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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
 Salutations:
Protocol having been established Ii would like to start by saying WELCOME to all of you here present, to our audience watching and listening via live stream, to my wonderful husband and family and finally to the GREAT PEOPLE OF THE ELIZABETH CONSTITUTENCY!!! DNAs!!!!! GOOD EVENING!
IN a poem entitled the power of family, a young poet by the name of Antony Smith writes: Family is the strongest team, the strongest unit, if love could be visualized, family would be the blueprint. We the people of this great chain of islands are family. Linked together by familial bonds, a feeling of community, a shared faith and a shared love for our beautiful country.
As a young girl growing up on Dumping Ground Corner, in the small community of Bain town, it those elements that gave me a special appreciation for the things that make our country great. Namely: The idea that we are all our brother’s keeper. That idea which was planted in me by own family was nurtured by others around me, and is the reason that I eventually began my foray into social work. THAT IS THE POWER OF FAMILY!
Ladies and Gentlemen, the core values which were once the very foundation of our country’s moral fabric have been eroded. Gone are the days where we as a people lived, worked, prayed and played together. Times have changed indeed. As a result, we are now reaping the results of that: High Crime, High Poverty and a lack of jobs opportunity particularly for young people.
As a social worker, I have witnessed first-hand the challenges facing young people, single parents, and the elderly. Sadly, the systems created to protect and care for these vulnerable groups have failed to provide the kind of real support and a hand up for struggling Bahamians. As economic conditions have worsened, so has the response of such the agencies tasked with helping Bahamians. Rather than giving our people the tools to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, social intervention programs in this country have themselves become handicapped by a lack of skilled personnel, the mismanagement of critical resources and in some cases a lack of those resources altogether. As a result, Bahamians in need of real assistance are left to suffer. Despite those challenges however we have the power to act, and act NOW to save our family!
The Democratic National Alliance proposes the kind of social intervention program which caters to the needs of ALL Bahamians, setting a specific and internationally respected standard of operation while taking into consideration the individual circumstances of each individual case. In order for this to happen however, there must be a clear and concise data collected to determine who are availing themselves of social services assistance and why. The availability of such information will only maximize the effectiveness of the department by ensuring that areas of specific concern – for example child care – are given the necessary attention and resource commitment. As a DNA government we will work to address salary and benefit concerns for social workers with a view to attracting the best and brightest minds to the field, outfitting the local department with men and women who are experts in the planning management and execution of social intervention programs.
Also at the core of the DNA’s plans for true social intervention are initiatives which will first address administration shortfalls which have allowed for fraud and other abuses. In real terms, this means the use of technology for more effective information management by which we are able to add weight to the things that social services clients value most; heightened collaboration with other public service agencies and proper oversight of benefit payouts to ensure that precious resources are being properly managed and actually received by those who need it most. This includes mechanisms to terminate and prosecute individuals found to have misused or misappropriated such resources.
Even more important than simply meeting the growing demands of the less fortunate however, is changing the environment to ensure that each individual or family is able to empower themselves and reduce their dependency of social intervention programs. As part of the DNA’s plans for social services recipients of social services benefits will be required to enroll in training and empowerment courses designed to help them set and meet goals regarding education, employment and family life. Not only does this approach hold beneficiaries partially responsible and accountable for their own development as opposed to making them recipients of weekly or daily handouts but also makes room a well-articulated vision of the end result for all involved.
As I end tonight, I again want to remind you of the words of the poem the power of family. Family is the strongest team, the strongest unit, if love could be visualized, family would be the blueprint. Ladies and Gentlemen, the DNA is your family. We are the strongest unit, bound together by a love of country and for our fellow man. Those bonds not only make us FAMILY, IT MAKES US POWERFUL BEYOND MEASURE! AND COME 2017 THIS FAMILY OF OUR MUST STICK TOGETHER, FOR THE SAKE OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN WE MUST BE SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE AND ONE MESSAGE AND THAT MESSAGE IS GREEN IN 17! GOD BLESS YOU AND GOD BLESS THE FAMILY OF THE BAHAMAS!
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