Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas, October 5, 2023 – The Bahamas Government has major goals set out for the country for this fiscal year, focusing on Personal Security, Economic Security and National Security.
Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, The Bahamas’ newly appointed Governor General made the announcement in the Speech from the Throne.
As this comes from the need to alleviate the hardships of Bahamians, the Governor General alluded to some of the struggles the Bahamas has faced.
“My government came into office just over two years ago. At the time, the country faced many urgent crises.”
She continued to refer to the national debt which greatly increased and the economy which she said was “battered by a series of lockdowns and curfews”, adding that the country faced the most severe “unemployment crisis” in the modern history.
Pratt continued, “Our hospitals were overflowing, with some patients receiving treatment in corridors and parking lots. Our schools were closed, with no plans in sight to repair and re-open them. Thousands of children were unable to participate in remote learning. And large numbers of people were traumatised from the passage of Hurricane Dorian and the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The Russian invasion of Ukraine was also recognised, causing higher oil prices and the economic lockdown from covid which Pratt acknowledged affected virtually every country; The Bahamas feeling the effects strongly, she expressed.
From all this, the Government’s plans were born to enhance the lives of the people with better personal, economic and national security.
For Personal Security, the Governor General speaking at the opening of Parliament on October 4th, informed that the Government’s legislative agenda:
- Moves decisively to boost the number, type and quality of jobs available to Bahamians;
- Takes a holistic approach to improving educational outcomes for all
- Supports the development of our young people; and
- Promotes better Health & Wellness among the general population
In promoting better Economic Security, she said the agenda:
- Promotes growth and diversification in the economy;
- Introduces measures to combat the high and rising cost of living;
- Boosts development in communities throughout the Family Islands and in New
Providence;
- Provides support with housing;
- Protects our natural resources;
- Resolves long-standing issues relating to land; and
- Advances a range of initiative to develop the national infrastructure
And lastly under National Security the Government is:
- Concerned to ensure that our borders are well-defended;
- Disposed to have positive relations with our neighbouring states in Caricom, and all those with whom we enjoy friendly relations;
- Determined to regulate the flow of migrants into our country;
- Arrest and reduce the incidence of crime; and
- Ensure the long-term sustainability of our territory by making us more resilient to the negative impacts of climate change.
