REMARKS

BY

THE HON. BRADLEY B. ROBERTS

MINISTER OF WORKS & UTILITIES

AT

THE PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL PARTY EVENING CONVENTION

ON

THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PARTY’S RETURN TO GOVERNMENT

WYNDHAM CRYSRAL PALACE HOTEL & CASINO

NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS

2^ND MAY 2006

RT. HON. PRIME MINISTER, CABINET COLLEAGUES, DISTINGUISH DELEGATES, MY FELLOW BAHAMAINS, A PLEASANT GOOD EVENING.  I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO BRIEFLY TOUCH ON THREE SECTIONS OF MY PORTFOLIO, THE FIRST WILL BE A SYNOPSIS ON THE GOVERNMENT’S PROGRESS IN PROVIDING POTABLE WATER TO THE BAHAMIAN PEOPLE.

WATER & SEWERAGE CORPORATION

WATER IS ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE. WATER IS CRUCIAL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING THE PRESERVATION OF OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE ALLEVIATION OF POVERTY AND HUNGER. IT IS INDISPENSABLE FOR HUMAN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.

FELLOW DELEGATES EMBOLDENED BY THIS CRITICAL NEED, THE GOVERNMENT, SINCE COMING TO OFFICE IN 2002 COMMISSIONED REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO) PLANTS IN:

·         BIMINI

·         WATERFORD, ELEUTHERA

·         STANIEL CAY, EXUMA

·         FARMERS CAY, EXUMA

·         GEORGE TOWN, EXUMA

·         MATTHEW TOWN, INAGUA

·         DEADMAN’S CAY, LONG ISLAND

·         MOORES ISLAND, ABACO

·         DUNCAN TOWN, RAGGED ISLAND

·         GOVERNOR’S HARBOUR, ELEUTHERA (TO SUPPLY CENTRAL AND NORTH ELEUTHERA, HARBOUR ISLAND AND SPANISH WELLS)

·         SAN SALVADOR

·         ROCK SOUND/TARPUM BAY, ELEUTHERA WILL BE SUPPLIED UNDER A WATER SUPPLY CONTRACT.   

WITHIN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS RO PLANTS WILL BE BUILT IN :

·         GREEN TURTLE CAY, ABACO

·         SALINA POINT, ACKLINS

·         SNUG CORNER, ACKLINS,

·         LONG CAY

·         SWEETING’S CAY GRAND BAHAMA AND

·         WILLIAMS TOWN, EXUMA

BEFORE THE END OF THIS MONTH CONTRACTS TO EXTEND THE WATER TRANSMISSION MAINS FROM STEVETON EXUMA TO ROLLEVILLE WILL BE AWARDED.  WORKS WILL INCLUDE THE SETTLEMENTS OF STUART MANOR AND CURTIS.    ADDITIONALLY, WATER MAINS RENEWAL AND EXTENSION WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN HARTS, FOREST, FARMER’S HILL AND ROLLE TOWN.

THE MAJOR REMAINING AREAS IN THE FAMILY ISLANDS WHICH REQUIRE POTABLE WATER ARE:

SOUTH ANDROS BETWEEN JOHNSONS AND MARS BAY.  THE INSTALLATION OF A RO PLANT IS PLANNED HERE FOR 2007.  AND LAST AND BY NO MEANS LEAST MAYAGUANA WHICH, WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE JOINT PARTNERHIP OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE I-GROUP.

 PRIME MINISTER AND FELLOW DELEGATES, YOUR PLP GOVERNMENT HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND HAVE NOT INCREASE WATER RATES LIKE THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT OF 97.7%, 33% IN FAMILY ISLANDS AND 15.7% IN NEW PROVIDENCE ON MARCH 1^ST  1999. TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE.

FINALLY FELLOW DELEGATES, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT A BRAND NEW RO PLANT AT BLUE HILLS HERE IN NEW PROVIDENCE IS TO BE OPERATIONAL BY THE END OF JULY.  WHEN OPERATIONAL, THIS FACILITY WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SOME 5.0 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY.  THE WATER AND SEWERAGE CORPORATION IS PROJECTING TO DISCONTINUE THE NOW EXPENSIVE AND UNPREDICTABLE BARGING OF WATER FROM ANDROS IN 2007.

WE HAVE AND ARE DELIVERING ON OUR PROMISE TO IMPROVE THE SUPPLY OF WATER TO ALL COMMUNITIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS.  OUR NEXT FOCUS IN OUR SECOND TERM IS TO TACKLE THE SEWER AND WASTE WATER PROBLEM THROUGHOUT OUR BAHAMALAND.   

MINISTRY OF WORKS & UTILITIES

I NOW WISH TO PROVIDE DELEGATES WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE ROAD PAVING WORKS AND OTHER MAJOR PROJECTS TO BE CARRIED OUT IN NEW PROVIDENCE AND THE FAMILY ISLANDS DURING THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.

FELLOW DELEGATES, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ONGOING FAMILY ISLAND ROAD PAVING PROJECTS.  HOWEVER, THE GOVERNMENT WILL SHORTLY BE AWARDING CONTRACTS FOR SETTLEMENT ROADS IN ELEUTHERA, FROM NORTH TO SOUTH.  AND WE EXPECT TO GO OUT TO BIDS VERY SHORTLY FOR ROADWORKS IN:

·         ABACO

·         ACKLINS

·         ANDROS

·         CROOKED ISLAND

·         LONG CAY

·         LONG ISLAND

·         MAYAGUANA

·         RAGGED ISLAND AND

·         WEST GRAND BAHAMA 

THE GOVERNMENT HAS RECENTLY PURCHASED A NEW ASPHALT PLANT. WHEN OPERATIONAL, THIS WILL CONSIDERABLY ENHANCED THE RE-PAVING OF ROADS HERE IN NEW PROVIDENCE.

FELLOW DELEGATES, FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE TONIQUE WILLIAMS-DARLING HWY BY BAHAMIAN CONTRACTORS, THE PROGRAMME CONTINUES WITH THE EXTENSION FROM THE ROUND-ABOUT AT BALLIOU HILL TO ROBINSON ROAD.  BIDS FOR THE REMAINING CORRIDORS OF THE NEW PROVIDENCE ROADS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME NPRIP ARE EXPECTED SHORTLY FROM BAHAMIANS AND FOREIGN ROAD BUILDING CONTRACTORS.

THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS OF THE BOLD AND PROGRESSIVE NEW SCHOOLS PROGRAM. TENDERS ARE CURRENTLY BEING EVAULATED FOR THE STATE-OF-THE- ART T G GLOVER PRIMARY SCHOOL IN NEW PROVIDENCE.  FURTHER, TENDERS FOR OTHER SCHOOLS IN:

·         NEW PROVIDENCE;

·         GRAND BAHAMA;

·         ANDROS;

·         CAT ISLAND;

·         EXUMA;

·         SAN SALVADOR;

·         ACKLINS; 

·         INAGUA;

·         BIMINI, AND WILL BE INVITED SHORTLY.

THE GOVERNMENT WILL ALSO BE CONSTRUCTING A NUMBER OF OTHER BUILDINGS, AND DOCKS INCLUDING:

·         THE EUGENE DUPUCH LAW SCHOOL LIBRARY 

·         THE STRAW MARKET 

·         THE REGISTRAR GENERAL OFFICE

·         THE GLASS WINDOW CAUSEWAY

·         A DOCK AT FRESH CREEK, ANDROS

·         A DOCK AT RAGGED ISLAND

·         AN AIRPORT TERMINAL AT NEW BIGHT, CAT ISLAND

·         MARSH HARBOUR, ABACO;

·         INAGUA; AND

·         A 300 CELL MAXIMUM SECURITY BLOCK AT HMP

FELLOW DELEGATES, BUILDING STATISTICS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2006 CONTINUE AT A VERY HEALTHY GROWTH RATE. I AGAIN STRONGLY ENCOURAGE BAHAMIANS ENGAGED IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS THAT CAN BE DERIVED FROM THIS INDUSTRY.   CONSTRUCTION IS ON FIRE IN THE BAHAMAS.

BAHAMAS TELECOMMUNICATION LTD

FELLOW DELEGATES, WHEN ONE ASKS WHAT HAS THE GOVERNMENT OF PRIME MINISTER PERRY CHRISTIE DONE WITH BTC SINCE 2002 IN THREE MINUTES? MY ANSWER IS SIMPLE, READ MY LIPS.

SINCE COMING TO POWER WE HAVE REDUCED THE INTERNATIONAL LONG DISTANCE RATES BY UP TO 70% AND HAVE ALREADY REDUCED THE DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE RATES BY UP TO 55%. WE NOW PAY INTEREST ON SECURITY DEPOSITS AT BTC AND BEC FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THESE GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS. MAY I ALSO ADD THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF BEC THE PLP GOVERNMENT REDUCED THE BASIC RATES ON ELECTRICTY ACROSS THE BOARD BETWEEN 10% AND 17% AND IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT MORE REDUCTIONS ARE TO COME.

BTC UNDER THE PLP IS CONNECTING ALL THE MAJOR ISLANDS Of THE BAHAMAS; BIMINI, ABACO, ANDROS, ELEUTHERA, EXUMA, LONG ISLAND, RAGGED ISLAND, INAGUA, MAYAGUANA, SAN SALVADOR, RUM CAY, ACKLINS, CROOKED ISLAND, CAT ISLAND WITH $66 MILLION OF FIBER OPTIC CABLES.

OUR PLP GOVERNMENT HAS INSTALLED CELLULAR SERVICES IN GRAND CAY, MOORSE ISLAND AND HARBOUR ISLAND FOR THE FIRST TIME.

MORE THAN $35 MILLION WAS SPENT TO DEPLOY GSM CELLULAR SERVICES IN NEW PROVIDENCE AND GRAND BAHAMA. AN ADDITIONAL $14 MILLION IS BEING SPENT IN ABACO, $1 MILLION IN BIMINI AND $6 MILLION IN EXUMA. IT IS EXPECTED THAT $30 MILLION MORE WILL BE SPENT TO COMPLETE THE FAMILY ISLANDS.

WHEN THE PLP CAME TO POWER IN 2002 THERE WERE 115,000 CELLULAR SUBSCRIBERS IN THE BAHAMAS. TODAY THERE ARE OVER 119,000 GSM SUBSCRIBERS AND 80,000 TDMA CUSTOMERS. IN ADDITION, BTC LAST YEAR PAID OUT MORE THAN $15 MILLION IN COMMISSIONS TO RESELLERS OF GSM AND TDMA PRPAID CARDS.

BTC WILL EARN $300 MILLION IN REVENUES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS HISTORY. THIS WILL BE DONE UNDER A PLP GOVERNMENT.   

BTC NET PROFIT FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31^ST, 2005 TOTAL $ 34,533,000 COMPARED TO $ 8,340,000 IN 2004.  NOTWITHSTANDING THE MAJOR REVENUE LOSS AS A RESULT OF THE UNWELCOMED VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VOIP).

ALL THIS GREAT NEWS AND OUR DETRACTORS ARE GREEN WITH ENVY. OUR RECORD IS SUPERIOR TO THE REJECTED FNM.

 FELLOW DELEGATES, I SALUTE THE RT HON. PRIME MINISTER FOR HIS OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AND ENERGY IN LEADING THIS WONDERFUL TRANSFORMATION OF OUR BAHAMALAND. MAY ALMIGHTY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS HIM IN A SPECIAL WAY.