Elizabeth, we were
advised that tonight’s rally is to focus on the youth. They said, “Be youthful
Ryan!” I laughed to my 35 year old self and wondered if I could be anything
else.
Yes Elizabeth, I am a
post Independence Bahamian, born after 1973, and when elected, I will be one of
just two such Bahamians sitting in the House of Assembly. And, as young Member
of Parliament, sitting at the table where decisions are made about the
direction of our Country, you can be assured that I will be your voice – always
mindful of programs and policies designed to ensure that my generation plays a
meaningful role in the rewards and responsibilities of an expanding Bahamas.
Elizabeth, as you
know our youth are the most important asset to our nation.You are the Bedrock of our future and our
light for tomorrow. I have therefore made it my mission to make us the most
important aspect of my campaign. After all the future of this Nation rests in
our hands. But that future is becoming dimmer for us each day. With a rising
murder count in New Providence,
unemployment soaring and in areas such as Elizabeth, many of
these young men and women are becoming disillusioned with the Dream of a Better
Bahamas. I speak to them every day on
the streets of this great constituency and they tell me all of the time. “Ryan
we need jobs, Ryan we need opportunities.”
Well I intend to make this happen
as your next Member of Parliament for Elizabeth.
Since the
FNM has come to power they have reversed so many of the positive youth projects
that were in place. The FNM cut the budget for programs to rehabilitate our
troubled youth in the National Youth Service program established in Andros. This
program has already been having a positive impact. What is more important than
ensuring that our young people get all the help they need to make it to
productive adulthood?
This is one
of the clear philosophical differences between the PLP and FNM. We care about
people, not just in word but we put practical spending where our mouth is. It
was the same with the programs geared toward our youth in the Urban Renewal
Program. Through the marching bands, some children who had never been beyond
the borders of their constituency, were able to travel to the United
States to perform with the band. Children
who joined these bands were also showing improvement in their behavior and
academic performance.
But along
came the FNM, which doesn’t grasp that this Nation’s greatest asset is our
people – and our young people in particular. This is the MISTRUST the youth have had to bear since 2007, This is the
broken trust that they are trying to sell to you again in Elizabeth.
Then there
is the issue of refusing police presence within our schools. Even though
violence in our schools continues to rage on, the FNM has refused to allow our
law enforcement to monitor the volatile situation with our children on school
premises. Teachers have complained that they are not safe, students complain of
the same things. Week after week, month after month we hear of the many reports
of fights and the use of dangerous weapons in our public schools. The stories
are told over and over of how the police have to wait outside of the school
premises at 3pm just to make sure order is maintained. This does not deserve the trust of our youth! And I have news for them, this will not get
the TRUST of Elizabeth youth in this Election.
Elizabeth is TRYIN RYAN this time.
Young
people of Elizabeth you deserve better and as your Member of Parliament I will
fight to ensure that you receive better. On a constituency level, I will
provide a skills bank to assess where your gifts and talents are and we will
put that information to good use and do our best to place you in good jobs. As
our economy rebounds I want the youth of this Nation to be properly trained and
gain the necessary exposure and experience in order to play your role and own
your destiny.
I have
already had volunteers from professionals in our own good constituency of
Elizabeth to assist our youth with developing small business plans that they
can, in partnership with others in the community, begin to grow so as to
support themselves and their families. Because as all economists would tell
you, strong economies and strong nations are built off of successful small
business communities. This will be especially beneficial to the young men who
have landscaping, computer, mechanical, electrical, carpentry, masonry and other
construction skills.
Young people of Elizabeth, I will help guide you down
the path of economic opportunity and empowerment.
But you
must demonstrate, young people of Elizabeth, your own commitment to personal
excellence and discipline by agreeing to maximize your talents and pursue
necessary training. The world out there is large indeed but it has become a
global village. You must be ready and willing to compete with the best. For
example, in this new World, you must know how to use a computers.
You can
expect then that your new representative for Elizabeth, me, Ryan Pinder, will
have literacy and computer programs available throughout the Elizabeth
constituency. If you want to improve your reading skills, you will have the
opportunity. If you need access to a computer, a place will be provided for
you. This is in keeping with pledge to give a hand up.
I also
propose a re-evaluation of our current educational system to teach more
Bahamian related topics and to begin from early primary school years to prepare
our students mentally to fit into a discipline of work. We need more schools.
And in Elizabeth we definitely need more after-school programs to build on this
educational foundation. I will make an effort for more churches to be involved
in the process of facilitating our youth in activities in Elizabeth because it
is still true that if you “Train up a
child when he or she is young…. They will not depart from those moral
principles taught.” As your representative I promise to ensure that these
programs are implemented and that there are enriching programs to stimulate the
minds of our young boys and girls and prepare them for their future.
On a
National level, I will push hard for the much-needed University of The Bahamas,
and until then an expanded COB so that more of our young people can be trained
in their discipline of choice, at home. It was the PLP which initiated the
drive to University Status for the College of The Bahamas, but the FNM brought
it to a stop. But I will fight in parliament for our Nation’s first university.
Young
people of Elizabeth many of you are in COB and wish that you could go on to a
Bachelors or Masters in your studies. Well I pledge to fight for you to make
that happen. You can tell the FNM that you are Trying Ryan because your future depends on it.
Elizabeth,
do not be dismayed by those in our Country who lack the vision to see the
dormant potential for economic expansion in our Bahamas. There are the skeptics
on the other side who insist that all you need is for the tourism industry to
rebound so that you can find a job. Well I say that there are several areas in
our Country that can lead to entrepreneurial success for those who are willing
to take charge of their destiny. Three examples of such areas which can bring massive
revenue to The Bahamas are agriculture, light industry which includes
alternative energy opportunities, and the harnessing of the resources of the
sea.
Proper and
modern agriculture development will not only allow Bahamians to feed
themselves, but can be a thriving export industry. Through technologies such as hydroponics and
organic farming, economic opportunities in agriculture can be great for
aspiring young Bahamians. Likewise,
programs that encourage and promote light manufacturing will not only provide
job opportunities and business opportunities to Bahamians in a new industry, it
will insulate the economy from the dramatic effect we now experience in a
severe downturn in tourism. The Bahamas
has had and currently still has a significant fishing industry, however, by
utilizing new technologies and methods such as fish farming we can provide
significant additional opportunities to you.
After being
elected as your new Member of Parliament come the 16th of February,
I will move speedily to establish the Elizabeth Constituency Association, as
well as the jobs skills bank and training initiative to help direct you on your
new path to prosperity.
Peace, Love
and Prosperity, young people of Elizabeth – this is the hope which Ryan Pinder
brings for you and to you. Fight with me, fight for us to own more of the
economic pie in our Country, fight for us not to be forgotten as our Country
rebounds. It’s a fight for jobs for the jobless, safety in our homes and our
streets. It’s a fight against all of those opinions which suggest that we
cannot rise to the occasion and bring the level of leadership this Country
needs to move to the next level of full nationhood.
With me as
your representative, Elizabeth, your children will have the opportunity to dream
big and fulfill those dreams. I will make sure our youth are busy and that they
are equipped with the tools to make a successful future for themselves.
It is clear
that the government’s economic plans and programs have failed. My experience as an advisor to small
businesses, my education on economic matters, and growing up in a family of
successful business persons puts me in a position to provide meaningful,
visionary and progressive advice that will put the Bahamas on firm economic
footing. Dr. Sands is a great doctor,
but I raise the question if he has the expertise and experience to chart a path
to economic success and stability for the Bahamas. Elizabeth should try my Plans and Programs,
the Bahamas should try my Plans and Programs.
Planted and cultivated, they will produce for fruits of Peace, Love and
Prosperity abundantly, which God knows we need so desperately in the Bahamas
today.
This is the 21st Century vision I am going
to bring to the Halls of Parliament for the youth of this constituency. They
will know that not even the sky is the limit. They will know that with Ryan
Pinder as your representative and a PLP government WE WILL GOVERN THIS COUNTRY
in a way that is in the best interest of ALL BAHAMIANS. That is my promise to you Elizabeth and that
is my promise to all Bahamians.
So, on February 16, vote Ryan Pinder for Elizabeth,
the right man, in the right place, at the right time.
