Fox Hill Parade
4th August 2006

The Old Testament says that for everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.  This is the time for the Fox Hill Festival and not a time for politics.  This is a time for unity and not a time for division.  There is no red and there is no blue.  There are one people, indivisible under God.  All for one and one for all.

We must all know when it is the right time to do the right thing.  That is what being educated to the highest levels is all about, not just about book learning.  It is about common sense and knowing when it is the right time to do the right thing.

My job has taken me to the republic of Haiti.  And during my discussions with Haitian leaders, I used to make the point that we in The Bahamas know exactly when to draw the line.  We know when it is time for politics and when it is time for community.  Even in Haiti, though, I found it most interesting that while they were busy trying to oust former President Aristide by fair means or foul, when it was carnival time, the whole nation took a break to celebrate.  After the carnival, the fighting began again. The song says “don’t stop the carnival”.

This is the George Mackey Fox Hill Festival time, and it is time for us to take a break and work as one community.

No one can argue that it is right that in pursuit of ambitions you destroy the community.  That would not make sense because after all is said and done; community is very much all that we have.  God gave us this community and we have to protect it.

For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.

I am proud to be the Member of Parliament for the fourth time in four years to bring greetings at the official opening of this festival and to officially to declare it open.

I wish to acknowledge and thank the hard working team headed by Charles Johnson who planned and developed this festival.  I am proud to have done my job to support the Festival.

I am grateful for the clarification which was issued today about this matter.  Yes it is very true that I am not a Fox Hillian by birth, but I consider myself a Fox Hillian by spirit.  But even more than that, I am the representative for Fox Hill, and by this signal honour it is my duty not to try to get things for my friends and family or to interfere with what the people of Fox Hill want.  I am to represent your interests.  I told one of the leaders of the Junkanoo group that my role is to serve, to protect, support and defend.
I do so with all my life.  I offer you my hand.  I have no other primary interest.  I have no distractions.

The children of the Sandilands Primary School must get the best opportunity they can to make it in this new world.  Tonight, we mark the 172nd anniversary of the emancipation of the slaves with the opening of this ceremony in honour of one of Fox Hill’s finest sons.  I salute his widow and his family who are with us here this evening.

In celebrating the past, we are ensuring the future.  The young will carry on the traditions.  They must know, lest we all forget.  Long after all of us are gone, I hope that this tradition will carry on, and they who come behind us will know that once we were slaves but now we are a free and sovereign people.

Last night we had a good start with a lively discussion on the future of Fox Hill and how to integrate its cultural and community heritage into our tourism product.

And so within the presence of the spirits of our ancestors, some of them buried right there on Freedom Park, I wish this to be a successful festival.  I wish there to be unity and peace.  I wish us all to pull together and I want us to remember those verses from the Bible in the Old Testament that for everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.

I thank you all.  It is now my pleasure to declare this George Mackey Fox Hill Festival 2006 officially open.