2009 Speeches
Remarks by Ambassador Ned L. Siegel at the Farewell Reception hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
British Colonial Hilton Hotel
January 14, 2009
Your Excellency Arthur Dion Hanna, Governor General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas; The Honorable T. Brent Symonette, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Honorable Cabinet Ministers, Your Lordship, The Honorable Sir Burton Hall, Chief Justice; The Right Honorable Perry G. Christie, Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition; Senator The Honorable Lynn Holowesko, President of the Senate; The Honorable Alvin Smith, Speaker of the House of Assembly;
Your Excellency the Dean; and Heads of Diplomatic Missions; Representatives of International Organizations; Honorable Senators; Members of Parliament; Mrs. Anita Bernard, Madam Secretary to the Cabinet; Commissioner Reginald Ferguson, Royal Bahamas Police Force; Commodore Clifford Scavella, Commander, Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Permanent Secretaries, Dean and Members of the Honorary Consular Corps; Staff of the United States Embassy, Distinguished Guests, Members of the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good evening.
It is an honor for my wife, Stephanie, and I to be with you here tonight as we bid farewell to you and all of our friends in the government and among the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. We’ve had a lot of memorable times and made a lot of great friends in this country. We are pleased to see so many of you here with us tonight.
This was a very special job and a very special time. As the President’s representative in Nassau, I have worked to deepen the friendship and cooperation between our two countries and strengthen our bilateral relations based on our common values and beliefs. Through our joint efforts, and in spite of the global economic downturn which has affected us all, the United States and The Bahamas have accomplished many mutual goals in:
· combating international crime, drugs and illegal migrants;
· preventing and responding to terrorism;
· fostering economic growth and development;
· facilitating travel between our countries;
· and ensuring the security of both of our countries’ borders.
I am certain that this good work will continue after I am gone. Yet as Ambassador, I always wanted to go beyond the bread-and-butter, security and law enforcement cooperation at which we’ve excelled for decades. I wanted to do everything I needed to do as Ambassador, and then some.
As you know, I spent my career building things and bringing people together. In The Bahamas, I have tried to build bridges not only on the government-to-government level, but also on the people-to-people level. I feel that my wife Stephanie and I have accomplished a lot in our time here in Embassy Nassau, especially through our work in the education and health fields. Yet all of our efforts were just the beginning in realizing a vision of a better future.
Now it is up to others in the Embassy – and up to you in the Bahamian government – to keep that good work going, not for another year or two, but for another ten years. In a few years time, I hope to see Downtown Nassau revitalized at its core and once again a “must-see” destination in the Caribbean – including a new, state-of-the-art U.S. Embassy.
Achieving that vision of a “new Embassy compound” means working closely with our Bahamian hosts and partners to turn our ambitious blueprints into a reality on the ground.
In the future, just like today, I hope to see millions of Americans and Bahamians traveling back and forth through the modernized airport and cruise ship terminals in maximum security, safety, and comfort. Achieving that vision means continuing the ongoing efforts to improve airport security, to sustain the successes we have achieved, and to adhere to the highest standards.
I hope to see the flow of dangerous, illicit drugs to our children continually reduced – if not eliminated, – through our determined efforts in OPBAT. Achieving that vision means continuing our close law enforcement cooperation and assistance, and finding ways to improve our capabilities at the forward base at Great Inagua.
We look to you, our Bahamian partners, to provide that blueprint for the future. I hope to see new, secure sources of alternative energy come on-stream, and Bahamian and American businesses thriving and expanding as a result.
My wife and I would particularly like to come back in 10 or 15 years time and see the Woodcock Primary students taking up positions as leaders in Bahamian society, as they surely have the potential to do.
We would also like to see The Bahamas at the forefront of finding a cure for breast cancer, and bringing an end to this dreaded disease. I feel that we’ve gotten the ball rolling in a lot of ways. Whether it was facilitating downtown redevelopment efforts, promoting renewable energy options, or continuing the fight against breast cancer, we only succeeded by working together with you.
It was the Ministry of Education that took our Woodcock School weekly reading effort and turned it into a nationwide literacy and mentoring program. The Ministry of Health worked with us, and so many U.S. and Bahamian partners, to establish and advance the Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative, where we’ve already made historic progress. These are the kinds of public-private partnerships that can help to bring lasting change to this country.
In everything we have done, we found willing and able partners here in The Bahamas, and in the Bahamian people. The work that we accomplished was just the beginning, and it must continue after we’re gone.
Ladies and gentlemen, I feel deeply privileged to have represented the United States here in the Bahamas. I want to thank the people and the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas for their contributions to our bilateral relationship in all the areas I have mentioned.
On a personal note, my wife, Stephanie, and I are grateful for the warm welcomes and support that we have received from so many Bahamians we have met since we arrived. We have enjoyed our time here immensely, and we will never forget you.
We are delighted to be able to share in your Bahamian warmth and hospitality once again this evening.
Thank you.