Saturday 14th July 2007

I am pleased to represent the Fox Hill constituency as we pay tribute to our country on the 34th anniversary of its independence.  That independence was formally marked at midnight on the 9th July 1973 with the lowering of the British flag, called the Union Jack and the raising of The Bahamas flag for the first time.

This evening we reenact that ceremony, lest we forget.

It is important for us to remember in an age when so many are trying to rewrite history.

I was a student at St. Augustine’s College in 1965 when I first heard about the issue of independence.  During my time as a student, the great debates of the day were about whether or not the country could survive as an independent nation.  There were some who said we could not do it.  Some of the same people who today say that they love their country had their doubts.

We need to pay tribute to those who never wavered. Men like Lynden O. Pindling, Milo Butler, Arthur Hanna and women like Doris Johnson.  They never wavered.  When the election was held in 1972, Sir Lynden told the country that if he won the general election of September 1972, he would take the country into independence not later than 1973.

Sir Lynden led a delegation of his men to London to hold talks with the British.  Amongst them were Milo Butler, Arthur Hanna, Loftus Roker, George Smith, Paul Adderley, and Darrell Rolle.  These men together with their Opposition colleagues negotiated the constitution that we have to today, which provides us with the protections of the rule of law that we enjoy today.

Last year the national commission for the Independence Celebrations asked that each community find ways to mark independence in their own communities.  As far as I know, Fox Hill is the only community that marks this event in this special way.  I want to thank the Members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and our local Committee headed by Charlene Marshall for their help again on this occasion in making this a success.

Let us remember that it takes all of us to build this nation.  We must all work together for good.  There must be respect for individual and for the public good.  Without this respect, then there will be anarchy and a break down in law and order.

Independence is gift that is passed to this generation from those who went before us, and I hope that it is a gift that you will cherish and nurture for all eternity.

Thank you and God bless you all!