2009 Speeches
Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce Installation Banquet
Remarks by Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Timothy Zuniga-Brown
Freeport, Grand Bahama
February 7, 2009
The Honorable Zhivargo Laing, Minister of State for Finance, Senator, the Honorable Katherine Forbes-Smith, Chamber of Commerce President Mr. Gregory Moss, First Vice President Mr. Greg Langstaff, Executive Director Mercynth Ferguson, Ladies and gentlemen.
Good evening and thank you for inviting me here tonight. It is truly a pleasure to be in Grand Bahama. This is my first trip to Freeport and I spent the earlier part of the day getting see some of your city. I promise I will be back often and I am already looking forward to my next trip north.
I would like take a moment to recognize the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce and thank you for hosting this banquet. You will not be surprised when I say that the United States firmly believes that private enterprise, free trade and commerce are fundamental elements that lay at the heart of all strong and prosperous nations.
As captains of industry and stewards of commerce in Grand Bahama, your leadership and your efforts to create a vibrant commercial environment makes you the heart of your community. I want to recognize this and applaud all of you for all that you do. Now, to be sure, we are in a time of uncertainty and change. The economic skies across the globe are dark and troubled. This is undoubtedly a time that requires leadership, and this is certainly a time that requires leaders with vision. With that in mind, I turn to President Obama who, in his inaugural address, said:
"Now is the time to act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids, and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil, to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do."
As a newcomer to your beautiful islands, It is a pleasure for me to reiterate what all of you already know: Our two countries have long been united not just by geographic proximity and the richness of what, in many ways, is essentially a shared common history but, more importantly, our two peoples are united by our shared and strongly held beliefs, common values and aspirations; by the pleasures of old friendships and the firm bonds of family.
So it is not perhaps really all that surprising that in these times that call for exceptional leadership and vision, we are finding true leaders. And they are hard at work swiftly bringing into force the mechanisms which will allow them to implement their vision for restoring a sound foundation to our economies, respite to those affected by these hard times, and hope and confidence to those in need of it.
Each day, we read about the common challenges that the United States and The Bahamas, and in fact, the world, face together. Mills never maintained that the invisible hand was the sole actor in an economy and the old wisdom is once again being relearned that both the markets and government need to work in concert for the benefit of all.
Clearly government functions very differently from the private sector. Both have their place. But in the end, the goal of both government and the private sector is the same: prosperity. It is time for both sectors to step up and work together to meet the challenges ahead.
No doubt your chamber of commerce members here fully recognize this. Whether you are bringing to market the next great innovative product or service, or you are encouraging your national government to adopt policies that will make this country more competitive, and more secure, your shared goal is prosperity.
In our increasingly globalized world, private companies are major economic actors who play a significant role in areas like poverty alleviation, climate change, trade liberalization, and supporting good governance. Indeed, without the involvement of the private sector
it would be difficult to see progress on many of these fronts.
Since my arrival six months ago, I have been duly impressed by the close and productive partnership between the United States and The Bahamas. Over the years we have consistently worked together to implement positive programs and initiatives, ranging from border security to education and breast cancer awareness. It is the closeness of our ties that have enabled us to successfully achieve our mutual goals, the reward of which is a better world for our children and our childrens children.
I have been pleased to see that our two countries share a deep and abiding commitment to the virtues of democracy, respect for the rule of law, and a desire to build a prosperous, stable, and secure future for our peoples. These virtues are as natural to us a breathing. But they are not yet fully shared even by some of our near neighbors. To them, these virtues are seen as mortal dangers. To them, our virtues are seen as truly revolutionary threats.
So we must engage them in order to allay their fears. We must show them that democracy and the democratic structures that comprise the civil society that underpins democracy is not a threat they need fear. They must be shown that to embrace these virtues will liberate their peoples, unleash the potential of their populations and lead them to prosperity.
Bilaterally, the proximity of our two countries creates an imperative to foster new trade and investment between us. We need to do this to continue building prosperity for both our countries a goal that you as business leaders fully understand and support.
President Obama and Prime Minister Ingraham both recently announced economic plans for our two countries that hold many similarities. The Presidents plans will jump-start our economy and will on critical areas such as alternative energy, education. I am not among the pessimists who dwell on a bleak specter of an bottomless downward spiral. Both our leaders are clear eyed in assessing the pressing problems we face. But they are both at heart believers in our future. I think President Obama said it best in a recent speech:
"the very fact that this crisis is of our own making means that it is not beyond our ability to solve. Our problems are rooted in past mistakes, not our capacity for future greatness. It will take time, perhaps many years, but we can rebuild that lost trust and confidence. We can restore opportunity and prosperity. It is time to trade old habits for a new spirit of responsibility."
Fundamentally we share very similar agendas and I think they set the stage for the United States and The Bahamas to continue working together to accomplish mutual goals and create opportunities. We have done much together in the past to foster economic growth and keep our countries prosperous and secure. I know we will make even greater strides in the future. This is where vision and implementation comes in.
The U.S. Embassy is actively working to encourage new trade and investment. Last year, the Embassy hosted hundreds of U.S. businesses and government representatives from the state of Florida and beyond to visit The Bahamas and meet with local counterparts. For instance, together with Bahamian stakeholders we brought experts from Florida and from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design to tour Nassau and provide suggestions on urban redevelopment and historic conservation.
In July, the Embassy, along with the Organization of American States and the Bahamian government, sponsored a regional alternative energy conference that brought together hundreds of business people and government officials from throughout the region and the world.
Recent changes in price have allowed the need to address energy security to recede in the minds of some. But President Obama has outlined his plans to double the production of alternative energy in the next three years and we hope to see something similar in The Bahamas. Whenever you save energy, you not only save money, you also reduce the demand for fossil fuels. This country is blessed with natural resources such as sun and wind. You have the potential to be a leader in the alternative energy industry.
The Embassy stands ready to assist in the development of the Bahamian economy. We are committed to helping to promote U.S. goods and services to The Bahamas. But in order to foster trade and economic development, we must continue to keep our nations safe. Security is a predicate to the conduct business. I am note that we have already made great strides in this regard, right here in Freeport.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance facility in Freeport has been very successful over the years in safeguarding air travel for millions of visitors. I know you will agree that CBPs presence in Freeport is certainly an benefit for those conducting business here, and the Embassy continues to work with the Bahamian government to keep the pre-clearance facility open.
We are currently working with The Bahamas on a general aviation agreement that will make this an even more attractive location for investment.
Freeport is home to one of the largest ports in the region and we have worked closely with The Bahamas to maintain the security and integrity of your port. Once again it stands to reason that the safer the port facility, the better the benefits for trade and investment. We remain committed to keeping both air and shipping facilities safe.
Last year The Bahamas signed an important Proliferation Security Agreement, which allows authorities to search ships operating under our national flags in international waters. This has increased the capability of both nations to intercept and stop weapons of mass destruction prior to them ever reaching our shores.
Our security is further strengthened by the Container Security Initiative, which ensures all high-risk containers at the Container Port are screened for illicit goods. and the presence of a Megaport facility here in Freeport which uses specialized equipment to scan cargo containers for suspicious radioactive materials.
Working closely with the Ministry of National Security, we have improved our operational capacity to counter illicit smuggling threats through Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT). To that end, Embassy Nassau presented four patrol boats valued at over 3.3 million dollars to the Royal Bahamas Defense Force last year to assist in our mutual goal of keeping our maritime borders safe.
In 2008 OPBAT and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force prevented some 3000 illegal migrants from reaching our shores. We are working to support efforts to improve the infrastructure at Great Inagua to better address drugs and illegal migration.
All of the projects I just mentioned are proof that our Excellent bilateral relationship remains critical to both of us. The U.S.-Bahamas relationship spans many years and will remain very much interconnected.
Beyond the official relationship, the relations between our peoples are equally excellent. Four million Americans visit your beautiful country each year. And I have been reliably informed that it is your constitutional right to travel to the United States whenever you wish. We are working hard to make this so. We are most honored that hundreds of Bahamians choose to attend U.S. colleges and universities, finding a home-away-from-home on our campuses.
We will continue to make the timely processing the requisite visas a priority at the Embassy if our personal exchanges have been the foundation of our partnership over the years, then our economic relations represent its heart and soul. We know that our economies are intertwined and what happens in the States directly affects you.
As business leaders, you will create the opportunities for economic growth the key to this is to make others believe in your vision. This, in turn, will continue to foster the kind of international partnership that will help us achieve our goals of peace and stability, sustainable economic development, and a clean and healthy environment.
I have no doubt that the U.S. and The Bahamas will continue to act together and advance together as partners. I look forward to personally seeing the rewards of our joint vision and its implementation in the future.
My thanks again to the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce for hosting us tonight. It has been a privilege to speak to you this evening.
Thank you.