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Communication by the Hon. Renward Wells, M.P. (Bamboo Town) Minister of Transport and Local Government

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Communication by the Hon. Renward Wells, M.P. (Bamboo Town) Minister of Transport and Local Government Communication By The Hon. Renward Wells, M.P. (Bamboo Town) Minister of Transport and Local Government Contribution to the 2020/2021 Budget Debate House of Assembly Parliament Square Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas th 28 ​ May 2020 ​ Mr. Speaker: I rise to thank Almighty God for affording me the opportunity to serve the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, and most especially, my constituents in Bamboo Town. Mr. Speaker, I do believe as I have said in other places that this administration has “come to the Kingdom for such a time as this.” But, Mr. Speaker, we are in constant need of Gods help and Guidance. Indeed Mr. Speaker: I will say as the Psalmist says in Psalm 121, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made Heaven and Earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel… [The Bahamas…me…] shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is 1 thy keeper: (Mr. Speaker) the Lord is thy shade (shield) upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” Selah. Mr. Speaker This psalm is reminiscent of our National Anthem in which the opening line – the opening refrain speaks of our nation lifting our heads, and in so doing lifting our eyes and working under the guidance of God until he comes. Constituency Matters Mr. Speaker, Again I thank the residents of Bamboo Town for affording the opportunity to here. Mr. Speaker 2 Bamboo Town is a constituency whose residents are a productive and precocious people. They are deserving of the constant attention they receive from this Member of Parliament. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, we have been working hard on their behalf, on all fronts in the constituency. We have worked hard to secure improvements in the drainage in various areas of the constituency. Drainage wells on Sapodilla Boulevard and in the rear of Super Value near All Saints Church, around the Kennedy Park, and at the entrance to Gamble Heights have been cleaned and are functioning well. Mr. Speaker, residents can be assured that we will continue with their maintenance throughout the rainy season that is currently upon us. The Bahamas is known as the Isles of June because this nation’s natural fauna and flora comes alive during this month of rain and Mr. Speaker, I do believe this budget will rain on the Bahamian people. Mr. Speaker, we have also drilled new drainage wells in the constituency in the entrance of Gamble Heights and behind the famous Porky’s Gas Station. Mr. Speaker 3 Our speed bump programme in the constituency is well-underway. For too long, the streets of Bamboo Town have been used as short cuts with motorists giving no thought to our young residents, who may be crossing the streets. The road humps are a good speed control measure. I thank my colleague Minister, The Minister of Works, for his efforts in this regard. Mr. Speaker, I also thank my colleague The Minister of the Environment for his attention to Bamboo Town. Our clean-up campaign, before the season of hurricane has been successful and our efforts will intensify in the coming months. Mr Speaker, we will continue to trim trees for residents and to remove bulk waste as necessary to ensure that our preparation gains for any potential hurricane remains. Mr. Speaker, you know we prepare but I have prayed that the Good Lord, the Lord of Life will spare us this season from any menacing hurricane. Mr. Speaker, 4 I mentioned this during last year’s budget debate, Mr. Speaker, but we continue to have problems in the area of Dorsettville near Resurrection Catholic Church. People have used this parcel of land as a dump for years. I’ve cleaned this area a number of times, yet the trash keeps coming back! We have to be better stewards of our environment. Residents must take a more proactive approach to engage efficiency by taking their garbage to the proper disposal place. I’ve encouraged residents in the area to report persons illegal dumping. I see that my threat to install cameras in that area will have to be done in order to end this practise. Mr. Speaker I am, however, very happy to report that the residential garbage collection has been regular thanks to the Department of Environmental Health Services. We also thank the Department for partnering with residents to clear yards in the constituency. This partnership with owners has been a success, and involves an on-going derelict vehicle removal programme. Residents, who are seeking further assistance, may call my constituency 5 office at [326-1604 or 326-1605] so that we can resolve your issues. Mr. Speaker, Let me say that we are looking at ways to engage the young people over this summer holiday that will take in the precepts of social distancing once the Emergency Order ends. I prefer the term physical distancing, because we must always encourage social interaction in a responsible way. So, Mr. Speaker, we see this as an opportunity for community training in protocols for the new normal. Mr. Speaker, We have assisted scores of residents in the constituency with free transportation, especially the elderly of Bamboo Town, during this period under the Emergency Order. Since March, with our ongoing grocery assistance programme, Mr. Speaker, we have spent in excess of tens of Thousands of (25,000) dollars on food vouchers for our residents who have been most in need. 6 Indeed, Mr. Speaker, in like manner, so many ways we have assisted scores of our residents in Bamboo Town! Mr. Speaker I want to assure residents that once the Emergency Order is lifted, we will once again start our thriving Girls Guide, Boys Scouts, Chess Club and the Bamboo Town Business Bureau meetings. Again, Mr. Speaker, for residents in Bamboo Town who may feel perplexed, hold firm, call our office, for you are next. Be assured, Mr. Speaker, Bamboo it is still about you! Mr. Speaker Today, I stand on their behalf – the people of Bamboo Town – to second and to support the budget statement that the Minister of Finance has called “the most important in a generation”. And Mr. Speaker, I fully agree. Why is it the most important budget in a generation? It is, Mr. Speaker, because over the past three (3) years – I would say four (4) years since Hurricane Matthew struck the major economic centres of the country in September of 2016 – we have experienced nearly, 7 every natural disaster known to man in varying magnitudes. We have experienced hurricanes, tornados, storm surges likened to tsunami, earthquake tremors, and now pestilence and plague. Mr. Speaker There are those who say that we should stop talking about the past and move on that we shouldn’t cry over spilt milk; governance is not for the faint of heart, but, I am reminded about the song that says, “Roll back the curtain of memory now and then. Show me where you brought me from and where I could have been. Remember, I’m human and humans forget, so remind me, remind me, dear Lord.” So Mr. Speaker, Lest we forget, this Administration was elected between the twin pillars of Hurricane Matthew and Irma. Lest we forget, Hurricane Matthew resulted in a budget deficit of some $600m dollars for the year 2016/2017. I vividly remember our first Cabinet meeting in May of 2017, when we had to borrow $400m on day one to shore-up The Bahamas’ bills left by the former administration and to stave of economic disaster. We then 8 borrowed another $322m for 2017/2018 to cover government expenses and further assist the nation’s response to Matthew. Mr. Speaker, After having done that, five (5) months later in September, as Hurricane Irma approached, we began preparations for its arrival. We secured the national sports facilities to use as shelters and evacuated 1200 residents from MICAL (Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay) and Ragged Island and 365 residents from Bimini. We then coordinated the controlled shutdown of the power supply to the Southern and Central Bahamian islands. Mr. Speaker, Admittedly, the use of shelters was low due to most evacuees staying with family on other islands. God granted us prudence to safely evacuate residents of MICAL and Ragged Island just in time to watch as Irma ravished everything within her territory. Irma destroyed all of Ragged Island and nearly wiped out the settlement of Salina Point, in Acklins. I remember the caravan of Cabinet Ministers who travelled to the 9 south with the Prime Minister to offer comfort to those who chose to remain and to evacuees who had recently returned. This trip was somewhat delayed due to the fact that yet another Category 5 storm was 2 weeks behind Irma, bound to head for the Central Bahamas. Even today, we thank God that at the last moment, Hurricane Maria, took a sharp turn to north and journeyed to the Carolinas. Mr. Speaker Even between Matthew and Irma, these twin pillars of natural destruction, we had to address the manmade crisis created by the potential backlisting of our nation by the OECD and European nations, the FATF. Mr. Speaker, we had much work to do to avert this economic hurricane.
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