The Tribune

An open letter from the FNM government after its first full year in office.

As 2018 comes to an end, the Free National Movement extends its gratitude to the Bahamian people who entrusted us to lead our country towards a stronger future full of opportunity for all. And, with 2018 serving as our first full year leading our government we are equally grateful for the tremendous progress we have made together as a united country.

Others are recognising the positive progress we are making with international credit agencies; giving our reforms and policies encouraging signs by maintaining stable and positive outlooks. We also sought to finally begin making meaningful steps to pay off debt while implementing stronger accounting practices to ensure that no government can ever hide spending from the Bahamian people again.We worked to start rejuvenating the Over-the-Hill community and we have seen a massive effort to clean up those affected communities. We are also working to ensure that both home owners and business owners have access to the needed permits, resources and finances to build and strengthen their local economies.

We have rebranded The Bahamas internationally, showing travellers and investors alike that we are a prime destination for recreation and business development. Record breaking tourist arrivals are the results of these ongoing efforts and just as encouraging, we saw double digit increases in visitors coming from countries other than the United States, ensuring that our tourism market is not just based off of one country’s economy.

While we focused on rebuilding the tourism sector, after five years of neglect, we also worked to diversify our economy by hosting our second annual tech summit in Grand Bahama. These summits have led to an increase in direct investment and the creation of higher paying jobs that bring with them long term job security.

Since coming to office in May 2017, we have worked day in and day out to deliver on our promises to make The Bahamas a better place for all Bahamians. With a solid foundation to build on, we look forward to 2019 knowing more prosperity and opportunities lies ahead. Our goal remains to continue this progress for the country to ensure we are moving in the right direction next year as we continue serving you, the people.