PARADISE LEADER
12/18/2007 9:06:29 AM by Sandy Lindsey
Find out why the new Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Hubert Ingraham, is the best man for the job — in and out of the water.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has long been a guiding force in the Islands of the Bahamas. He served two terms as prime minister from 1992-2002 and was recently re-elected in May 2007. His first stint in Parliament was as a member of the Progress Legal Party. After separating from the liberals due to his strong anti-corruption stance, he gained a seat in Parliament as part of the Independent Party once again in 1987. Additionally, he joined the Free National Movement (FNM) in 1990 and has since served as the group’s leader as well as serving as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament until his re-election as Prime Minister. His focus now is on revitalizing the Bahamas and that’s great news for boaters the world over.
“We are significantly increasing spending on the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, including new equipment and additional recruits, two airplanes and four patrol craft,” says Ingraham. “This will enable the Defense Force to effectively patrol our territorial waters and deal with poaching, illegal immigration and the movement of contraband. Additionally, my government is acquiring two 27-foot patrol craft and two 48-foot dauntless patrol craft.”
To make the waters of the Bahamas more attractive to local and international fisherman, the Ingraham administration relaxed the strict catch limits for recreational boaters. “The limits (which went into effect Jan. 1, 2007) that were in place when I took office were very stringent. My administration reviewed the new catch limits put in place by the former government and made them more realistic,” he says. For example, the previous limit was 20 lbs. of demersal fish (dolphin, kingfish, wahoo, tuna, groupers, snappers, etc.) and has now been increased, effective Oct. 19, 2007, to 60 lbs. per vessel.
This increase in catch limits does not mean that he doesn’t thoroughly understand the importance of proper oversight of the island’s natural resources. He is a native of Grand Bahama, where he grew up in the modest town of Cooper’s Town in North Abaco. This has given him a strong link with people of all economic levels and a distinct appreciation for the unique ecology that makes up the Bahamas.
“I’ve already committed my administration to more environmentally compatible tourism-related investment projects rather than the mega project policy that the former administration had aggressively pursued for the Family Islands,” he assures. “We need to keep to the view that the pursuit of economic growth must be balanced against the environmental needs of future generations of Bahamians. Safeguarding the environment and heritage is now a fundamental tenet of the economic policy of the government. It is my government’s expressed view that accelerated economic growth as is necessary for the financial well-being of our people, can take place at an environmentally sustainable level and in a way not offensive to our social norms and tradition.”
In order to protect the islands, coral reefs and surrounding fisheries, he adds, “It will require that we put equal emphasis on the quality of growth as on the quantity of growth. This will be a decided departure from the way that things have been done in more recent times.”
So what does this new world leader like to do when not working? Reportedly, his favorite type of vacation is — we should have guessed — cruising the Caribbean.
Now, as to his future goals, he says he has a lot of plans ready to go on that front and is taking steps to ensure they materialize as soon as possible. “It is our intention to assist those persons now trapped in the lowest levels of poverty and deprivation to escape from their plight and enable them to lead more comfortable lives,” he says. And with that goal, this man’s heart seems to be in the right place.