The Tribune

WHILE making the case for the Progressive Liberal Party to be elected for another term, Prime Minister Perry Christie said his administration has cleaned “up the mess” left by the Ingraham administration, telling supporters “we cannot afford to turn back the clock.”

“Back in 2012, we took office and – well, you know,” Mr Christie said on Monday night to supporters at a branch meeting for the Yamacraw and Elizabeth constituencies. “Things were a mess and not just our finances, our infrastructure, or our torn up roads. I’m talking about people – it’s always about people – and too many children were left out, forgotten, falling behind. From 2007 to 2012, decisions were being made on behalf of the powerful, the already-comfortable, not the people, not the people who needed opportunities.

“We took office ready to turn that around. We knew it was not going to be easy. Now, you can’t build great change on a shaky foundation. So we rolled up our sleeves. And we got to work. And I want you to know about it, because that work – and believe me, it took awhile, to clean up the mess we found -- is one of the reasons we are finally facing forward.

“And it’s one of the reasons we just cannot afford to turn back the clock,” he said to those gathered at the grounds of the Thelma Gibson Primary School.

He said the country is starting to see the results of the government’s work, adding that more changes will be evident as more reforms are put in place.

“Did you know that we have doubled the nation’s investment in scholarships? We started a Public School Scholars Programme to reach children who had been overlooked,” he said. “We made the largest investment in technology in our nation’s schools ever. We created a new school for children with special disabilities. We expanded the National Training Agency to reach thousands. We refurbished health clinics across the Bahamas to get ready for National Health Insurance. We worked to create an apprenticeship programme at the Grand Bahama Shipyard that recruits and trains Bahamians to replace foreign workers. We pioneered the transition to the University of The Bahamas.

“And, of course, we created the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute, which is transforming Andros and will have satellite projects across Grand Bahama and the Family Islands. This innovative programme is so far-reaching – and yes, it is about agriculture and reducing our food bills – but it is also about entrepreneurship, and opportunity, and food security, and pride.

“We have made extraordinary new investments to secure our borders, because our islands are vulnerable to forces of terrorism, drugs, crime and poaching, and national security can never be an afterthought. We are modernising our immigration system and establishing new Royal Bahamas Defence Force bases, acquiring new patrol vessels, and accelerating the recruitment of officers,” he said.

He also contrasted the PLP’s team to the Free National Movement, which has been plagued with infighting for most of this term.

“So when you see the Opposition, who can barely go a day without insulting each other, pulling each other down, calling each other liars, stabbing each other in the back – you have to ask yourselves, how on earth do they think they could govern?

“You think they gonna be looking out for you, when they have to spend all their time watching their backs?

“You think somehow if they get in, they are magically going to transform from back-stabbing in-fighters into dignified, cooperating statesmen? I don’t see it, and neither can a lot of Bahamians,” Mr Christie said.

While touching on the problem of crime, Mr Christie said overall crime “is down” but is still “far too high.”

He added: “Too often, we don’t feel safe on our own streets, even in our own homes. The tragedies keep coming – and our hearts are broken again and again and again. Many of the changes and investments we’ve made will just take time to work – violence is deeply intertwined with drugs and gangs, and these are not simple problems.

“Fighting crime and violence demands more from all of us – more resources and more innovations from government, and more commitment from each one of us.”

His comments came on the heels of a bloody weekend, capped off by another murder on Monday. Seven people were killed between Friday and Monday, bringing the total for the year to 27.