REMARKS
BRADLEY B. ROBERTS
NATIONAL CHAIRMAN
PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL PARTY
1ST ANNIVERSARY VICTORY CHURCH SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING
FAITH UNITED BAPTIST CHURCH
FAITH WAY, NASSAU BAHAMAS
Sunday, 5th May 2013

Mr. Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Perry G.Christie;
Cabinet Ministers and Parliamentarians;
Bishop Dr. William Thompson and Mrs. Thompson;
Officers and members of Faith United Baptist Church;
Party Officers, supporters, ladies and gentlemen, a very pleasant Good Morning to share in this service of thanksgiving.

I bring greetings on behalf of the Progressive Liberal Party on this auspicious occasion marking our 1st anniversary of governance following a magnificent electoral victory at the polls. There is no better place to be on this occasion than in the house of God to give thanks to Almighty God for His many blessings and ask for his continued counsel, wisdom and guidance as we chart this new course in the development of our beloved country.

In May 2007, the FNM boldly predicted $25 million in budgetary surpluses before hitting the fist lick, thanks to the good stewardship of the PLP government between 2002 and 2007. They also had the good fortune of inheriting record government revenue; record tourism expenditure; fiscal headroom and a record number of stimulus projects in various stages of development.

In stark contrast last May we faced a $600 million budgetary deficit greeting us at the door on day one which basically meant that the treasury was very broke. Let me be plain and clear – not $600 million to borrow to invest in projects for jobs creation, no, no, no – we had to borrow $600 million to pay off old bills left behind by the out going FNM government. We met over 30,000 unemployed and suffering Bahamians looking for hope whose misery index was off the charts; we met over 4,000 homes in various stages of foreclosure; government revenue poor and tourism was in the doldrums where stopover visitors were at a 27 year low. Conditions in Grand Bahama were worse where one in three young person was unemployed, many closed hotels and no new investment.

On the crime front, the rate of murder had doubled under the FNM from 60 in 2006 to 127 in 2011. The fear of crime was off the charts.
Ladies and gentlemen, regardless of what you have read or heard, what I just described to you is the naked and unvarnished truth about the state of the country one year ago.

You would remember that US President Barak Obama was unable to turn America’s economy around in four years despite a stimulus package in excess of $1 Trillion, that’s Trillion with a “T.”

The American people accepted that reality and re-elected him to a second term.

The truth of the matter is Prime Minister Christie and the PLP did not have any fiscal headroom to stimulate our economy, yet there are those who expect miracles.

The essence of the FNM’s current message is very similar to that of the Republicans and it is simply this: We left the PLP a horrible mess in May 2012, but because they were unable to clean it all up and fix all the problems in one year, they are a failure.

The FNM lacks the moral authority and credibility to criticize the PLP in light of the mess they helped create. They should be apologizing to the Bahamian people for this mess they created.

I thank the government for laying out the framework of its priorities to drive the recovery and the future growth, development and prosperity of The Bahamas. The government has aggressively attacked the twin challenges of the economy and crime and I commend them for this.

The $15 million road works compensation program was a huge success where 229 of 248 businesses that applied for relief qualified and received relief from the government. More than 229 businesses and hundreds of jobs were saved. This is a 92% success rate and good news for the economy. Is the Hon. Michael Halkitis here? If he is please stand – give him a rousing round of applause for his hard work.

The PLP government cares about Bahamians and puts Bahamians first.

On behalf of the Progressive Liberal Party, I congratulate the government of The Bahamas on its 1st anniversary of governance as it works feverishly to set out and execute the priorities of the government under extraordinarily challenging fiscal circumstances and an increasingly impatient electorate.

I am confident that the Bahamian people made the right choice one year ago. Remember, Rome was not built in a day. We turned this economy around before and by God’s grace we will do it again.

Thank you for your kind indulgence and may Almighty God continue to bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.