MESSAGE FROM THE HONOURABLE DARREN A. HENFIELD, MP, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS ON THE OCCASION OF THE 48TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE
THE 48TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE
OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS: “A CELEBRATION OF LIFE: REVIVE US AGAIN”
It is with great pleasure that I extend warm greetings to all Bahamians both at home and abroad on the occasion of our 48th Anniversary of Independence, which we have themed “A Celebration of life: Revive us Again.”
In so doing, we give Almighty God thanks for the ‘good life’ that we have generally enjoyed and hold faith that the key to our full revival is in Him alone.
We have been able to achieve much as a Small Island Developing State over these past 48 years.
In recent times, however, we like most of the world have been forced to grapple with our fair share of challenges. The economic impact of the twin calamitous events of Hurricane Dorian in September of 2019 and the Covid-19 Pandemic in March of 2020 cannot be ignored.
Simply put, few countries have experienced such catastrophic events sequentially.
Notwithstanding these adversities, we moved quickly to ‘protect life and livelihoods’ through unprecedented unemployment assistance and feeding programs, whilst instituting much necessary measures to mitigate the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
I take this opportunity to thank all of our partners, both national and international, who have done and continue to do so much to help us through these difficult times.
Reaching herd immunity remains a top priority of the Government of The Bahamas. Toward this goal, we began our vaccination programme this year which from all indication, is progressing steadily. I believe this approach will lead to revitalization of commercial activity to pre-pandemic levels.
Already, we are seeing irrefutable evidence of a strong resurgence in our tourism sector through unique opportunities like homeporting. Moreover, our major hotel properties are reporting relatively high occupancies and longer stays. This bodes well for our future.
All told, the resilience, perseverance and strength of the Bahamian people cannot be overstated as we collectively continue our journey “forward, upward, onward together to a common loftier goal.
Let us continue to celebrate life by celebrating our achievements over the past 48-years of Bahamian sovereignty. We must never lose sight of the notion that God has brought us “a mighty long way” in a relatively short period of time while holding to the promise that He will always be with us.
And so, whether you are at home or abroad, I wish you all the very best on this our 48th Anniversary of Independence.
May God bless you all and may God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas!
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