Nassau, Bahamas - The following are remarks by Hon. Branville McCartney, MP made on February 16th, 2012:

Good evening my fellow Bahamians;

Good evening BAHAMAS!

It was nine months ago, in this very room, thousands of you were asked to imagine. Bahamians—young and old, poor and middle-class, white and black—gathered in the same spot that you’re sitting, poised to discover if, indeed, a turn had come in our Bahamian history. Personally, that night was a humbling experience and since then you have confirmed that our people, although weighed down by social ills and mental slavery, never lost their resilience. Since that night, you’ve shared with us your hunger and hope for a safer Bahamas, a more competitive Bahamas, a first-world Bahamas, a Bahamas where our children and our children’s children are the sole beneficiaries of your good works.

My colleagues and I are humbled by your support and moreso, that so many of you have confirmed your belief that, together, we can ALL achieve what God intended for this Bahamas.

In these nine months, you have dispelled the notion that people don’t like CHANGE, that The Bahamas is not ready for CHANGE. Our message has swept through New Providence, Grand Bahama and throughout this chain of islands like a mounting tsunami reaching far ahead of the vision and imagination of our present leadership.

Together, like we did in this room nine months ago, we stared hopelessness, tradition and mediocrity in eye and pledged to Redefine the Possible. Nine months later, we have ignored the chants of “dead on arrival” to gallop triumphantly past the tombstone of failure toward what is destined to be the most historic elections since our forefathers’ victory in 1967.

Looking at you tonight, we, the 38 candidates, are taken aback that you’ve given us this rare opportunity to be your humble servants. You are witnesses of what Bahamians can accomplish, banned together by one cause. We are one people with one dream—REAL CHANGE FOR ONE BAHAMAS!

To the visionless, who said that a third party could not exist in The Bahamas, let alone be a challenger for Government of The Bahamas, because others have tried and failed, we say just because something has never been done before does not make it impossible. In essence, they were saying that we were stuck with the shortsighted leadership, stuck with only two options—we are stuck in the mud, spinning wheels, going nowhere, fast.

In proving the pundits wrong, you, the Bahamian people have fueled a movement. From 10 to now 38 candidates, the DNA and The Bahamas have walked away from seeing things, as though they are and asking why, to seeing things as they could be and asking why not.

For almost two decades now, you have been bent, pulled down by the daunting pressures and the heavy load of economic deprivation and empty promises; but again, I applaud you, Bahamas, for showing what the resolve of the Bahamian spirit is all about, and that although you bend, you will not break. A DNA-government will not allow you to break either. Your change will come and your future has begun.

Fellow countryman, Dr. Myles Munroe says that vision is more important than governments and that the purpose of a government is to lead its people to the fulfillment of the national vision. From its inception, the DNA movement has been guided by a vision of a people esteemed as the most precious resource—above all natural and material resource—and the nurturing of our intellectual and creative brilliance will help us become a genuinely democratic, economically prosperous and socially mobile 21st Century nation.

Despite the lasting contributions of Sir Randol Fawkes, Arthur Hanna, Sir Clifford Darling, Sir Lynden Pindling and others; we have fallen short of their vision and it is up to us to make the mark. No government can fulfill this nation’s potential. It takes the unified will of the people to truly propel us forward, upward and onward.

In 1972, Sir Lynden wrote to those who questioned whether he could lead an independent Bahamas and said: “It is true that in 1968, I was told, ‘not now, in another three to five years.’ In 1970, I was told, ‘not now… another two to three years,’ (but) this was just another way of putting off things into the neverary.” Sir Lynden came to the conclusion that “not only were the enemies of the people never ready to accept change that benefitted the masses, but they always claimed that if change came, the people would starve. They would eat grass and the tourists would stop coming… today, they say Independence will mean starvation.”  END QUOTE

Today, I proclaim before you sitting here tonight and those of you listening and watching history repeat itself before you, that my people will not starve. Bahamians, whose ancestors redefined what was possible so that we would not resort to eating grass, will not rely on tourism alone to sustain this economy, but rather on the God-given potential in Bahamian people and our Bahamaland. We will NOT starve. We will NOT starve! WE WILL NOT!

Immediately after taking the oath of office as Premier of the Bahamas in 1967, Sir Lynden wrote, “I have a serious word for the hundreds of thousands of friends . . . [and] that word is: have faith in us.”

My fellow Bahamians, I say to you the same: Have faith in the DNA leadership. Have faith that we will honor the sovereignty of this nation and place Bahamian democracy in the highest regard and, in doing so, will not allow any group—both local and domestic, no person—both local and domestic, no foreigner—living here or visiting these shores, to disrespect the sovereignty of The Bahamas, its democracy or its people. Pride is the constant thread that link us all; no one and nothing can break that patriotic bond to preserve what is Bahamian. Have faith that a DNA government, while welcoming of people from all cultures and nationalities, recognizes that the right to be Bahamian is a genuine submergence in our culture, history and our laws. Have faith that as your Prime Minister, I will not enter another country and disrespect its democracy, disrespect a people of another citizenship and interfere with another country’s politics. I will not, as your ambassador, insult your intelligence by allowing another head of state and any visitor to spit on your right to willfully vote for whomever you so well choose. I will not commit the selfish act of putting my interests above that of my people, the progression of my nation. That’s treason—something that I could never do. I will, however, be an ambassador you can be proud of on the national and international stage. My fellow Bahamians, you can have faith that I will never disrespect the democracy that Sir Clifford Darling, Arthur Hanna and Randol Fawkes fought for. I will not ignore the equality that Sir Lynden Pindling stood up for some 44 years ago. I will not do that to you; you can have faith in that.

Have faith that a DNA-government will find new and creative ways to generate revenue to match the growing diverse needs of our people. So, while we complete the projects that will be inevitably left behind by previous governments, a DNA-government will focus more on production, design, technology, manufacturing and inventive industries driven primarily by exported goods and services provided by local businesses.

Within the first year of office, a DNA-government will create sustainable opportunities for Bahamian small to mid-size enterprises, particularly those in the agriculture, fisheries, alternative and renewable energy, and manufacturing and assembly industries.

Under a DNA-government, Bahamians can anticipate a transformation from consumerism, particularly after an expansion and conversion of the College of The Bahamas and the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute on Andros and Grand Bahama with student housing, job creation and population migration within the first and second term. Through public and private partnerships, the DNA will invest in the development of flagship schools for Film and Creative Arts, and Science and Technology in Grand Bahama, Marine and Agricultural Science in Andros, and schools of Business, Medicine, and Government and Political Science in the capital. Doing this not only trains a workforce that builds this economy (as oppose to another country’s), but also attracts foreign students, who, alone, will add millions of dollars into The Bahamas economy.

For the investor and locals alike, it is said that it does not matter who is in power as long as the cost of doing business is cheap and the environment is safe. On average, The Bahamas spends over 1.5 billion dollars a year on oil imports; this amounts to approximately 10-11% of GDP. To lower the cost of doing business in the Bahamas, we will immediately move to put in place measures proposed by the National Energy Policy Committee to cut our dependency on oil and “encourage private sector businesses to develop projects to produce electricity using renewable [energy] sources for possible exploitation by BEC and home consumers,” while simultaneously establishing a more cost effective traffic management and public transport system, that can in the short term, “reduce average commute times in New Providence by 20%, increase public transportation ridership by 10-20%, and employ energy efficient lighting systems.”

Have faith in the DNA’s plan for Family Island development and effective local government agencies in place to assist in this process of development, as the DNA will move systematically to begin investing in substantive infrastructural development and job creation initiatives on the Family Islands with the aim of encouraging and making it attractive for family island residents to remain on their respective islands to assist with their island’s development. It will, at the same time, make it feasible for other family islands residents who have moved to New Providence in search of job opportunities to return to their native islands. This gradual population shift and decentralization of the population from New Providence back to the islands will not only go a long way in family island redevelopment, but it will also play a significant role in alleviating the stresses and social chaos that come along with overpopulation. Along with job creation, this move will have a drastic impact on incidents of crime in our society.

The DNA plans to reduce the crime rate in New Providence by simply adequately equipping and having law enforcement officials carrying out— without political interference—the laws that presently exist, while reviewing and amending laws that may be deemed to be outdated and archaic. Have faith in us that we—unlike the present leadership—have the political will and fortitude to begin stabilizing this out of control crime problem.

The DNA is a reflection of the diverse groups that make up The Bahamas, including the working class. We recognize, therefore, that while judiciary laws are not being upheld, so are the country’s labour rights. Foreign employers, who feel entitled in their treatment of Bahamian workers, usually mimic the continued disrespect shown to the Bahamian worker by their government.

Not only because within the DNA there are unionists and those who uphold labor laws as employers, but have faith that a DNA-government will take a very hands-on approach to our workers welfare. No longer will we ask the workers of this nation to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, unless we first give them boots—WITH STRAPS. For far too long, they have struggled to prove themselves as upwardly mobile, hardworking and obedient individuals without getting or having the necessary support systems in place to assist them.

The time has come when workers of this country and the leaders who are elected to represent their interests will be seen as partners with the government and not as adversaries to Government. The DNA Government will come to power looking to foster an environment where the “individual and corporate productivity are equal with self-worth and where the love of work is esteemed as a national obligation.” Therefore, the Party will, among other things, ensure that the worker’s interests out-weighs politics. Have faith that within the first 60 days in office, your DNA government begin to honor the tripartite Agreement that other governments have failed to honor, we will work to include unions organizations in the training and/or orientation of Public Service employees, facilitate the delivery of training and upgrading for workers at the College of the Bahamas, BTVI and the Labor College, appoint promotions boards with union representation to consider promotion for workers in their bargaining units and invite leaders of unions to have observer status at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings and other international meetings where the decisions and outcomes impact workers' rights. It is time to pay some respect to the workers of this nation for their valuable contribution to national development and to the development of the dreams of all who come to our shores and use their labor for profit and gain. It’s high time you reap the fruits of your labor; you have toiled long enough. If no one else will give you that respect, workers of this nation, have faith that the DNA will.  But, know that CHANGE MUST COME. And that real change can only come with you and the DNA – this new generation of Bahamians and the party of YOUR generation.

In the days to come, it is going to be very important that you take charge of your future and don’t give up; become the captain of your fate and don’t give in.

Now, is certainly not the time to huddle around the shadows of our homes, around the water cooler, on the lines of radio talk shows—our comfort zones—to complain and point fingers to who should be blamed and ashamed for the current state of our beloved Bahamaland. Truth be told, we’re all to blame. We all carry an equal load for how we allow this ship to be steered.

We have been divided by mere colors; we’ve been brainwashed to believe that, because of political ties, we can not work together to move this nation forward, that somehow one group is smarter than the other, that somehow we can not co-exist. Truly, you don’t believe that? It’s not too late to shake off that force of complacency that has brought us oppression, insensitivity, ignorance, bitterness and false impression that you don’t deserve better, and so, you should not receive better. The Bahamas is ripe with leaders, waiting for a horn to sound to arise from the ashes of doubt with a fearless desire to bring better, brighter days to one of the greatest nations of the world.

I see you, anxiously awaiting a summons to join the masses of rowdy Bahamians that will once again march on Parliament only to accomplish a few headlines in the morning paper. Today, more than ever before, Bahamians, we must be willing, without any reservation, to stand up, even if there is no surety that others will stand with you, and steer The Bahamas away from treacherous waters to solid ground. Today, not tomorrow, is time that we pick up from where our forefathers left off and fight for a country where our children are truly the beneficiaries of our labor. Tomorrow is indeed, too late. If we are not willing to resurrect the 1967 vision of The Bahamas today, then we should prepare to live aimlessly forever. If we do not see the urgency to steer the ship toward the lighthouse we will run aground. If Bahamians are too scared to fight for our birthright, then rest assured, someone else will. If you refuse to uphold our democracy, then you have denounced your Bahamian citizenship.

But, if you are ready to fight for your rightful part in these elections, if you are willing to put away party ties and uphold the bond that ties us all, if you have committed to place politics beneath people and, seeing none, you vow to stand anyway, don’t worry about standing alone, as I and 37 others are committed to standing with you, from this day forward.

There is no doubt that we have the power to steer this ship; our adversaries and their unsuccessful tactics validate that we do. Every day since May 12, nine months ago, you have validated that the Bahamian people have the power to shift its alliance from one Party in favor of another. You have the power to make life easier for your little boy, your little girl, all children of The Bahamas and their children to come. You have the power to restore faith in your leadership. You have the power to realign our nation the way God destined it. You, and only you, have the power on who wins and looses; who will rise and who falls. You have the final say on Election Day. You will remind The Bahamas, this region and soon the world, that the power of the people is greater than the people in power.

Stand to your feet Bahamians. Join with me. No, we do not look like grasshoppers in the eyes of the giants. Our God said, He will fight with us. Tonight, WE, are one vote away from possessing the Promise Land. One vote away from Bahamian ownership! One vote away from ending the scourge of government corruption. One vote away from not being second-class citizens. I say ring the bell, ring it loudly, bring it on we are ready, the DNA is ready the Bahamas is ready we are taking this country back. The time has come for Bahamians to stand up! Rise up mighty people stand for what is rightfully yours shake loose the bonds of mediocrity and fear it’s a brand new day, a brand new Bahamas. Your FUTURE, your children’s FUTURE is here. It has began. It has been redefined and revealed in front of you today. Your future has began, Bahamas. Your future began TODAY. DNA! DNA! DNA!

May God Continue to Bless Each & every one of you. God Bless The Bahamas!