#Bahamas, March 22, 2018 – Nassau –

The Honourable Darren A. Henfield

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament 

North Abaco

Mid-Year Budget Performance Debate

Delivered in the House of Assembly

March 19, 2018

Introduction

Mr. Speaker,

I begin by re-emphasising a point I heard made here during this debate, and that is that, in the last 10 months or so, we, as a Government, have had to make tough decisions.  And I will be among the first to admit that we have not always made the best possible decisions, but hindsight, as they say, is 20/20 vision.

Let me hasten to add though, that I am no fair-weather sailor.  Fair-weather sailors only move about the deck when the seas are calm, but, as soon as the weather begins to rage a little, they scurry to their bunks below decks until the weather subsides.   You know, I’ve had the good fortune of listening to my Colleagues who have contributed to this debate thus far.

I am heartened and humbled to be a part of this team of dynamic, innovative, forward-looking and industrious team of nation builders led by the Honourable Member for Killarney.  The more I hear, the more I truly appreciate that God has brought us to the Kingdom for such a time as this.  And by the time we are finished, all Bahamians will be better off; and for me personally, my four-year old granddaughter, Dahlya – whom I love with all my heart – will have a future to look forward to in this country of her birth.  I trust Killarney and my Colleagues with the future of this Country. I trust my Colleagues with the future of my Dahlya.

 And with that said, Mr. Speaker,

North Abaco is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate focussed on the Mid-Year Budget Performance during the six months ending 31 December 2017.  At the outset, permit me to indicate that North Abaco is pleased to note the Honourable Member for East Grand Bahama and Minister of Finance’s statement on the fiscal performance at the mid-way mark, and I quote:

“There are clear indications that the Bahamian economy has finally begun to recover from its lengthy period of under-performance.”

In other words, things are finally beginning turn around for Bahamians.  And, as such, North Abaconians commend the Minnis-led Administration for its prudent management of the Bahamian economy, in part resultant from the Prime Minister’s stern instruction that all Ministries make a further “10-percent reduction in discretionary Recurrent Expenditure against the budgeted sums, excluding interest payments and debt redemption”, as indicated by the Minister of Finance during his initial remarks whilst opening this debate.

That said, however, I am reminded of the Biblical instruction offered in the book of 2 Kings 4:24 by the woman seeking to get her dead son to the prophet so that he could be revived.

And, I quote:  “Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.”

 End quote.

When we came to Office on 10 May 2017, we found an ailing economy, which has now begun to regain some strength. (Like many Bahamians, I’m a praying man.)  As a Government, we recognize the pressure to throw caution to the wind and spend beyond our means in order to get some things done. We feel that pressure each day.

We, however, as indicated by the Member from East Grand Bahama, “simply cannot, and will not, spend recklessly as did the previous Administration without due regard for the financial resources available.”  And so, Mr. Speaker, as said by the woman in scripture, I say to my Colleagues, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance:Continue to “Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding” until the people of The Bahamas are finally getting their due from the efforts of our Government.

Ministry Outlook

Mr. Speaker

A leader is only as good as those whom he leads. As such, I can take no personal credit for any perceived or realised achievements at my Ministry without recognition of the people who made them possible.  Therefore, I take this opportunity to publicly thank the hardworking members of the Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who have been working assiduously to support the Government’s mandates.

The commitment and dedication of these Bahamians—who comprise the Ministry’s Headquarters, Passport and Consular Offices, and our Missions Overseas —towardsoptimising The Bahamas’ place in the world is incomparable and it is with a sense of profound gratitude that I applaud the Ministry’s Staff, both at home and abroad, for their untiring work on behalf of this country which we serve both by day and by night.

Since coming to office, I have had one mantra, which I’ve literally preached on every given occasion.  It is simply that the Foreign Policy of The Bahamas must inure to the benefit of Bahamians in their economy and their security.  Gone are the days when our Missions Overseas focus so much onconsular and passport services, prisoner visits, and simply attending meetings and reporting on them – mind you, these are and remain major functions of theirs.

Like other countries with which we have relations, we, too, must maximise our potential through a wider range of the elements that comprise foreign relations.  Bahamian foreign relations, forged on a Bahamian foreign policy, must of necessity include, if you will, national self-interest strategies engaged – through mutual co-operation – to safeguard the national interests of Bahamians.  This will be achieved by deliberately striving to recognise our own national objectives and strategies, driven by our National Development Plan and not some external agenda without cognisance of our history, culture and societal norms.

Shaping Our Own Future

Mr. Speaker,

The Bahamas, whilst seeking to maintain pace with other nations of the world, must never allow the displacement of the standards, cultural inheritances and principles that served to bring us from a mere fishing village to a mini-metropolis, which is yet still the envy of the Caribbean region.  We, as Bahamians, must shape our own future and not so easily be turned by the whims and fancies of others who seem to think that, because we strive to participate as equals, we have somehow relinquished our sovereignty.

I note firmly the concern of many in our country thatsuggeststhat, at times, it seems like The Bahamas is being governed by external forces that are not aware of our culture, societal norms and historical predilections.  As the portfolio Minister charged with interacting with the international community and international and regional organisations, I’m completely cognisant of the ethos of Bahamians, as expressed in the preambular section of the Constitution.

The Preamble of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is very clear—and I quote:

“NOW KNOW YE THEREFORE:

We the Inheritors of and Successors to this Family of Islands,  recognising theSupremacy of God and believing inthe Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Individual,

DO HEREBY PROCLAIM IN SOLEMN PRAISE theEstablishment of a Free and Democratic Sovereign Nation founded on Spiritual Values and in which no Man, Woman or  Child  shall  ever  be  Slave  or  Bondsman  to  anyone  or their   Labour   exploited   or their   Lives   frustrated   by deprivation,   

AND DO HEREBY PROVIDEby these Articles for the indivisibleUnity and Creation under God of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas”

 —end quote.

Now, the legal pundits will readily remind that, pursuant to case law, the preamble is not justiciable but merely an introductory or declaratory statement.  That may be so, but it serves to remind us of our collective determination as a Bahamian nation state;in other words, a sovereign state in which the vast majority of its people are agreed with societal norms, cultural values, a shared common identity, defined physical boundaries and a single Government.

A nation state must have a clearly defined foreign affairs policy that is mindful of norms, values, identity and geopolitical dispositions of our nation.

In nearly 45years of independence, we have never had a cohesive, clearly articulated and published foreign policy doctrine, designed to instruct our Missions Overseas and those with whom we have relations.

The time has come for our foreign policy to be written to inform Bahamians – and those with whom we have relations – of our orientation and our goals, motivated by the urgent need to safeguard our national interests and to achieve goals that inure to the benefit of Bahamians, whilst simultaneously participating within the international arena.

No longer will we be satisfied with merely having a seat at the table in the international arena and moving along in whichever directions the currents of the world pull us.We will seek deliberately, as much as is practicably possible, to chart our own defined course.  We must and will do so, and we will craft that map to give a clear path and a sense of purpose for the Government and people of our Commonwealth.  This will include our seeking to establish more diplomatic relations, more strategic presence abroad, and membership of more councils of international organisations.

And so, Mr. Speaker,

In an effort to chart that course, as opposed to doing what we have done in the past fifty-years or so in dealing with our relations with our neighbours to the south – the Republic of Haiti – with whom we share good relations, this Administration, has determined not to sit idly by and accept the status quo, but, rather, become proactive.

Just ahead of the 29^th Inter-Sessional Meeting of Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, which took place in Port-au-Prince, Haiti during 26-27 February 2018, Prime Minister Minnis led a delegation of Cabinet Ministers and other Senior Government Officials to that country to engage in a number of high-level meetings with the newHaitian President, Jovenel Moïse, and members of his Cabinet.

As such, on Sunday 25 of February 2018, a cordial, open and frank discussion was held between President Moïse and Prime Minister Minnis and their delegations, which focussed on a framework for bilateral co-operation towards the following broadly stated initiatives:

1. Improving relations;

1. Addressing the migratory situation by undertaking joint initiatives aimed towards reducing the flow of irregular migration to The Bahamas;

• Establishment of a Centre of Delivery and Collection of Identification Documents at the Embassy of Haiti in Nassau;

1. Strengthening trade links for the purchase and sale of agricultural products and seafood and exportable fisheries between the two countries, through accepted international quality-control standards;

1. Develop a comprehensive Maritime Agreement between the two countries for maritime border control towards encouraging closer collaboration between national, regional and international law enforcement institutions, inclusive of information sharing to foster greater effectiveness in combatting irregular migration, illicit trafficking in narcotics, human smuggling and transnational organised crime;

1. Develop cultural and sports co-operation by encouraging the establishment of links between cultural, academic and other institutions towardsa better appreciation of each other’s cultures, through exchanges of exhibitions, music, dance, arts and other cultural and sporting activities; and

• Co-operation in the area of tourism through the sharing of information and best practices and training opportunities.

Mr. Speaker,

As I leave this point, which I fully appreciate is very emotive in our country, permit me to say that Dr. Dawn Marshall, in her work of 1979 entitled, The Haitian Problem, recognised that dealing with the issue of illegal migration requires more than mere enforcement – which invariably focusses solely on apprehension and repatriation.

In her mentioned study on the issue, the professor opined that, to effectively deal with the problem, there must be “an objective, evidence-based discussion”, inclusive of a holistic approach to the migration problem from Haiti to The Bahamas that must have cognisance of, and I quote:

“Promoting economic growth; establishing reasonable criteria for the grant of permits and citizenship; and rely on procedures that are accountable and transparent.”

In short, an economically improved Haiti means an economically improved Bahamas, as we will not be forced to spend hard-earned taxpayer money in an endless cycle of apprehension and repatriation.  Doing things the same way will continue to bring about the same results.  This Minnis-led Administration is focussed on reaping results that are in the absolute best interests of Bahamians.

Mr. Speaker,

As I prepare to address our Government’s policy initiatives, allow me to report on the proposed launch of online services for the renewal of E-Passports.

In January 2017, the new Electronic Passport Issuing and Control System (E-PICS), was successfully launched, introducing the polycarbonate Bahamian travel documents, which feature not only an increased number of pages with depictions of cultural symbols throughout, but multiple levels of security, placing The Bahamas only second in this regard to Switzerland in providing such quality travel documents.

The online facility, when instituted, hopefully within the next few months, will allow Bahamians anywhere in the world to Google-access the services on a 24-hours–a-day, seven-days-a-week basis and make online applications and payments for the renewal of their e-travel documents.

As we continue to create a paperless environment during the procurement of passports, all current e-passport files are presently being prepared for proper storage and management.

Finally, for now, in keeping with the necessary security requirements in a world filled with cyber-thieves and other associated risks, Bahamians will be able to collect their passports from the Passport Office in New Providence, Grand Bahama, or one of the three locations in Abaco.

Whilst on passports, let me say that we are also doing a cost-benefit analysis of establishing passport kiosks or desks in several Family Island Administration Offices in islands like Andros, Eleuthera, Exuma and Long Island, as opposed to sporadically sending Mobile Teams to deal with passport matters.

Policy Initiatives

 Mr. Speaker,

In the Free National Movement’s Manifesto, among other things, we set out to deliberately engage the Bahamian Diaspora and complete outstanding maritime boundary delimitations with those with whom we share borders.

Recognising that there are scores of Bahamians who have migrated to foreign shores, but are still desirous of playing a role in the national development of their motherland, my Ministry – supported by the Office of the Prime Minister – has aggressively commenced re-engaging the Bahamian Diaspora.

In an effort to take advantage of this major talent and investment pool, we have embarked upon creating a global network of these Bahamian descendants and friends of The Bahamas.

Towards this end, my Ministry is engaged in the research and development phase, with a view to create and establish a national register of those in the Diaspora wishing to participate.  The register, which is anticipated to be linked with the Department of Labour and the Office of the Prime Minister, will be replete with, among other things, the skills and professional qualifications of those wishing to return to The Bahamas, or be engaged directly with The Bahamas, in order to take advantage of anticipated opportunities in the country.

We believe that such a database will enable our Government to identify the totality of our human resource capacity in a relatively speedy, reliable and efficient manner.  Important to the success of the skills-bank database aimed towards re-engaging the Bahamian Diaspora is an aggressive campaign by my Ministry to increase interactions with the Bahamian Diaspora through our Missions Overseas, in an effort to encourage participation.

Moreover, in an effort to demonstrate the Government’s commitment to re-engage the Diaspora – led by the Honourable Member for Killarney and myself – we have made it a priority to host strategic encounterswithourDiaspora during our travels abroad.  Thus far, we’ve held such events in Atlanta, Georgia; Washington, D.C.; and Houston, Texas. And I have done so in New York.

Mr. Speaker,

It gives us a sense of immense pride during these visits in meeting Bahamians and descendants of this great country who are excelling in their respective communities and fields of endeavour, such as law, medicine and health services, academia, information technology, science, engineering, and the list goes on. Our talented Bahamians can be found virtually everywhere around the world, studying, working and living in other communities, making the best of those communities part of who we can be at home as well. This is indicative of the shrinking size of the world in which we now live, but still believing in keeping what makes us Bahamian.

On our trip to Atlanta, the Prime Minister and I met the now-Chief Operations Officer at Bahamas Power & Light (BPL), Mrs. Christina Alston – a Bahamian working in the State of Georgia – who shared with usher extensive experience as the Transmission Services Engineer at the Georgia Transmission Corporation.

I believe it’s safe to say that, thus far, Mrs. Alston represents the first fruit of our policy initiative aimed at attracting Bahamian talent back to their homeland in order to help us build this great country of ours into the Best Little Country in the World.

Mr. Speaker,

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as mandated by our Government, will resume bilateral maritime delimitation negotiations between the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the Government of the United States of America on 6-8 June 2018, here in Nassau.

For the purpose of establishing a historical context, talks between our Countries have taken place over two rounds of technical discussions relative to our maritime boundaries,in April and December of 2012; the first, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nassau, and the second at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C.

The fundamental importance of concluding these boundary discussions cannot be overstated.

Defining the limits of the boundaries of The Bahamas are essential for the following reasons: (i) To determine the limits of Bahamian territorial sovereignty; (ii) For ascertaining entitlement to living and non-living resources of the sea; and (iii) For the maintenance of good bilateral and political relationships between neighbouring States.

We look forward to re-engaging our friends and strategic partners to the north, and to a mutually beneficial outcome to these negotiations, which are intended to result in settling the boundaries between two countries that are less that 40 nautical miles from each other.

Mr. Speaker,

Promoting the ease of doing business in The Bahamas – both at home and abroad – is critical to our economic success, as it forms part of our efforts to improve our chances in attracting foreign direct investments.

Trips abroad, headed by the Prime Minister, such as the one to Houston and Austen, Texas, put in evidence the Government’s commitment to grow the Bahamian economy.  Further, my Ministry is currently engaged in establishing an economic desk in each of our Missions Overseas, with the sole objective of bringing business home.

The Consulate General in Atlanta has been the recent recipient of an individual whose job it is to go and sell The Bahamas as a place that is open for business.  Lynden Rose, our Honorary Consul in Houston, who is a phenomenal asset to this Country, will also be fortified and empowered to more aggressively engage in selling The Bahamas to potential investors.

Mr. Speaker,

In a few short weeks, my Ministry will also establish the Office of the Spouse of the Prime Minister, which, in this instance, will focus on the health and well-being of women, girls and adolescents, as enunciated with respect to Gender Equality in Goal five (5) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in September of 2015.

It is our view that the weight of that office – which will engage in the Forum of First Ladies and Spouses of the Region – will help to bring more focus to issues such as promoting the health and well-being of adolescents in the Caribbean and reducing adolescent pregnancy; expounding on the prevention of various forms of cancer that are prevalent among women; encouraging the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis in the region, and more.

In September of 2017, the Spouse of the Prime Minister, at the invitation of the First Ladies and Spouses of CARICOM, addressed the Forum in Belize, which served to launch the Spouses of Caribbean Leaders Action Network (SCLAN), an initiative supported by Gilead Scientist, and designed to support the implementation of the Every Caribbean Woman Every Caribbean Child Initiative (CARWAC).

Just recently, in Haiti, Mrs. Patricia Minnis also participated in an event with school children of that Country at the invitation of the First Lady of Haiti, Martine Etienne Joseph.

The Prime Minister’s spouse will receive no pay for her efforts in this regard, but will simply be supported by my Ministry as she engages with the CARWAC Action Group and the CARICOM Secretariat, and various United Nations Agencies and others.

Mr Speaker,

Also in a few short weeks, The Bahamas will assume the one-year chairmanship of the CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), which brings together the Foreign Ministers of our region to address matters of international importance to our community.  As the incoming Chair, I’ve gotten my feet wet through CARICOM’s involvement in hemispheric and UN affairs. We will be receiving CARICOM Foreign Ministers and other international dignitaries and personalities over the next twelve months, a time during which we will strive to have them take a little bit of The Bahamas with them.  And we will also be taking The Bahamas to them. And so, we must prepare as a Nation for both of these instances.

Mr Speaker,

The Bahamas and China are very close to the completion of an Agreement on Air Services.  The Bahamas Air Service Negotiation Team, comprising Officers from the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Office of the Attorney-General, is working to finalise this Agreement in the coming days.

This Agreement between both Contracting States of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will provide the legal framework to facilitate the launch of air lift to The Bahamas.

It provides access to a gateway that will have positive impacts on the Aviation, Finance, Tourism and other related agencies within The Bahamas.

The Agreement allows for registered aircraft from both States to operate in each country to the determined points. It also creates employment and code-share opportunities to our National Flag Carrier and other local air operators.

This Agreement also represents growth and illustrates to the world The Bahamas’ commitment to build a world-class aviation system through the establishment of foreign bilateral agreements such as the ASA’s.

Once the agreement is signed, it will add China to the growing list of countries with which we already have such agreements, such as Qatar, Australia, Finland, Netherlands (Curacao), Singapore, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey and New Zealand. We also have signed Memoranda of Understanding with South Africa, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Austria, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Switzerland, Chile and Jordan, and expect that full Air Service Agreements will soon be signed with those countries.

Mr Speaker

I have mentioned some of the aspirations for the Ministry for which I have responsibility. And I did mention earlier the needs to be cautious with expenditure from the limited resources available to us at this time. Nevertheless, the fruition of these aspirations does call for a measure of investment.

In a transition year, as we experienced during the Budget period in question, it is expected that an increase in spending occur. However, we did in fact manage savings of some $400,000 in our expenditure as a result of an initial staff-needs assessment that saw effective attention vis-à-vis redundancy. The usual other costs for the recall and deployment of diplomatic and consular personnel between Administrations were taken into account with the preparation of the 2017-2018 Budget.

In the spirit of transparency, and in preparation for possible expanded activity by the Government of The Bahamas in its endeavours outside the country, an increase in desired investments must be anticipated. We own properties in the world’s major capitals – Washington, DC, London, and New York – that, after many decades of use, require significant infrastructural attention and maintenance. Once these repair and maintenance works are completed, continued savings in these areas will be met by an extensive maintenance programme.

I will add that the conduct of the Nation’s diplomatic affairs at home and overseas means additional strategic hiring, deployment, redeployment, and training of staff. These positive gains will mean supplementary spending. My Ministry will work in a concerted manner with the Office of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Ministry of Finance to ensure maximum benefits for our Country within the confines of the Country’s proposed Budget.

Constituency Matters

Mr. Speaker,

I now turn to my North Abaco Constituency, the people of which I strive to serve to the best of my God-given abilities.

But before delving into some of the specific issues that I will speak to here, I wish to assure Abaconians that this Minnis-led Administration has the political will and determination to deal with unregulated or shanty-town communities, not only in Abaco but all across this Country.

They pose a danger to the individuals that inhabit them, and to our citizens who live in our wider community. The health risks alone are sufficient to have them expeditiously removed from the Bahamian landscape.

We undoubtedly recognise the clear and present danger that these unregulated shanty communities pose and we will not ignore them as have all Administrations before this one led by the Member for Killarney, the Hon. Dr. Hubert Alexander Minnis.

Mr. Speaker,

I wish to publicly thank my brother, the Minister with responsibility for the Public Service and National Insurance, the Hon. Member for Garden Hills, for accompanying me to Abaco where he and one of his Directors presided over a Town Meeting aimed at reporting to the people on issues and concerns relative to the National Insurance Board.

He also took the opportunity to address other concerns associated with NIB whilst in Abaco,including some urgent issues which we are assured will be ameliorated in the shortest possible time.

It is anticipated that my brother from Elizabeth, who holds responsibility for the Ministry of Health,will travel with me to North Abaco before the end of the month, where he, too, could address the concerns and shed some light on the work of his Ministry in this country.

North Abaco also wishes to thank the Hon. Minister of Works, the Member for Carmichael (my M.P.), for his Ministry’s commitment to remediate a dangerous piece of road on the Sherlin Bootle Highway, in the Stink Pond, at a cost of one million eighty-six thousand nine hundred fourteen dollars and ninety-eight cents ($1,086,914.98).

I wish, Mr. Speaker, to thank and congratulate the Hon. Minister of Education, my brother who represents South Beach by way of Kemp Road, for his keen eye on North Abaco in general, and Grand Cay in particular.

The Member for Marathon intended to visit the dump site in Green Turtle Cay on Friday past, but simply could not get to the Cay despite being on the island for the entire day.

Environmental Health will work with the Local Government Council in Dundas Town and Central Pines to remove the eyesore of derelict vehicles in those communities.

The Prime Minister, during his recent National Address, informed the Country of our Government’s intent to develop identified land throughout the Country, put in place the necessary infrastructure (water, light, cable, etc.) and sell them to Bahamians at cost.

The intent is to avail first-time homeowners the opportunity of building their homes on these lots duty-free.

North Abaco is encouraged by the Minister of Tourism and Aviation’s pronouncements that our airports, which breathe life into the Bahamian economy, will see necessary works carried out to make them fully viable.