By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell last night promised that the PLP would triple the country’s immigration force, expanding it from “300 to 900” in the next term if elected.

“That is real heavy lifting and empowerment,” he said, during night two of the PLP’s national convention at the Melia Nassau Beach Resort.

During one of the best received speeches of the night, Mr Mitchell also struck a nationalistic tone, railing against Fred Smith-led human rights organisations, which he said pose a “clear and present danger” to the PLP.

Mr Mitchell played an audio clip of Mr Smith calling the Bahamas “nationally insecure and very hateful” to foreigners, comments for which he later apologised.

“The broader point I make is that the PLP is struggling to control the narrative in the process of this political battle and in shaping public opinion,” he said. “This (convention) then is the time to take stock of how things really run and why there is overwhelmingly negative tone around everything that we do. We must reverse this and begin to move effectively to mould and shape public opinion.”

“I think, therefore, that this party has a compelling case to tell Fred Smith, QC, and his fellow travellers to take his so-called apology and shove it,” the Fox Hill MP said.

“ . . . Save The Bays, the phony environmental organisation, has the same people who run the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association, who are the same people who have run to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission to complain saying their lives are in danger then refuse to cooperate with the police,” Mr Mitchell told the crowd.

“These are the same people who want openness, transparency and freedom of information who have sued newspapers in libel to silence them and then have run to the courts to stop members of Parliament from speaking in the House.

“This is a clear and present danger to the PLP. In other words, the question is where does the money come from to pay for all this litigation, which is leading to the inability of your MPs to do their jobs? We must follow the money trail wherever it goes. This is a matter of this PLP’s survival.”

Speaking to increasing applause, Mr Mitchell also pledged to protect the Bahamas from all manners of people, those from “Latin America, China and the Far East,” as well as those who come “as legitimate traders and end up working outside the scope of their work permits, robbing Bahamians of legitimate job opportunities.”

He also pledged that the Department of Immigration “will revoke the permits of those found by the Department of Labour to abuse Bahamian workers.”

At the event last night, PLP supporters at the Melia Resort screamed and danced as government minsters and parliamentarians declared the PLP the party of stability.

After listening for years to anti-PLP sentiments blaring from radios and shown across social media, supporters boasted about the crowded and loud nature of the gathering, describing it as a prime opportunity to showcase their pride in a party they insisted has never stopped believing in Bahamians.

Last night, the convention saw its candidates speak of their accomplishments while firing up its base as the night’s programme moved along at a crisp pace.

Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald said the PLP has fulfilled its promise to double the country’s investment in education while introducing the national high school diploma, which “sets a new and higher, internationally recognised standard for graduation that holds everyone within the education system accountable while improving the chances of our students for entry into tertiary institutions nationally and internationally.” Although she lamented the country’s reputation as a tax haven, Financial Services Minister Hope Strachan said stakeholders have nothing to fear regarding the sector, pointing to the establishment of the Bahamas Bureau of Standards as a significant achievement of her tenure. Meanwhile, Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez touted the benefits of one of the Christie administration’s flagship policy endeavours: National Health Insurance (NHI), emphasising that when the programme’s services are introduced, poverty will no longer hinder some Bahamians from receiving healthcare.

Throughout the night, speakers focused more on highlighting what they saw as accomplishments since their election in 2012, as opposed to laying out plans and a vision for a next term.