Now THIS is what you call a Convention!

Great God Almighty, what a week this has been!  What a glorious, uplifting week this has been!

Have you ever seen anything like it?  Have you ever experienced a convention like this one?

Look at all the people!

There is enough power surging through this human throng to light up the whole Bahamas!
O’ tell me, can you FEEL it?

Session Chairperson;
My Sister, Deputy Prime Minister and Mr. Pratt; Cabinet & Parliamentary colleagues;
Members of the Clergy;
Esteemed Stalwart Councillors, most especially Lady Pindling;
Mr. National Chairman and Mrs. Rigby;
National Party Officers;
Progressive Young Liberals;
Members of the Women’s branches & affiliated organizations;
Fellow delegates to the 49th National General Convention of this great and historic Progressive Liberal Party;
My brothers and sisters in every city, in every settlement, and in every town all across our beloved nation,
A good evening to you all!
AND
I want to welcome back in a very special way tonight one of my oldest and dearest friends.  He is an individual of outstanding ability who, for many years, has given sterling service to his country in a variety of capacities, both public and private.   Respected by all, he is a man of many talents.  It gives me much happiness to know that these talents will once again serve our nation well because very soon I shall be appointing this man to play an important role in our country.

I am conscious, however, that this is a partisan setting and that it would therefore not be constitutionally appropriate to make announcements of state in such a setting.  But what I can say tonight is that the man of whom I speak will become an important part of our team and that he is my dear friend and yours, Dr. Bernard J. Nottage.

Welcome back, my brother!  It’s good to have you back!

I also welcome back in a very special way, Dr. Nottage’s dear wife, Portia, and all those in the CDR who have chosen freely to throw their lot in with the PLP.  There is a place for each and every one of you.  There is a role for each and every one of you to play.
Welcome, welcome to you all!

Fellow delegates, ladies & gentlemen :

All week long, we have heard the mighty roar of a mighty people.  It is a roar that has resonated all through our land.  It is a roar powerful and deep.   It is a roar that has erupted not from the palaces of privilege nor from the corporate boardrooms of the rich and the ruthless.  No!  The roar we have heard this week is the roar of the common man.

It is a roar that has erupted from down deep in his gut because down deep the common man knows what he has always known to be true : that when you get right down to it the PLP is :
• the ONLY party that has ever LOOKED AFTER the common man!
• the ONLY party that STANDS UP for the common man!
• and the ONLY party that LIFTS the common man up to uncommon heights!

We are not the party of the wealthy but of the weary.   We are the party of the needy and not the greedy.  We declare without regret that our struggle is for the poor; for the socially underprivileged; for the elderly and the disabled; for families that are scrapping to make ends meet; for the young man in the inner city who lashes out because he feels he doesn’t count; for the young girl who looks for love in all the wrong places because she suffers from abuse and feels empty and lost; for the aspiring young entrepreneur who needs a little push to help him on his way; for the newlyweds who want a piece of the rock to build a home on but find that the price of land has shot way up beyond their reach; for the young professional who feels betrayed by a society that shows him no respect and prefers his counterparts from abroad.

It is for these that we wage our struggle.

It is a struggle that has defined us for 52 years.  It is what defines us even now.  It is at the core of who we are and what we stand for.  It is the centre of gravity around which we revolve.

This does not mean, of course, that that we are a party that only welcomes the common man.  On the contrary, we are a party with great, big arms and we have a great, big tent.  We embrace all Bahamians of all races, creeds and classes and we welcome them all under our tent.  I think you know me well enough to know that I would have it no other way.

But still there can be no doubt from our history that what has always defined us – and what defines us still - is our singular determination to lift the common man up from poverty, up from social degradation, and up from despair.

Progressive Young Liberals! Young people watching by TV or listening by radio or tuned in over the internet, wherever you may be, however you may be receiving this message, I need you to know tonight how crucial it is for you to appreciate that it wasn’t always like it is today.  Things weren’t always so good.  The things you take for granted today were not always so.  There was a time when you didn’t count.  There was a time when you could only dream and dreams hardly ever came true.

It took the blood, sweat and tears of your forebears and, yes, it took the vision and the stamina, and the courage and commitment of the PLP to lift us up out of darkness into the light of a new day of economic opportunity and social justice.

That’s how it happened and we must never forget it!

O’ yes, we have come a mighty, long way.  To God be the Glory!  Great things he has done!

And so, fellow delegates, as we meet in convention this week, we need to remind ourselves of who we are, where we have come from, and what we stand for.

In doing so, we shall also be reminded of the differences between the PLP and the party that opposes our forward march.  These differences have always been evident but after last week they have become even more unmistakable and profound.

But do, forgive me, I seem to have forgotten my manners.  I really should not be mentioning the party opposite without first extending my congratulations to the new leadership of that party.  I refer, of course, to the new leaders of the FNM, namely, the Rt. Honourable Hubert Ingraham and the new heir apparent to the throne, Mr. Brent Symonette.

I congratulate them both.

Now, anything that I might have to say about the manner in which Mr. Ingraham returned to the leadership of the FNM would be suspect because I’m a PLP.

So don’t listen to me.  Listen instead to what one of the illustrious founding fathers of the FNM, Sir Arthur Foulkes, had to say on Monday past in the columns of the Tribune; and I quote :

“There are those who believe that in politics there are no rules except what you can get away with; that there is no place for decency and honesty; that backstabbing and double-dealing are arts to be practiced; that politics is a bloodsport.

“They are utterly wrong, of course, and it is important that the young men and women who are entering the arena for the first time do not fall into the trap of believing that politics is a dirty game and that you have to play dirty to succeed.

“There are dirty people in it, of course, but then there are dirty people everywhere, even in the church.  But except for the religious ministry, there is no calling nobler than politics.

……..“The political arena is a place for honourable men and women who refuse to do dishonourable things ……”.

Now that’s Sir Arthur Foulkes talking, not Perry Christie.  That’s an FNM talking, not a PLP.  That’s one of the original architects of the FNM talking, not any one of us.

As for me, I can only repeat what I have always said is my personal credo in matters of this kind:  I would rather lose by doing right than win by doing wrong!  That’s the Perry Christie way! That is what I believe in and that is what I live by.  And I pray God that as long as I am in politics I shall always conduct myself accordingly.

And so, Hubert, my friend, it grieves me to have to say it but say it I must : you have had your time, my brother.  But now you are all finished and done.  You are yesterday’s man.  Your days of power are all behind you.   You will be beaten back into retirement once and for all.

Fellow Delegates, Ladies & Gentlemen :
 

A new age of enlightened government for the 21st century is unfolding under your new PLP Government.  We have introduced a rational, methodical approach to governance and policy formation.  It is an approach based on sound planning principles, expert research, close consultation with our partners in the private sector, and informed public consensus.  Make no mistake about it.  This represents a paradigm shift of the first importance.

Gone are the days when one man thought he had all the answers.  Gone are the days when one man bullied his cabinet and the public service into doing his bidding.  Gone are the days and ways of Quick Draw McGraw!

It may take a little longer now because it always takes a little longer when you stop and listen to what other people have to say.  It always takes a little longer when you lean not on your own understanding but on what the experts have to say.

The FNM likes to boast that they were more “decisive”.  But that’s where they are wrong.  They were not decisive at all; they were reckless!  Being quick on the draw isn’t being decisive. It’s being reckless and foolish.  When you pull the trigger, not looking where you’re aiming or not caring who you hit, that’s not being decisive, that’s being downright crazy!

Under the FNM there was no planning, no foresight, no consultation; there was no time for any of that.  No, they were too busy being “decisive”.

Well, look at where their “decisiveness” got us with Batelco.  Do you remember?  They said they were going to privatize Batelco so they upped and retired half the staff right off the bat, in no time at all.  But guess what?  By the time they were done, they had shelled out $138 million dollars of your money on the whole exercise and didn’t have one single scrap of privatization to show for it.  Not one bit!  Laid off all those people, paid out all that money and then walked away from the whole privatization plan, never having accomplished anything at all.   That was FNM decisiveness!

This same “rush to recklessness” of the FNM was evident in the way they handled the Clifton Cay fiasco and the Referendum.

But despite all that, this same man rises up and says he has come back because the Bahamian people miss his decisiveness!  Imagine that!

Yes, fellow delegates, talkin’ fool is very serious thing!

Our detractors say all we do is talk-talk-talk.  They say we are all talk and no action.  They say we are a do-nothing Government.  But then the facts speak for themselves, don’t they?   So let’s check the facts :

FACT ONE : Our country’s external reserves are higher and healthier today than at any time in our nation’s history.  When the FNM left office in May 2002, the reserves stood at $373.5 million dollars.  Three years later, under the PLP, our reserves in June of this year had more than doubled to $800 million dollars.  That is the highest it has ever been. Not bad for a do-nothing Government!

FACT TWO :  In all the important  international credit ratings, we score an “A” grade for our sound economic, fiscal and monetary policies and management.  We are sailing the ship of state with a steady hand on the wheel and the whole world knows it and applauds it and gives us an A.  Not bad for a do-nothing Government!

FACT THREE : We have been able to manage the Government’s financial resources without increasing the burden of taxation on the Bahamian people.  We have been able to dramatically improve the revenue position of the Government by bringing greater efficiency to the collection of existing duties without having to introduce new taxes.  Not bad for a do-nothing Government!

FACT FOUR : We were blacklisted under the FNM and our financial services industry went into a nosedive.  To make matters worse, the FNM panicked and rushed to bring in a raft of new measures that were unnecessarily extreme. As a result, we lost our competitive edge overnight.  To top it all off, when the FNM left office, The Bahamas was still on the FATF Monitoring List and our industry was next to dead.

Under the PLP, however, in just 3 ½ years, we have turned our number two industry around and given it a new lease on life.  We have been able to do this by bringing greater clarity, credibility and practical sense to the regulatory process; by introducing a whole new range of financial service products that have restored our competitive edge; and by achieving what the FNM failed to do, namely, getting The Bahamas removed from the FATF Monitoring List which happened just a few weeks ago.  Not bad for a do-nothing Government!

FACT FIVE : this PLP Government is presiding over the greatest boom the Bahamian tourism industry has ever seen.  People from all over the world are falling over themselves trying to catch a plane or cruise ship ride to The Bahamas.  More cruise ships and more new airlines are coming here than ever before. For Bahamian hotel workers, taxi-drivers, straw vendors, hair-braiders, store owners, restaurant workers, tour guides, water sport operators, for Bahamians in all the other areas of our nation’s no.1 industry, the future has never looked rosier than it looks right now.  Not bad for a do-nothing Government!
 FACT  SIX : this PLP Government has ushered in the greatest boom in direct foreign investment this country has ever seen.  Between Atlantis Phase III on Paradise Island, Baha Mar on Cable Beach and the Ginn Project in Grand Bahama – between these three developments alone -  more new direct investment dollars will be pumped into the bloodstream of the Bahamian economy under this PLP Government than during the entire two terms of the FNM Government.  It has taken us only 3 ½ years to get where the FNM couldn’t get after a whole 10 years in power.

When these three development projects are added to all the other projects that are underway in New Providence and the Family Islands, enough jobs are being created to provide employment for every single Bahamian who wants to work for years and years to come.  Not bad for a do-nothing Government!
Fellow Delegates, Ladies & Gentlemen :
I need to pause here to give you a quick, whirlwind tour of The Bahamas, using the map that appears on the screens before you.  I want to do this so that you can get “the big picture” and so that you can see how our Family Islands, one by one, are being economically energized and transformed by your PLP Government.

And bear in mind, as I take you on this quick tour, that our strategic vision for the economic transformation of the Family Islands calls for the creation of an anchor mixed resort development in each significantly populated island.

In addition to providing the engine for local employment, these new developments will also empower a new generation of local Bahamian entrepreneurs by positioning them to supply the goods and services that these new resorts and second-home communities will need.

So it’s not just jobs that are being created by the thousands.  Many hundreds of business opportunities are being created all along this new frontier for young Bahamian professionals and budding entrepreneurs.
 
So, let’s go on a quick journey, island by island.  And as I go, you will see how our vision for the economic transformation of the Family Islands is being systematically translated into a brilliant reality.  You will also gain a clearer understanding of what we mean when we say that we are laying the foundation for the economic growth and prosperity of our islands for the next 50 years.
 
(EXTEMPORANEOUS DESCRIPTIVE TOUR OF THE FAMILY ISLANDS, HIGHLIGHTING
RESORT DEVELOPMENTS IN PROGRESS, USING VISUAL AID (MAP)).

Fellow delegates, ladies & gentlemen :

When you take into account all that is happening all across our country, the truth becomes inescapable : that in just 3 ½ years, your PLP government has already successfully re-primed the pumps of the national economy to give us a powerful boost forward to a new era of unprecedented growth and prosperity.

Earlier tonight, you would have heard Minister Maynard-Gibson give details of the numerous projects that are either completed or in progress.  There is no need, therefore, to go over ground that has already been covered.

What is important, however, is to underscore and elaborate upon certain things that I regard as central to my vision for the economic development of the primary population centres in our country, namely, Nassau (including Paradise Island) and Grand Bahama.  We really need to understand the enormity of what is happening on these fronts so that we can prepare ourselves to take maximum advantage of the opportunities that are being created.

Take Atlantis Phase III.  Minister Maynard-Gibson has already told you that this involves a $1 billion dollar mega-resort expansion that will provide an additional 3,000 construction jobs and over 3,000 permanent new jobs will be created.

Take Baha Mar.  Through long-range vision, strategic planning and skillful negotiation, your PLP Government has concluded heads of agreement with the Baha Mar group for the creation of a "must see”, one-of-a-kind luxury mega-resort that will transform Cable Beach into one of most spectacular resorts on the planet.  The first phase of this investment alone will set a record not only for The Bahamas but for the entire region. Some $1.6 billion dollars will be spent on phase I alone.
Even more than that, for the first time ever, the world's leading hotel and casino chains, Starwood, with its four hotel brands, and Harrah's with its Caesar’s Hotel and Casino brand, are partnering with Baha Mar to create a mega-resort that will boast 3,550 hotel guest rooms, time-share facilities, three spas, and the largest casino ever built in the Bahamas.  This project will create thousands of construction jobs and more than 3,000 new permanent jobs once the resort is completed.  And all of this will happen under the PLP!

Further, as a result of our negotiations, there will be no layoffs whatsoever during the period of construction at Baha Mar.  That’s what you call looking after the Bahamian people when you sit down to negotiate terms with private developers.  That’s the way we in the PLP do things!

In addition to Atlantis Phase III and Baha Mar, a $1.5 billion dollar ultra-luxury, world-class residential golf & resort community west of Adelaide and east of the South Ocean Beach Resort is before the Government for consideration. This project, spearheaded by international developers and financiers of world renown, will complement the creation of an environmental wonderland, national park and rolling green spaces at the 208 acre Clifton Heritage Park.  There will never ever be any commercial development of this important part of the national patrimony.

Over at Rose Island, the world famous, top tier hotel brand, Ritz-Carlton proposes a first-class, ultra high-end $500 million dollar mixed use resort.

In downtown Nassau, the landmark British Colonial Hilton Hotel, along with the vacant properties to the west, are to be re-developed to incorporate a multi-use harbour front and marina facility, residential condominiums and an upscale shopping complex, all without interfering in any way with the traditional rights of access Bahamians have to the beach and waters at the Western Esplanade.
 
While on the subject of beaches, let me say that my Government has already committed itself to the acquisition, by private contract with interested landowners, of additional beach properties that will be converted to public use by Bahamians and visitors alike.  Further, let me re-assure you that none of the developments that I am discussing this evening will involve in any way any deprivation of the rights of access to beaches that Bahamians presently enjoy.  On the contrary, the thrust of my Government’s policy in this area is to augment the national  inventory of public beaches, especially here in New Providence, so that all Bahamians will have ready access to much greater number of beaches than is presently the case.  This will be an important element of a new comprehensive land policy that is right now the subject of consultation with our private sector partners.
 
Ladies & Gentlemen :

With the two mega-resorts on Paradise Island and Cable Beach and the other mixed use resorts that I have mentioned destined to take us to amazing new heights, it is absolutely essential that the historic city of Nassau be revitalized.  The city not only lies between these two resorts but it also serves as the gateway for millions of cruise visitors.  For too many years now, the city has been dreary and drab and lacking in charm.  Frankly, its run-down physical condition has become a source of embarrassment to Bahamians and a legitimate bone of contention with our tourism sector partners.  The city cries out for physical renewal.

That is why I took the initiative of appointing a private sector committee under the co-chairmanship of the Hon. George Mackey (who is very much in our prayers tonight) and Mr. Norman Solomon to assist the Government in spearheading this much needed renaissance of our city.

To pave the way for the re-development of Nassau, from Montague in the east to Arawak Cay in the west, I have had to convince the people with all the waterfront docks, commercial vessels, freight containers and heavy trucking that we really have to move all this stuff somewhere else.  I am happy to report to you tonight that this diplomacy- through- dialogue has worked and that a majority of our private sector partners, with whom we have closely consulted, are fully supportive of creating the new port that my Government proposes.

Our plan is to move all commercial shipping interests to a new $200 million port facility to be built out west, near Clifton Pier, in an environmentally appropriate area.  This port will be able to meet the commercial shipping needs of New Providence for the next 50 years.

Soon, therefore, no more heavy trucks will be cluttering up the downtown area with all their noise, pollution, and unsightly appearance.  All goods coming into the country by ship will enter through this new port in the west instead.

One result of this move is that we will be able to crystallize our vision for the transformation of downtown Nassau into a place of charm and romance, turning it into one of the most attractive harbour cities in the world.

That was the vision I articulated to the expert urban planners we retained. I am pleased to let you know tonight that they have completed their work and submitted the master plan which my government, in close consultation with its private sector partners, is now preparing to implement.

Fellow Delegates:

Grand Bahama, as we all know, has been having an exceptionally tough year.  Amidst all the bad luck and bleak news, however, a dazzling ray of light is now shining over the island, especially over western Grand Bahama.  In this regard, I am pleased to announce that my Government has reached agreement with the Ginn Group for a $3.1 billion – let me repeat that – a $3.1 billion dollar mixed use resort development at West End.

This will be the largest mixed use resort development ever  undertaken in The Bahamas or in the region for that matter.

And this is no pie-in-the-sky project either.  Bobby Ginn has done this before, most notably with his Reunion Village resort and residential community in Orlando, Florida.  He is a visionary doer of the first order.  He always does what he commits to do  and his resort developments are consistently of the very highest standard.

The Ginn development will spearhead the transformation of western Grand Bahama into a resort mecca of world-class calibre.  Moreover, the magnitude of this project is such that its positive job-creation effects and entrepreneurial opportunities for Bahamians will extend throughout Grand Bahama and the rest of the northern Bahamas.

In anticipation of the increased housing needs, you should also be aware that the Government has purchased 260 acres at Bootle Bay for housing and other community infrastructure for Bahamians.

Nothing of this type has ever been seen on such a scale anywhere in The Bahamas.

The future of Grand Bahama, therefore, looks exceptionally promising.

Fellow Delegates, Ladies & Gentlemen :

It must be evident from all that you have heard tonight that your PLP Government has laid a solid foundation for an economically prosperous future for all of you, indeed, for all Bahamians for the next 50 years.

But do not let us fool ourselves.  All of our planning and all of our work, and all the foundation-laying in the world will be in vain if we fail to ensure that our own Bahamian people, especially our young people, are properly trained and equipped to take full advantage of the employment and entrepreneurial opportunities that are opening up by the thousands all across our country.

We are at a crossroads in our national development.  We have to make sure that we take the right turn and that we strike out in the right direction.  To do so we shall have to make a massive and urgent commitment to vocational training.

I have therefore given special mandates to both the Ministers of Education and Labour to develop, as a matter of urgency, the necessary training programmes and instructional facilities so that as many Bahamians as possible can acquire the kinds of specialized skills that will be needed in such huge numbers for all the projects that are coming on stream.

This new thrust in training will be pursued by the Government in close collaboration with our Trade Unions and churches.  It is going to take a consolidated effort from all of us, in partnership with each other, to meet the ambitious goals we have set.  In no other way will we be able to ensure that enough Bahamians are placed in positions of readiness to meet the great demands that are being placed on our indigenous work force.  It would be a mistake of historic proportions if we fail to meet that challenge.

In addition to training for jobs, we also have to ensure that we provide the capital resources and business management-skills training to assist young entrepreneurs to take full advantage of the economic boom.

We simply have to do a better job of empowering Bahamians in this area.  Job creation is one thing but empowering Bahamians to own their own businesses is an equally compelling mandate.  There are hundreds of young Bahamians who, at this very moment, are knocking on the door of opportunity but can’t get it to open because they lack the capital that is needed.  The commercial banks won’t help them, that’s for sure.

We, as a Government, will therefore have to step more aggressively and creatively into the breach so that venture capital can be provided in greater volume to assist hundreds of young men and women in launching their own businesses.

Very soon, therefore, we shall be announcing new initiatives designed to bring this mandate to reality in the shortest possible time.
Ladies & Gentlemen :

All the massive gains we are making on the economic front will certainly be thwarted if we fail to ensure the social stability of our country.  And we cannot ensure the social stability of our country unless we take a much tougher stand on the two major social problems of our times : illegal immigration and crime.

While we are busy building up successes on the economic front, these two problems are bringing us down.  We have to stop this downward slide on the social front!  We have to get our arms around these problems and wrestle them to the ground.  We simply cannot continue with the way things are.  Aggressive new measures will therefore have to be taken and sustained.

Let me start with illegal immigration.

The Bahamas, first and foremost, must be for Bahamians.  This is absolutely fundamental to the concept of citizenship in any society.
We simply cannot continue to allow ourselves to be overrun and overwhelmed by refugees from other lands.

All through our history we have shown that we are a people with big hearts and open arms but there is only so far we can go.  There is only so much we can take.  And we have long passed what we can reasonably be expected to take. Our cup runneth over!

We therefore intend to launch a new series of initiatives aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Bahamas Defence Force to interdict vessels en route from Haiti to The Bahamas carrying persons intent on entering The Bahamas illegally.

This will entail a considerable increase to the manpower and material resources of the Defence Force so as to ensure that they are adequately equipped to do the job.  We must ensure that they have the personnel, the patrolling vessels, the aerial reconnaissance capabilities, and the necessary staging posts at Inagua and elsewhere in the southern Bahamas to get the job done.  We shall meet these requirements and we shall do so speedily.

Further, on the diplomatic front, in much the same way that we successfully interdicted illegal drugs by joint interdiction exercises with the United States Government, we will aggressively pursue a similar partnership with the United States for the interception of illegal immigrants while at sea.  We are confident that if we can implement and sustain such a partnership in this area it will strike a crippling blow at the problem of illegal immigration.

We will ensure that the Immigration Department’s capacity to apprehend, detain and repatriate illegal immigrants is strengthened so that they, too, can get the job done.

Tonight I want to ensure the Bahamian people  that this Government means business and that from here on in we will spare no quarter in vanquishing this scourge of illegal immigration that represents such a crushing weight on our country and such a massive drain on our resources.

Fellow delegates, ladies & gentlemen :
The other major problem that is dragging us down and placing in peril the wonderful advances that we are making on the economic front is, of course, the problem of crime.

Impressive results in the war against crime are evident on many fronts, especially in relation to intelligence-led policing, community policing, and school policing.  These achievements are to be applauded but this is no time to rest on laurels. There is much more – very much more – that has to be done if we are to get on top of this problem.

The Police, I can assure you, will be given all the tools and resources that they need to intensify and broaden their war on crime.  Ridding our streets and communities of criminals is a matter of the first priority.  No effort must be spared in the pursuit of this objective because nothing can be more fundamental than the safety of our citizens and their ability to live their lives in peace.
 
A bill for a new Police Act has already been introduced in Parliament to accelerate the modernization of the Police and to introduce a more rational and efficient organizational structure. This will bring the Police organization more into line with 21st century norms for law enforcement agencies and provide the framework for the transformation of the Royal Bahamas Police Force into the Royal Bahamas Police Service.

The new Police Act will also provide vastly improved compensation for police officers who are injured or who fall in the line of duty.

Revised and improved insurance coverage will also be in place early next year for the Police Force, the Defence Force, the Prison Service and other public servants involved in hazardous duties.

Our school policing system will not only be maintained, it will be augmented.  No, Mr. Ingraham, we will not be pulling our police from the school grounds!  On the contrary, we will be increasing their presence!  If you don’t think this is a good idea perhaps you should have a word with schoolteachers and parents and the police themselves.  Unfortunately, you just don’t understand what this school policing system is all about.

It is part-and-parcel of a tracking system that works hand-in-hand with the community policing component of the Urban Renewal Programme.  This combination of school policing and community policing enables the police to keep track of young kids, especially the trouble-makers, from the time they leave home for school in the morning, while they are at school, when they leave school, until they go to bed at night.  It also positions the police to exercise a greater degree of protective vigilance over those students and teachers who might be vulnerable to harmful interference from the troublemakers.  It’s an innovative approach to policing which already is producing positive results.

We are also taking steps to extend the Urban Renewal Programme itself into even more communities here in New Providence and in Grand Bahama and elsewhere. This is the lynchpin of the community policing strategy and, as you know, it has won high praise all over the world.  It is innovation at its very best. It is a splendid example of the positive results that can come – and have already come – from effective community policing and the efficient deployment of the resources of our social service agencies.
I cannot begin to tell you how absolutely imperative it is for us to stay the course with the Urban Renewal Programme.  No war against crime, no campaign against violence can ultimately succeed if we fail to attack the underlying causes of crime : the economic deprivation, social degradation, psychological despair, anger and hopelessness that possess so many of our communities like demons.

The Urban Renewal Programme is designed to overcome the problem of crime by attacking its roots.  This approach represents the best hope and the best strategy for a long-term solution to the problem of crime.
 
We are also pressing ahead with improvements to the scientific capabilities and forensic resources of the Police.  DNA testing and other forensics are crucial to criminal detection and prosecution. We are committed to making substantial improvements in this area. In particular, we will move to establish within The Bahamas a state-of-the-art, fully self-sufficient forensics laboratory that will eliminate once and for all the need to send materials away for forensic testing and analysis.

Even more immediately, we will be taking steps to ensure that crime scene kits and equipment are always available to investigating officers.

Session Chairperson, Fellow Delegates :
The Police will be the first to tell you, however, that they cannot do it alone.  The courts have an equally important part to play too.  In this regard, both the Police and law-abiding citizens are rightly concerned over the large number of offences that are being committed by persons while on bail. I would therefore like to signal amendments to the Bail Act that will address this concern while at the same time complying with the Constitution.

In order to address the problem of witness intimidation and witness tampering, we shall move to pass into law a new Witness Protection Act, the bill for which is already before the House of Assembly.

More broadly, however, we simply have to find a way of delivering judicial services more efficiently and more quickly.  This imperative must be accorded the highest priority.  We shall therefore be announcing very shortly a series of initiatives aimed at mitigating this intractable problem.

Prison Reform, I am happy to say, represents another success story of my administration. This, too, is a vital part of the war against crime. The Report of the Prison Reform Commission is now being implemented and under the able new leadership of Dr. Elliston Rahming, Fox Hill Prison is slowly but steadily proving itself equal to the challenge not only of punishment but rehabilitation.

There are other measures that are now in progress in the war against crime but time obviously does not allow me to deal with them tonight.

Suffice it to say, then, that we must re-commit ourselves, as a Government, as a party and as a people to the eradication of crime in our land. We simply cannot allow the great good fortune that Almighty God has blessed us with to be blown to bits by the few amongst us whose only aim in life is to hurt and destroy and to bring down.  We cannot allow that spirit of destruction and evil to triumph over the innate goodness of the Bahamian people.

Session Chairperson, Fellow Delegates, Ladies & Gentlemen :

Now that we are nearing the end of what I think is the greatest convention we have ever had in our long and colourful history as a Party, let us remain mindful that we are not on the sidelines but at the centre of a great Age of Transformation that is unfolding in our land.  We are the ones in power. We are the ones holding the reins.  We are the ones to whom the destiny of a great people has been entrusted.  We have a country to run and a nation to build.  The Bahamas is in our care, no one else’s.

All across our land the hope and dreams of a people still ride upon our shoulders. We cannot let them down.  We are still the best hope, the last best hope of the Bahamian people.

Let us therefore leave this convention renewed.  Let us return to our islands and our homes, our settlements and our towns, with steady hands and stalwart hearts, confident in the knowledge that with God’s good grace all things are possible and that with our own best efforts we can make The Bahamas the one place on earth where dreams really do come true.

Let us go forward, then, FORWARD IN UNITY!

PLP!  ALL THE WAY