The Tribune

MINISTER of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson opened the Public Service Week Exhibition by hailing the efforts and achievements of former ministers, chairmen, permanent secretaries and senior government officials.

With this year’s theme being ‘In Focus - celebrating our past, building the present, moving towards the future’, Gibson said it was fitting the images of these individuals be on display at the ministry to highlight the achievements they had brought.

“We can never showcase and relate these accomplishments enough and as we recently renamed Discovery Day to National Heroes day, I am sure that Father Campbell and his team would find many of the persons that are showcased here today worthy of the National Heroes Hall of Fame.

“This exhibition speaks to our resilience as a people to enjoy the good times and endure adverse circumstances.

“The only phrase that comes to mind when I see the diverse displays is ‘Look Where God Has Brought Us From’. We salute the pioneering efforts and the new frontier that were journeyed by these dedicated and visionary men and women,” he said.

Minister Gibson said all the transitions, all the changes, and the brilliant metamorphosis that the government’s ministries have gone through are captured in the displays.

It gave him a real sense of pride to be numbered among such giants as Loftus Roker, Darrell Rolle, the late Anthony Roberts, AD Hanna, and the late Paul A Adderley.

“This morning, for me it was a walk through the history books of the Bahamas and I was truly impressed with the way that the information was chronicled.

“This is our way of saying ‘Thank You’ to these men and women for their contribution to the new and modern Bahamas.

“As you view this wonderful exposition, I am satisfied that your knowledge would be put to the test. I encourage you to draw on the knowledge of our former leaders and develop the same resilience and stamina to persevere until we reach our ultimate goals.

“In recent times, there have been a number of major projects that have been realised and some are still on the in progress.

“In building the present, we are pleased to showcase a diverse and varied list of accomplishments that sets us apart from other third world countries.

“Major projects like the newly built stadium, the new Bay Street straw market, the new wing of the Princess Margaret Hospital, the final two phases of the Lynden Pindling International Airport, BahaMar, the Bimini Bay Resort and Casino, and the new road works and the new bridge.

“This exhibition reflects and promotes the values that we hold dear as Bahamians and the organisers were careful to ensure that our culture of Bahamian straw work and Junkanoo was not left out of this display.”

Gibson challenged the staff to ‘dream big’, and to set plans in motion to exceed all the expectations of our forefathers.

“We are in the age of information and the Bahamas has been placed on the world’s stage.

“It is noteworthy to state that the civil service has attracted some of the brightest and best minds in the country and it is evident by the enthusiasm that was placed in putting on this magnificent display. “Your limits and boundaries would be determined by your dreams; I am looking forward to the way the new recruits will revolutionise the public service and change for the better the way we do business.”

The Minister also commended Permanent Secretary, Elizabeth Keju for her hard work and the exhibition sub-committee chaired by Debra Bethel whom he said had the “insight, skill and determination to put together an excellent display of the major accomplishments of the various ministries, departments and agencies within the public service”.

“Your hard work has paid off big. The civil service is equipped with an abundance of talents with varying complexities as displayed in this wonderful exhibition,” he said.