Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling looks on at the 44th Bahamas Independence Anniversary National Pride Day and Flag Raising Ceremony, held in Rawson and Parliament Squares in Friday. BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson
By Sydnei Isaacs
Bahamas Information Services
Bahamians of all ages gathered in Rawson and Parliament Squares on Friday for the 44th Bahamas Independence Anniversary National Pride and Flag-Raising Ceremony.
With the House of Assembly and surrounding area adorned in the national colours, Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling delivered remarks at the event. She told those in attendance, “National unity is the awareness of a common identity and purpose among the citizens of a country” and that, “Much more work remains to be done for nation-building is an endless task.”
In reference to the new generation of Bahamians, the Governor General said, “They too must share in the process of continuing the building of our nation, and it is our duty to pass on to them the established values and principles of our nation.”
Dame Marguerite continued, “We must fully commit ourselves to maintain this precious land as a free and independent nation where we live together in love and unity.” She ended her remarks by heartily wishing The Bahamas a happy 44th Independence Anniversary.
In closing, Dame Marguerite, in the company of the event's young Bahamian moderators - Sara Williams, Reio Darling, Reanno Todd and Anthony Eccleston - was ceremoniously greeted by members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Royal Bahamas Police Force carrying the Bahamian flag. Together, they hoisted the flag in the centre of the square. Everyone in attendance then sang the National Anthem.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 4 months ago
I just have to laugh at the headline to this article because we, the people, will never hear Lady Poodling say: "And the destruction of our nation by corrupt politicians and their cronies must cease!"
Reality_Check 7 years, 4 months ago
That's because she and her crony business partner, Patricia Mortimer, and their family members, believe too much in their fundamental right to screw the Bahamian public in any possible way that they can.
TalRussell 7 years, 4 months ago
Comrades! It is clear during Her Excellency Dame Marguerite's tenure as
Governor-General that she has earned the respect of a new generation of Bahamalanders - including thousands red shirts - so much so that if she were to run for a House of Assembly seat - the Dame would win with a substantial vote majority. Unlike some others - Comrade Marguerite - whether she stays or is forced from office by PM Minnis -she will have exited high office with her honourable public service reputation untarnished.
banker 7 years, 4 months ago
You are full of bovine excrement and a child of a lesser God. Have you no capacity for the purity of unvarnished truth? If you had the cognitive capacity, you would realise how much that woman and her husband have criminally raped this country and set it back for generations on the development scale. You make me sick and disgusted.
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 4 months ago
I think you say some of these things not because you believe them but because you want to piss the hell out of some of the readers, ROTFL."honourable public service reputation untarnished." ROTFL again. Crazy like the fox;)
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
As long as Pingdomites are alive (and in government)......... the country will struggle to really develop beyond New Providence .......... The country has been sold out by the Independence generation ....... The country hardly exists south of New Providence ....... Those islands are dying because of the decisions and policies of the Nassaucentric government ......... Or maybe her view of the nation is the PLPnation
pablojay 7 years, 4 months ago
I,like many Bahamians, was disappointed when Dame Marguerite was appointed to her present position, as it showed the country that Perry was still being controlled by Sir Lynden,albeit from the grave.But she has grown on me and in my opinion, done an admirable job in the position and i love her there.She is in the twilight of her years and i wish that all Bahamians,FNM like myself included, continue to pray for her and wish her well.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 4 months ago
@pablojay: You and others like you who believe in forgive and forget are the very reason why our ship will continue to take on water until one soon it sinks with most of us onboard who will not be able to swim to the shores of another nation!
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
I look forward to the present GG ......... LadySLOP ......... to be put out to pasture by August 1st .......... This is bit too much for the country to bear, having to be reminded of the Chief Black Pirate everyday on Mt. Fitzwilliam
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
What does Bahamian Independence mean 44 years later??????? ..................... $8 billion national debt, 130 murders per year, prison-like private homes, D-average education, 25% public school graduation rate, fossil fuel dependency, welfare dependency, gambling dependency, food import dependency, tourism dependency, Out Island decline, fat cat politicians, sterile religion ....................... Can we clean it up by the Big50????????
MonkeeDoo 7 years, 4 months ago
Nothing to celebrate yet.
The_Oracle 7 years, 4 months ago
44 years on, when we gonna start this "nation Building" stuff? When there is nothing left to destroy? Soon time. Funny how they so love the pomp and pageantry, but totally corrupted the backbone of lawful society.
John 7 years, 4 months ago
Nation building may be a continuous task but it is not endless. Endless tends to point towards hopelessness and without positive results. Continuous efforts means you go from strength to strength. You set goals and once they are achieved then you set more goals or revisit ones that are not accomplished. The world is evolving so nations, if they are to be successful, cannot be stationary. And fortunately the nation building responsibility must be passed from generation to generation. And unfortunately in the case of our Bahamas, we haven't achieved some of the basic essentials of nation building. Food supply and food security, modern and reliable supply of energy that is affordable to the common citizen. In fact we are not yet comfortable with empowering Bahamians financially. And so most of out economy is still controlled by the foreign element. And much of our natural resources are being frittered away, not unlike when Africa was raided of its natural inhabitants to support the slave trade. After 44 years the Bahamas is still at the point where many of its young people go off for education and never return. And many other citizens leave for lack of employment opportunity or for political reasons. There's lots of work to be done, but the job is not endless. The key is that the generations that follow meet the country in a better condition than you did, physically, socially and economically.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
Good analysis .......... The GG may have bared her soul in that statement ........ and it tells us all something about that Independence generation
jjoseph 7 years, 4 months ago
What is it that the Bahamas is building? You are talking about a country whose debt to GDP is trending towards 90% by 2020. Even though the country's credit rating is a BB+ according to S&P but Moody's projection is a Negative one for the Bahamas. A whooping $580 million trade deficit (90 million EXPORTS - 670 million IMPORTS), 16% artificial unemployment rate with a real rate of north of 30%. Skyrocketing prices, tourism declining, welfare state, one of the worse school systems in the world aside from a High Literacy rate. One of the most corrupt government in the world with a history of crony-capitalism, worst place for investors to invest. Happy 44th Independence Bahamas!!! Something needs to be changed otherwise good Luck for the next 44 years if you still exist!
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
Ur name suggests u from down south ........ we not like dem after 200 years of Independence ......... sit small
John 7 years, 4 months ago
What Bahamians have not yet realized is there are external forces that will take control of your country's finances and drive the country into bankruptcy if you let them. It has happened to many countries around the world including Germany, Venezuela, Brazil, Italy and even China, the United States and Britain are not safe from this financial web. As well of many Asian and African nations. They give countries easy credit and allow them to pile debt on top of debt. Eventually the debt becomes to a point where the country cannot pay it. So the citizens of those countries become modern day slaves as all of the country's resources go to paying the debt. Then the government of those countries become embattled, estranged from the people because they can no longer provide the country with basic essentials. Civil strife breaks out and the country becomes a failed state. There is only a very small window of opportunity to avoid this happening to the Bahamas.
TalRussell 7 years, 4 months ago
Comrades! Ever notice the meanness personality colours of the most aggressive red shirts bloggers to these hereto Tribune pages? Doesn't it give you this uneasiness how they all possess such recall abilities when it comes to the first names the wives of Pindling & Christie..... But just you ask them to recall the first names of the wives of Sir Stafford, Pop Symonette, Papa Hubert or even Cecil Wallace-Whitfield? You does get my point. Right? Their deceptive wicket ways will come on here to post in disguise of the '666' blogger marks that you and I does knows that they really are..... And. they are as red as the devil himself.
banker 7 years, 4 months ago
That's because we een old as dirt. And what you call meanness, is proper disgust at the worst possible behaviour of human beings who rape and stole from the country, and then put on fine airs pretending righteousness. The hypocrisy is galling. Your soul is black with PLP lies, just like Marge Swindling the scandalous GG and wife/facilitator of the greatest Bahamian traitor ever in our entire history.
TalRussell 7 years, 4 months ago
Comrade Banker, I do not begrudge you for your opinion but you're not entitled to make up your own set values when it comes to how only the wives selective black leaders are attacked. You are intelligent and sufficiently politically savvy enough - not to come on here and act all fuzzy red shirt pretty in favour those who knowingly and with evil intent who does go about the business peddling fake things about wives who have never sought political elected office. Comrade Banker, you have a black mark 666 credibility problem stamped all over your post on this issue. It's too important not to challenge your post. Even Papa Hubert is guilty on this one.
banker 7 years, 4 months ago
Do you deny that Ping made millions from drug-running by taking payments from Ledher for his transshipments from Norman's Cay which is a known fact, as delineated in the Kerry Commission reports? Cannot you acknowledge, like the rest of the world has, that it is destructive criminal behaviour and one of the morally contemptible crimes, since it destroyed a country????
Do you deny that the Pindling government was a criminal racket who enriched themselves at the expense of ALL Bahamians?
Is your moral compass so skewed that you cannot see how the Swindling criminality has become so pervasive in our society and that it was not present before the government-sanctioned drug running?
Why do stand up for sub-human criminals who sold our patrimony?
The idea that Marge Swindling is the GG is an abomination and should offend the sensibilities of any decent human people.
You Tal, are utterly devoid of decency, truthfulness and patriotism, and you are part of the problem as to why the Bahamas is like it is. The Bahamas will not advance until people like you and birdie's bodies are moldering in the grave and the PLP criminality is taught as it is in Bahamian history books. Marge Swindling deserves contempt and is a pox on our country, especially when contrasted to the purity and dignity of Dame Ivy Dumont -- real grace and beauty from the Bahamian soul.
As a Bahamian patriot, I need to take a shower after reading your slimey excrement.
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 4 months ago
"Old as dirt" ROTFL, das pretty old
Gotoutintime 7 years, 4 months ago
Think "Liz" will take us back??
baldbeardedbahamian 7 years, 4 months ago
no liz will not us back. we were thrown out of the british jurisdiction, it was not at our choice whatever they teach in the schools. munroe doctrine.
birdiestrachan 7 years, 4 months ago
MS: Pindling is a Senior citizen of this great Country she is some ones mother. Show her the same respect you would show your mother or sister. that is what is lacking in the Bahamas respect for all human beings.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
I really admired how LadySLOP walked the inspection line at midnight ........ 75% of overweight Bahamians could not do that - even during the day!!!!!!!
John 7 years, 4 months ago
What did Tal say?
The_Oracle 7 years, 4 months ago
Meanwhile, "litter the road verges with garbage day" was a resounding success! Incredible the amount of crap spread along every road side in celebration! Could have paid the national debt down by a few million if Cops actually did their damn job and Fined the Offenders, on this one day alone!
banker 7 years, 4 months ago
Here's what wrong with Bahamian nation-building -- a parable.
Once upon a time, a werry good time, monkey chew tobacco and spit white lime. There was a room full of gussie maes. They were hungry. A man comes along and feeds them all of the tainted peas 'n rice that they could eat. They chow down with an unseen fervour. Like white on rice if you will.
Pretty soon their bovine-like innards start working over the tainted peas 'n rice. It produces a noxious internal gas, that exits their lower ends with the sound of a precocious chile tryin' to play a tuba but only getting bass noises. Eventually the air in the room is blue with stinky fumes. The gussie maes carry on smartly, chowing down more tainted peas 'n rice. Eventually nobody notices the fumes that in other places would be considered terror gas attacks and crimes against humanity. Erryone in the room accepts the putrid smell and doesn't notice. The smell is a health hazard.
Along comes a doctor and yells "Danger folks. We gats to air out the room! We gats to trow out da peas 'n rice". The peoples yell "Yes --- preach it Doc!" but gussie maes start a hollerin' an' cryin' and say it was da finest peas 'n rice I ever had, and nuttin' wrong wid da air in dis place. And there was wailing an gnashing of teeth of the gussie maes, but they were taken to Sandilands, because they were incapable of changing their minds and seeing the healthy good.
And from dis day to dat, old people's back be bent so. Bunday.
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 4 months ago
"Maybe". But if the doctor comes in says we have to air out the room but he didn't plan for the fact that the door might be locked or the windows jammed, een nuttin much change. KP needs to go. Nothing against him personally, but he's not ready for that position and it's too crucial for learning on the job. We could be downgraded simply because the agencies have no confidence in his decision making. People believe in people 1st, plans 2nd.
Actually a friend proposed a solution I didn't see, free up a senate position, appoint a minister of state for the ministry, leave KP as the ceremonial minister to do public relations, he seems to like that. But appoint someone who knows about economics with a proven track record in the area.
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