2020/21 Budget Communication 2020-21 Budget Communication - Final (1)-compresse | Page 2

i. Introduction
Mr. Speaker,
I rise in this Honorable House on behalf of Bahamians everywhere, most particularly the good
people of East Grand Bahama, Grand Bahama as a whole, Bimini, and the Abacos, who have and
are struggling with the double catastrophic effects of a Category 5 hurricane, and now a Pandemic
that threatens the entire archipelago, and indeed, countries around the world.
Mr. Speaker,
The last two Budgets that I have had the honor to present have been about providing economic
stability and recovering from past gross financial management, or lack of fiscal restraint by the
former Administration.
This Budget is about providing support for the people of The Bahamas, creating new opportunities
for our country and setting the foundation for a stronger, more resilient and sustainable economy
and society, which we themed “From Crisis to Opportunity.”
This is perhaps the most important policy document published by any Government in its fiscal
year—The Annual Budget. It represents the values we hold dear as the Government of the day;
articulates the Government’s vision for the wellbeing of its people, during ordinary and
extraordinary times, and shares how the Government plans to raise and spend public funds for the
collective benefit of every man, woman and child in the Islands of The Bahamas.
a. A Change in Circumstance
Mr. Speaker,
This is not a time for soaring rhetoric or empty partisan crossfire. In the face of these historic,
extraordinary times, the Bahamian people expect a plan– a strategy that is responsive to their needs
and defined by the values we believe in, as a party and as a Government.
My role today is not to lull the Bahamian people into a false sense of comfort. There will be no
sugarcoating of the situation we face. I trust that the Bahamian people understand the challenges
with which we are confronted because COVID-19 has changed the lives of every Bahamian in one
way or another.
Unprecedented times call for an unprecedented Budget; and today, Mr. Speaker, I will lay out the
Government’s comprehensive Budget plan for the fiscal year 2020/2021, explaining how we
intend to address the pressing fiscal and economic realities we face as a country, as we forge
onwards to restore our people, and restore our nation.
This Budget is unlike any The Bahamas has ever seen before. Fittingly so, because the past 12-
months have been unlike anything the country has ever experienced.
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