Remarks by
the Hon. D. Shane Gibson, M.P., J.P.,
Minister of Labour, National Insurance and the Public Service
at The Official Opening of the Public Service Week Exhibition
at The Mall at Marathon – Monday, October 18, 2013 at 11 am
It is with great pleasure that I join you this morning to share in this wonderful exhibition of The Public Service. The theme for this year is: “In Focus….Celebrating our past, building the present, moving towards the future” most appropriately reflects where we as a Ministry and country have been, where we are today and where we are going.
As this exhibition FOCUSES ON THE PAST, it is a fitting tribute to salute our former Ministers, Chairmen, Permanent Secretaries and Senior Government Officials by displaying their photos and highlighting some of the achievements that were realized under their administration. We can never showcase and relate these accomplishments enough and as we recently renamed Discovery Day to National Heroes day, I am sure that Father Campbell and his team would find many of the persons that are showcased here today worthy of the National Heroes Hall of Fame. This exhibition speaks to our resilience as a people to enjoy the good times and endure adverse circumstances. The only phrase that comes to mind when I see the diverse displays is “Look Where God Has Brought Us From”. We salute the pioneering efforts and the new frontier that were journeyed by these dedicated and visionary men and women.
All the transitions, all the changes and the brilliant metamorphosis that our Ministries have gone through are captured in these displays. It gives me a sense of pride to be numbered among such giants as A. Loftus Roker, Darrell Rolle, The late Anthony Roberts, A. D. Hanna, the late Paul A. Adderley, just to name a few. This morning, for me it was a walk through the history books of the Bahamas and I was truly impressed with the way that the information was chronicled. This is our way of saying “Thank You” to these men & women for their contribution to the new and modern Bahamas. As you view this wonderful exposition, I am satisfied that your knowledge would be put to the test. I encourage you to draw on the knowledge of our former leaders and develop the same resilience and stamina to persevere until we reach our ultimate goals.
In recent times, there have been a number of major projects that have been realized and some are still on the in progress. IN BUILDING THE PRESENT, we are pleased to showcase a diverse and varied list of accomplishments that sets us apart from other third world countries. Major Projects like:-
The newly built Stadium
The new Bay Street Straw Market
The new wing of the Princess Margaret Hospital
The final two phases of the Lynden Pindling International Airport
The Bahamar Luxury Resort
The Bimini Bay Resort & Casino
The new road works and the new Bridge
This exhibition reflects and promotes the values that we hold dear as Bahamians and the organizers were careful to ensure that our culture of Bahamian straw work and Junkanoo was not left out of this display.
So where do we as a people go from here . IN MOVING TOWARDS THE FUTURE, our prospects are as bright as we can imagine. I challenge you to dream big, to set plans in motion to exceed all the expectations of our forefathers. We are in The Age Of Information and The Bahamas has been placed on the world’s stage. It is noteworthy, to state that the Civil Service has attracted some of the brightest and best minds in the country and it is evident by the enthusiasm that was placed in putting on this magnificent display. Your limits and boundaries would be determined by your dreams; I am looking forward to the way, the new recruits, will revolutionize the Public Service and change for the better the way we do business.
I wish to commend the hard working Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Elizabeth Keju and the exhibition sub-committee chaired by Mrs. Debra Bethel who had the insight, skill and determination to put together an excellent display of the major accomplishments of the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies within the Public Service. Your hard work has paid off big. The Civil Service is equipped with an abundance of talents with varying complexities as displayed in this wonderful exhibition. You should be justifiable proud of this exhibition today and let me be the first to commend you for a job well done. The displays that I have seen this morning are a true reflection of the high quality of work that is produced by public officers.
Enjoy what we have presented to you this morning; Take the time to ask questions of the subject matter experts in the booths and please do enjoy the rest of this Public Service Week. It is my distinct pleasure to officially declare this 2013 Public Service Exhibition open.
