FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A NATIONAL CALL FOR CHANGE

MITCHELL AT TOASTMASTERS: Roderick Colebrooke, Vice President for Education of the Advanced Toastmasters Club International 7108 gestures to guest speaker Fred Mitchell MP, at centre, as Club President Jevon McIntosh, at right, looks on during the Club's meeting at Luciano's Restaurant Thursday.  Mr. Mitchell addressed the Toastmasters on 'A National Call For Change' and promoted his vision for the PLP to lead The Bahamas to developed country status by 2020, noting; "...the country’s media seems preoccupied by the leadership of the PLP, and in their preoccupation seem surprised that there would be those who are seeking to position themselves as an eventual alternative leader in the PLP." Photo: Miguel Taylor

Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you.  I have said it before but I take the risk of repeating it. Someone like me does not often get the opportunity for a structured dialogue on matters of public policy with a group of people who form the core leadership group in our country, outside the political parties. It is a valued opportunity.

This is another in a series of interventions that I have been making on what I call the Change Agenda since my party’s meeting in Fox Hill on 25th November.

On 1st January on Facebook, I released the following message:

I would like to set the goal for The Bahamas to be a developed country by the year 2020.  This will mean clear markers:

• An increase in national income or GDP per capita,
• A more refined literacy,
• A lower birth rate and a lower death rate;
• A national health insurance programme;
• Unemployment benefits;
• Better access to capital through small business loans, micro loans,
• Improved infrastructure by land, sea and by air,
• An improved tourism product,
• National food security through an investment in agriculture and fisheries,
• The rebuilding of our capital city and
• Increased environmental protection.

This time is quite an interesting and exciting time.  Watching what is happening next door in the United States, there is a whole movement now for new people to come into public life in The Bahamas.

In the FNM, you can see the new players positioning themselves to replace the Prime Minister.   One Minister reportedly has a hired a public relations agent to raise his profile as he positions himself.   Another Minister made an intervention this week where he was fighting for Bahamian professionals, which is not usually the policy of the FNM.  If you go to various political groups and personalities on Facebook, he appears in many groups.  He has his own page.  Clearly, he too is positioning himself for something.  The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security have also positioned themselves to be successors to the now head of their party.  It is obvious and can be clearly seen by even the blind.

But the country’s media seems preoccupied by the leadership of the PLP, and in their preoccupation seem surprised that there would be those who are seeking to position themselves as an eventual alternative leader in the PLP.

Politics is a fortuitous business. It would be unwise for any forward thinking organization not to position itself to have alternatives.

To me the question right now of who will lead is less important than whoever will lead our country, where will he or she lead us?  Clearly, the present path will lead to an abyss but that energizes me more than ever to frame the debate so as to be part of the vexing problem of improving the quality of our lives.

In both parties then change is underway.  I said it before, it is inexorable and whether we like or not. Change is going to come. I want to assure everyone that this is not a publicity stunt. I have never been more serious.

The question though is quite apart from the question of personalities.  The question is, what will change represent and that is why it is important to look at the vision we have for the country in the year 2020 and where our country will be.

That is why I have tried to refocus the discussion.

I spoke yesterday on the national library debate about the issue of a more refined literacy.  The fact is that the country is behind in the question of digitalization.  If the country is to progress there has to be a serious investment in training and infrastructure in this area.

We have still for example not gotten the basics right in terms of a reliable supply of electricity

If I were to have my way, I would triple the annual budget of the Ministry of Education and double the amounts put to sports and culture over a five year period in real terms.  In education this would mean more money put into making available grants for students to go to university and free education at the College of the Bahamas.  Education is the key to our future success.

Another issue that I think bears some discussion is that of Freeport and the economy of Grand Bahama.  Yesterday, the headlines told us of a million dollar investment announced by the Minister of State for the improvement of the economy of Grand Bahama.  This is so outrageous as to be scandalous.  One million dollars can do nothing.  It is drop in the bucket, yet there is no public outrage.  The fact is that a Marshal type plan must be formulated for that second city.  I have just finished my most recent podcast on Freeport and Grand Bahama and I encourage you to look for it as the latest Mitchell report on YouTube.  But we in Nassau must integrate our economic and political thinking with the movers and shakers in Freeport because the success of Freeport is essential to the forward movement of our country.  We need now to be focusing on how Freeport’s economy will succeed.

The question for your generation though is what is your mission and whether these are the issues to excite you toward a new set of goals.  That is the discussion I would like to have here this afternoon as we engage in this brief dialogue.

I thank you for this opportunity and I look forward to your comments.