Hon. Fred Mitchell Fox Hill MP assisted by Sandilands Primary School Principal Mrs. Norma Dean is shown sharing a cake from his 51st Birthday celebration with the children of the Fox Hill area school.
New Year’s day 2007
One of the most fulfilling aspects of the life of a representative is solving the small problems that you can for constituents and citizens. The big overarching issues count, but in the words of an American politician “All politics is local”. I remember that in all I do, and I have had the great honour to visit with you in your homes in Fox Hill and throughout the nation to discuss the issues that are important to you.
Fox Hill has grown in the esteem of right thinking men and women in The Bahamas over the last four years. The village and the constituency can rightly be proud of all the progress that has been made. Whether it is the infrastructure of roads and housing or the building of the Community Centre, the dream of three previous representatives now realized by the work of the present representative; the promotion and investment in the Fox Hill Festival, the jobs for young men and women, the contributions to the Sandilands Primary School, the L.W. Young Junior High and Dame Doris Johnson High, the coming of Urban Renewal, it has been a good four years and an even better 2006.
It is what you would call a situation where we count our blessings and we can name them one by one.
At this time of year, we reflect on the old year and those who are no longer with us. We remember especially our late friend, brother, father and representative George Mackey who departed this life on 2nd January 2006, one year ago. This year we hope to name an appropriate public building in his honour.
All our other friends, neighbours and constituents, who have passed away during the year, we pause to remember them as well.
But life is also very much about the future, and the future belongs to the young men and women of Fox Hill. I send out a special message to them. It is one of encouragement and a hope that all will go well for them during the year. The Junkanoo Group the Original Congos are back, headed by Trevor Pratt and Warren Davis. They bring with them the rich African traditions of Fox Hill and they have helped to place Fox Hill firmly on the map. During this year’s Fox Hill Festival, I am sure that they will play a leading role in the further promotion of Fox Hill.
In this coming year, I expect that we will have the biggest and best Festival ever, building on all the accomplishments of the last four years. I look forward to continuing the dynamic partnership between us on the further development of our village and the constituency generally. I plan to meet with the major families of Fox Hill early in the New Year to discuss the family reunions for this year and the way forward generally. Fox Hill will play an integral part in marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the old British Empire on the 25th March and in marking 40 years since majority rule on the 10th January.
It was my special pleasure to visit during the year with our friends in the islands: the people of Bimini for the Glenda’s Road race, in Exuma just to help our friends, our brothers and sisters there. I send out a special greeting this year once again to the people of Exuma.
Our friend Archie Moree of Long Island deserves a special mention as he regains his strength and vigour.
Bahamians have quite a country. We are proud and confident about our future. It is only ours to let slip out of our hands. There is the scourge of the international drug trade that threatens us, then there is illegal immigration, then there is crime. Each of these issues is manageable, provided we have the fortitude to deal with them head on and not waiver in our belief that truth will out; and that good conquers evil. This is one more message for the young. We all at some times in our lives have to make up our minds whether we are on the side of good or evil. If you are on the good side, then we must all work together to ensure that evil does not prevail. We must be eternally vigilant to do the things that make for peace and build up the common life.
This is a free society. We stand for freedom of expression and opinion, and movement amongst others. The sovereignty of the country is bolstered by the protection of these freedoms. As we move forward into the New Year, we need again to continue our vigilance in protecting all of these freedoms. If we do not, then before we know it, they will be gone. Citizens have just as great a role to play in the bolstering of these protections. A Government does not act without a defined public opinion, a community of interests. These are values that I personally hold dear and I ask you to embrace them as we move together into the future.
As our holiday season comes to an end, I hope that you and your families have all had a wonderful Christmas and that good things will happen for you in the New Year.
I thank the Prime Minister and all my ministerial and parliamentary colleagues for the honour of serving with and for them, and for the confidence reposed in me as I discharged my various duties. I thank the Public Service for their devotion of duty and to country. I thank our Foreign Service for defending our country’s interests. I look forward to continuing with this work.
God bless you all and God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.