BDM Announces Candidacy in Elizabeth

<<< Leader of the BDM, Cassius Stuart.

PRESS RELEASE: Today, The Bahamas stands at an important political cross-road, a cross road that will determine if we as a people will choose a new direction for our country or stay on the same path that has led to a state of affair  that is marked by debt, crime infestation and no clear direction for the future.  Twenty years ago, this path may have had some relevance and propelled a generation to achieve some degree of elevation, however, today our country is in a desperate need of new political direction, new leadership and a new hope for tomorrow to achieve even greater national strides.

Today, the BDM draws the line in the political sand, and offer ourselves to be an innovative part of the new direction that our country needs. We are offering ourselves because we believe in what this country can be. In the face of economic turmoil, we believe there can be prosperity. In the face of crime and violence, we believe there can be peace. In the face of illiteracy, we believe there can be knowledge. In the face of politics that has torn our country in two, there can be unity. In the face of hopelessness, we believe there can be hope and in the face of sorrow there can be gladness.

We are constantly reminded of the cries of the Bahamian people for a new voice and a new hope.  That is why on this 7^th day of January I stand before you  as the leader of the Bahamas Democratic Movement with the full support of the executives and the support base of our movement to announce my candidacy for the bi-election in the constituency of Elizabeth.

My fellow Bahamians, if we are to survive in this new global culture, change must come to The Bahamas. The politics of yesterday must be done away with and a new political culture must be awakened.   Elizabeth , you can pave the way for that new political culture. You can be the ones to show the entire Bahamas that it is possible to change. People of Elizabeth, you can be the lighthouse for a nation who is adrift with no clear direction.

Forty years ago there was a generation of Bahamians who answered a call, a call that changed the history of our nation.  Today, we are called upon once more. Elizabeth it is time for our generation to answer that call. We have a chance to face the challenges of this millennium together; we all know what these challenges are, a broken educational system, a crime ridden society, and families struggling paycheck to paycheck and in a lot of cases, no jobs at all. These challenges are not new, we have talked about them for years, but what stops us from meeting these challenges is not the absence of policies but the absence of sound leadership.

That is why this campaign is not about me, it must be about us as a people. It must be about what we can do together to make our country better. This campaign must be the vehicle to make your hopes and dreams a reality.

Elizabeth, if you can join with me in this quest to build a better Bahamas, if you feel destiny calling and see as I see the endless possibilities that lies ahead of us. Today can be the beginning of a new Bahamas ; today we can usher in a new direction for our country.  Give new leadership a chance, give the Bahamas Democratic movement an opportunity to represent a people worthy not to be political pawns.  It is time to remove the traditions of politics and show that new ideas and new faces have a place in Bahamian politics.   I believe that we can make a difference; together we can. Let’s do something new!