Leaders within the Free National Movement pledged a firm commitment to the advancement of women should the party be re-elected to office, while slamming the present administration for its “many failures”, during the Grand Bahama FNM Women’s Association Conference in Freeport Friday night.
Editor’s Note: It is significant to note that despite all the talk, the entire time the FNM has been in opposition they have done absolutely nothing to address the outrageous discrimination against women that exists in the Bahamas flawed constitution. The FNM should not even be considered for re-election until the Bahamian public sees aggressive action towards that goal.
The event, pegged as a crucial party conference leading into its national convention in November, was marked by a focus on economic and social challenges on Grand Bahama, and was coloured by sporadic cheers of support for former Prime Minister and former party leader, Hubert Ingraham, who was in attendance at the event.
The conference was held at the Hilton Outten Convention Centre.
In his keynote address, party leader, Senator Tommy Turnquest, said the next FNM government would expand possibilities for women to enjoy a better standard of living.
“We will expand support programmes and counseling services for victims of domestic violence and sex crimes. We will support additional community and day care facilities for young children, as well as special care facilities for the elderly,” he said.
Mr. Turnquest said the FNM would expand flexi hours in the public sector and encourage the introduction of flexi hours in the private sector to meet the needs of working parents who have school-aged children.
During last month’s Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Minister of Social Services Melanie Griffin said too many Bahamian women are bring affected by poverty and violence and pointed to the need to focus on leveling the playing field for women.
FNM conference speakers indicated that the playing field on Grand Bahama has become less stable due to unemployment and limited job opportunities.
According to last year’s labour force survey, 12,000 women made up Grand Bahama’s workforce of 26,000 people, and were among the 2,400 people jobless.
The island’s unemployment prior to last year’s storms was set at 9.3 percent.
Immediately after last year’s hurricanes, some 4,000 people were left jobless in the island’s tourism sector, many of whom were said to be single mothers. Hundreds of those were employees of the Royal Oasis Resort.
GB Association President Kay Smith, who said Grand Bahamians are extremely disappointed in the performance of the PLP administration, highlighted the present state of local women she says have been hit hard by the island’s current economic climate.
“Many of them are unemployed,” she pointed out. “Many are single parents. I speak to women in business who tell me they would love to be able to provide employment for women and their spouses, but [say] the economy of Grand Bahama simply is not growing much.
Local analysts and businesspersons, who insist the island’s economy is in need of significant capital investments, have also pointed to the slowdown of economic growth on the island they say was further exacerbated by last year’s storms.
Neko Grant, MP for Lucaya, during his address, pointed to the numerous mega-projects announced as being on tap by the government, but have been flanked by reports of collapsed talks over the past few weeks.
“The billions of dollars of investments announced by the PLP for Grand Bahama are yet to materialize,” he told supporters. “No matter how they try to spin the truth, the major [Ginn] investment for West End is in jeopardy because of the government’s lack of responsiveness.”
Among the projects Grand Bahama Port Authority officials were banking on was the Tractebel (now Suez Energy) Company’s proposed liquefied natural gas project for Freeport.
According to reports, the viability of the multimillion-dollar Marriott time-share project for East Freeport might also be in jeopardy if talks with Ginn fall through, as Ginn had also planned to construct a development in East Freeport as well which would have brought activity to the area.
Touching on the island’s economic constraints and what she said is linked to surging serious crime rates on the island, Senator and FNM Shadow Minister for National Security, Tanya McCartney, blasted the government for its performance in both areas.
“Poverty and all that goes along with it breeds criminal conduct,” she noted. “It’s time to deal with the spiraling unemployment in Grand Bahama and The Bahamas overall.”
At the mid-point of 2005, Grand Bahama is one homicide short of matching the murder count of 10 for 2004.
Of the nine murder victims this year, one was a female, whom police said was killed in a domestic dispute with her husband who was later arrested and charged before the courts for the killing.
By: Sharon Williams, The Bahama Journal
