical Shipping estimates that a new commercial port at Arawak Cay would cost about $170 million. So, yes, there would be a saving, but nothing like the extravagant $400 million quoted in your editorial. And, as indicated, either port would in any event be run as a commercial venture with the cost borne by the private sector and not Government (of course, all figures are at 2007 level and will increase with inflation). Your editorial also states that Arawak provides a “shorter route into town”. That’s just what we don’t want – more freight being moved through town. Your editorial then contradicts itself by mentioning the probable best solution, an inland container terminal on Gladstone Road, which could also hold break-bulk shipments. To reach Gladstone Road easily from Arawak Cay will require a new road system through the Chippingham, Perpall Tract and Prospect Ridge areas. From Clifton to Gladstone Road will also require a new link, but it could be a dedicated route along the existing power-line right of way – a bit longer, but a lot simpler. There may well be sound strategic reasons for preferring Arawak Cay for our commercial shipping, such as the shorter time needed for initial opening and final completion. Against that must be weighed possible other uses of the Cay to make it a handsome visual approach to Nassau Harbour and to create an exceptional “Cultural Village” that has been proposed to the Ministry of Tourism. Whatever decision is finally made, public opinion on this issue should not rely on the incorrect statements in your editorial.”
Madam President
The EDAW report which lays out the master plan for the
redevelopment of downtown, on page 40 envisaged this for the area they
called “Arawak Cay and Beach”:
“The Arawak Beach project includes a diverse series of connected parks, ranging from an expanded beach area, recreational fields, and over-flow parking. Proposed development on Arawak Cay includes a private resort on the western end, a public marina village, an eco-park and lagoon, national fair grounds, a shopping village, and an expanded fish fry.”
This surely sound like a more appropriate use of Arawak Cay than the heaping up of containers on it.
Madam President
I am now reliably informed that plans are underway to
produce a new 72 acre man made Island just west of Arawak Cay, directly
in front of Saunders Beach. This new Island is to be connected to Nassau
by a new Causeway somewhere between Perpall Tract and the Shell gas station
on West Bay Street. Does the madness of the Prime Minister and this FNM
government have no end? Can you imagine driving on West Bay Street passing
Saunders Beach and seeing a man made Island full of containers. It is absolutely
disgusting, but this is where the “proven leader” and the “trusted” FNM
are heading.
Madam President
At some point the Bahamian people will draw a line in
the sand and say enough is enough. No more.
Madam President
I feel this is that issue. This is one of the defining
issues of this generation and we cannot afford to get it wrong. The government
must tell the Bahamian people why they are ignoring the Ecorys report,
the EDAW report and the Environmental impact Assessment done by Coastal
Systems International. This will be the test for their “transparency” and
“accountability” theory and will show if the Prime Minister and the FNM
truly understand the meaning of truth and trust.
The Future
Madam President
These are perilous times. Crime is up, unemployment is
up, the cost of food has escalated, the cost of fuel has sky rocketed,
home foreclosures are soaring. The middle class that the PLP fought so
hard to produce is now under threat and the poor are sinking further into
despair.
Madam President
I guess that is why I am really disappointed at this
Budget. There are no new bold ideas in here. No answers to the frightening
concerns the average Bahamian has. No plan for the future. No vision, just
a reaction to the failed policies of the past 13 months.
Madam President
With the escalating cost of food and the food shortages
worldwide I would have preferred to see a real focus on Agriculture as
a matter of National Security. Everyday we see nations that produce food
staples cutting back on their exports so that they can feed their citizens
first. We are spending 30 millions dollars to keep Bahamas Air afloat,
would that money not be better spent investing this amount annually for
the next 3-4 years in a sustainable agricultural program. Would the Minister’s
time not be better spent on the development and implementation of such
a plan, instead of at Arawak Cay asking vendors to terminate operations
for 2 months? What is he doing at Arawak Cay anyway?
Madam President
Why is it so important that we borrow 162 million dollars
now to complete the New Providence Road Improvement project. Will these
new roads bring down crime, unemployment, the rate of foreclosures, the
price of food or fuel? Will they improve our literacy rate and improve
our students’ grade point average? Will it reduce teenage pregnancy and
the spread of AIDS? Will it save the lives of those who cannot afford healthcare.
I suspect that if fuel prices continue to rise people will simply park
their cars and catch the jitney and these new roads will be virtually empty
anyway. I would have preferred to have seen this amount of money invested
in adapting our energy grid to alternative energy sources such as LNG,
wind, sun and seawater generated power. Finishing these roads at this time
will only increase our foreign debt at a time when we can least afford
it. So Bahamians again question where the priorities of this government
are. Is their focus in the wrong place at this point in our countries development.
Madam President
I would have preferred a Budget that found innovative
ways to increase revenue so that the Minister of Education would have more
funding for the innovative and bold programs he is implementing at the
schools. He appears to be one of very few in the government who actually
have a vision and passion for his Ministry. He, like myself, believes firmly
that education or the lack thereof is the greatest challenge facing our
country. I encourage him to continue with his vision and passion and ask
his colleagues to support his vision. His success at the end of the day
may be the only meaningful success the FNM can point to in 2012. I would
only advise the Minister to please put the police back in the schools.
Madam President
The Bahamian people are looking for a bold and innovative
leadership. Leadership they can trust and whose policies are people driven
and not politically motivated.
Madam President
With the deepest of respect to those on the other side
I am confident that I have shown that while we applaud the government for
this Budget, there is nothing revolutionary or visionary in this Budget.
It may have been revolutionary or visionary when the PLP did it. We are
grateful however that they brought back all of the tax relief we left in
place, but this does not excite the Bahamian people. It’s the same ole
same ole. We have all seen it before. That’s not the definition of revolutionary
or visionary.
Madam President
There are three things that once gone cannot be retrieved.
Words, time and opportunity. I submit that over the past 13 months the
The Prime Minister and the FNM have either wasted or squandered all three.
I hope that the FNM has learnt from their mistakes and over the next 12
months they will improve their record and have a productive year for the
benefit of all Bahamians, and I pray that during the next Budget I am not
compelled to revive one of my themes from my previous Budget communication
“ that some people never learn” .
Madam President
I wholeheartedly support all of these bills. Thank you.