PRESS STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

We in the Progressive Liberal Party’s Leadership on Grand Bahama are perplexed, perturbed, disappointed and extremely concerned at the rapid deterioration of Grand Bahama’s economy and the ill effects it is having on the lives of hundreds of families on this island.

We are aware, sadly, that there are hundreds of families here on our Island who cannot meet their daily essential and financial obligations due to this tsunami that is threatening to wipe out many.  Families are telling us that they cannot pay increased power bills, mortgages, school fees, and in fact are barely able to buy a little grocery and a little gas for their vehicles.

We put the blame for much of this sad state of affairs at the door steps of the Free National Movement Government and we charge them with leading the way and setting the stage for private sector companies to dismiss employees following the Government’s example when they themselves fired employees from public sector corporations, works, housing, education, and Urban Renewal weekly since coming into office on 2nd May, 2007.

The wholesale, indiscriminate, dismissal of hundreds of just ordinary government workers from these corporations and departments has had the effect of essentially destroying our economy and wreaking hardship on the Bahamian working class.

The Free National Movement Government for the past year, instead of moving post haste to strengthen the economy has chosen instead to play the blame game.  The Progressive Liberal Party Government in its visionary leadership left projects on the drawing board to counteract the possible downturn in the economy.

The Free National Movement Government unwisely chose to cancel plans for the new Grand Bahama Hospital; for the new College of The Bahamas, the contract already signed and work started for the new school complex in the Heritage Subdivision.  Other incentives cancelled by the Free National Movement Government were:
1. the cancellation of the stamp duty exemption for first time Bahamian home buyers;
2. The Public Service Drivers Duty Exemption on cars imported for use as taxis, buses, and Livery Cars;
3. The suspension of the benefits to small business persons provided by the PLP’s Venture Capital Fund Programme; and,
4. The Duty and Tax Exemption for persons building in all other Family Islands.  All of these cancellations have had a very negative impact on the economy at a time when the Government should have been giving incentives to boost the economy.  In fact it has been so bad that our GDP projection for 2008 has been down graded from 4.5 per cent to 3.0 per cent, just above the growth rate which would be classified as a full blown recession.

We are advised that a private company here in Freeport has just terminated 19 or more employees and we have also been told that 45 more are being terminated from the staff of Urban Renewal in June.  Despite the new working agreement just signed between the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers’ Union and Our Lucaya, rumours persist that some 250 employees will be dismissed in the weeks ahead, and that the Island’s only casino could close shortly.  We have been listening for and we have still not heard the government’s plans to buffer this economy.  We have not heard and it appears that they don’t know what to do.  This is especially disappointing because we have so many members of the cabinet and the Parliament from Grand Bahama.  We had hoped along with the rest of Grand Bahama that they would have made Grand Bahama their No. 1 priority.  Unfortunately, it appears that this is not so.

We in the PLP contend that the Government’s posture and course of action since coming to office has been naïve, reckless, insensitive, lacking in compassion for the working class people of Grand Bahama and indeed this country and downright divisive.  We note that while Bahamians, both PLPs, FNMs, and Independents alike are struggling to make ends meet and waiting for the materialization of the FNM’s Trust Agenda, the Government, we have heard will hand out cash packages of $100,000 to each Member of Parliament to spend as they wish.  This amounts to five million dollars to Members of Parliament while Bahamians are literally dying because they cannot afford good health care; they cannot afford to pay increased electricity costs; they are struggling to pay increased gasoline bills and to buy food.

We call on the Ingraham Government to stop the firings, inject some capital in Grand Bahama .  In Grand Bahama it is easy because we have so many needs.  They can build the new college of The Bahamas; the new hospital which we left on the drawing board; lift the suspension of the contract for the school in the Heritage Subdivision.  We say that if the Government can afford to give each MP $100,000.00 it can restore the tax incentive for Bahamian first time home buyers, give the young people especially a chance; allow public service drivers to import their vehicles ‘Duty Free’ again; and reinstate the Venture capital Fund incentives as a means of trying to get this economy back on track.

We say further that there is no need to reinvent the wheel.  You have taken over and claimed as your own other projects left in the pipeline by the PLP Government do it now for Grand Bahama.
 It is our belief that a Government should never stand back and watch its citizens suffer and do nothing.  This is now a time for action.  Show the Bahamian people that you care.  Do something for Grand Bahama.  Do it now before it is too late.

 We state further that we in her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition are willing always to work and do what is best for the betterment of our beloved Island of Grand Bahama.