The Leader of the PLP traveled to Exuma last evening to officially launch the campaign of incumbent Anthony Moss. The Leader also delivered the keynote address. You can read it below.
Perry Christie Leader,
Progressive Liberal Party
Remarks: Exuma Constituency Launch
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
EXUMA, HOW ARE YOU TONIGHT?
EXUMA, DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE BAHAMAS?!
EXUMA, ARE YOU READY TO PUT BAHAMIANS FIRST?!
I KNOW YOU ARE!
YOU’RE LOOKING GOLDEN, EXUMA!
LOOK AT ALL THESE BAHAMIANS READY FOR A NEW DAY!
You know, Exuma, we have a new generation of candidates in the PLP, and their
energy and new ideas are powering this campaign, but just as important are the
seasoned PLP leaders, like Tony Moss.
We have the best team, Exuma – not just the best team running this year, but the best team running in any year!
Tony Moss is one of you. He’s not on the run like that other fella who left his constituency in Nassau to come and try and woo you. No Exuma! He lives here with you and he knows firsthand what your lives are like.
He knows you’re fed up with a government that doesn’t fight for Bahamians.
He knows it, and I know it, too.
All over the country, Bahamians are telling me they’re sick and tired of a
Bahamians-Need-Not-Apply government.
The FNM is telling Bahamians they deliver, but the truth is, they don’t deliver for
Bahamians.
They’ve failed on crime, Exuma – murders have more than doubled.
They’ve failed on the economy, Exuma – our regional competitors are outpacing us in economic growth and stopover arrivals.
They’ve failed to put Bahamians first, Exuma – they haven’t protected our fishermen from foreign poaching, they haven’t secured the nation’s borders, and they’ve given contracts to foreigners instead of Bahamians.
But let’s stop talking about their failures, Exuma. That’s old news.
You want to know about the way forward.
You want to know what’s next.
So let’s talk about putting Bahamians first.
It begins with doubling the nation’s investment in education and training.
Exuma, I may not be a perfect man, but I sure know what this moment in our history requires.
I know that Bahamians deserve access to the best education, the best training,
and the best technology, so you can compete in the 21st century.
When I see Bahamians out of work, or stuck in low-wage dead-end jobs they can’t even depend on, I know we can do so much better.
It starts with investing in PEOPLE, Exuma.
You know, the Prime Minister strolled into Parliament the other day and told the
nation that the roadworks in New Providence were nearly $93 million
overbudget….and there’s no end in sight.
He said it real casual – like it was nothing. Like he was asking for some more peas n rice.
Nearly $100 million overbudget!
Do you think a roadworks project in New Providence that now costs more than $200 million has nothing to do with you, Exuma?
Of course it does – those cost overruns get added to the national debt. That’s money you owe – you and your children and their children.
But when the PLP talks about making a massive new investment in education and
training – Ingraham says it can’t be done.
The PLP is the only one saying not only can we do this, but we MUST do it.
We MUST invest in people.
Because the truth is that we need really big change in The Bahamas.
The old answers aren’t good enough, Exuma.
In my previous term, we created 22,000 jobs – jobs for Bahamians, you hear?
When the PLP creates jobs, we create them for Bahamians – that’s an important
difference between us and the FNM!
We created 22,000 jobs and The Bahamas was at the TOP of our region in economic growth.
So I know what I’m talking about here – I know how to create jobs.
I also know that the world is changing quickly, and that too many Bahamians are
getting left behind, so to create the jobs of the future, we have to focus on
PEOPLE.
Please, Exuma – read our party’s Job Creation & Empowerment Agenda! We’ve been sharing these ideas with Bahamians
since last September.
I want you to know what we mean when we say Believe in The Bahamas!
When we say Believe in The Bahamas, we mean Career Path Academies, with expanded technical and vocational training and apprenticeship opportunities for 15,000 young people annually.
That includes training for the good tourism jobs, you understand?
When we say Believe in The Bahamas, we mean Worker Re-training – so Bahamians already in the workforce can continue to get new skills, so they can stay competitive, keep their jobs or move up the ladder.
When we say Believe in The Bahamas, we mean a major upgrade to the nation’s schools, so our children are learning in energy-friendly schools with the latest
technology, and learning from teachers who have access to the best training and
best practices.
When we say Believe in The Bahamas, we mean contracts for Bahamian companies to construct and repair docks and bridges and
roads and seawalls and airports in the Family Islands.
When we say Believe in The Bahamas, we mean changing the Hotel Encouragement Act to require hotels to engage Bahamian
entertainment and use Bahamian companies for ground transport and room and tour bookings.
When we say Believe in The Bahamas, we mean supporting
Bahamians who want to own a piece of the tourism business, who want to open
boutique hotels or beds-and-breakfasts or fishing lodges – why shouldn’t you be
owners as well as employees? Of course you can do it – with access to affordable land, and affordable credit, and technical training and marketing support. Of course you can.
When we say Believe in The Bahamas, we’re talking about
a major increase in border patrols, to stop foreign poachers, to stop illegal
weapons smuggling, and to stop illegal immigration.
Exuma, you need a government that cares about Bahamians
all the time, not just at election time.
I know you’re frustrated with the situation at Sandals –
where’s your Prime Minister? Is he too busy intimidating and bullying voters – did you know he yelled out a voter’s name from a political rally, saying he was registered in the wrong place? – is he too busy to come out here and find a way forward for you at Sandals?
Exuma – I know you’re too smart to believe a fella who
neglects you for nearly five years and then asks you to call him Papa. Exuma, he ain’t your daddy. You have your own daddies – and they love you
ALL the time, not just at election time, am I right?
The FNM – they talk down to you.
The PLP – we’re ready to invest in you.
What do you think, Exuma?
It’s paradise here – hard to imagine a more beautiful
place on earth – but even life in paradise can be tough if you don’t have a job
you can count on.
Exuma, we’re ready to expand tourism in The Bahamas,
with faith-based tourism and eco-tourism and sports tourism. But we’re going to include Bahamians, not leave Bahamians behind.
Under the current government, stopover arrivals are at a 27-year low. Now it’s not just about the global economy – if that were true, our regional competitors would be in the same situation. But they’re recovering faster than we are Bahamas, they’re outpacing us!
The Prime Minister is trying to bully his way to another victory, with one false
attack after another. Remember how he threatened you after you rejected his candidate last time around? That’s his game – he thinks he can threaten
his way to victory!
Hoping you’ll forget one in three young Bahamians out of work.
Hoping you’ll forget that murders have doubled.
Hoping you’ll forget that they’ve delivered for foreigners, but not for you.
But the PLP is staying focused, Exuma!
Because this election is about you! It’s about
reducing violence and creating jobs and putting Bahamians first!
SO I ASK TONIGHT EXUMA – ARE YOU READY TO INVEST IN PEOPLE?
EXUMA, DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE BAHAMAS?
THEN LET ME HEAR YOU … PLP! PLP! PLP!
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