By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The final “20 percent” of The Bahamas’ National Development Plan (NDP) is being targeted for completion before year-end, it was revealed yesterday, as the Davis administration moves to give it the full force of statute law.

Felix Stubbs, the former IBM (Bahamas) chief who is a member of the Plan’s steering committee, told Tribune Business that codifying it in law - as was pledged during yesterday’s Speech from the Throne - will ensure the road map, goals and ambitions set out are “not discarded” when administrations change following a general election.

“I think it’s extremely important,” he said of the National Development Plan Bill’s unveiling. “As a matter of fact, it was the wish of the steering committee as far back as 2016 to have that done. We had proposed a draft document then for the Government to review as part of the legislation. We took that to the Government again recently, and that’s what they’re using as the basis for the legislation.

“It first of all shows commitment on the Government’s part that they’re serious about going forward with the plan. Second, it makes it more difficult for the Plan to be discarded when administrations change. What we’re hoping to do is reconvene most of the members from the steering committee of a few years ago, add some new faces and continue the work done six years ago.”

Cynthia Pratt, the governor-general, reading the Speech from the Throne, which sets out the headline or broad-brush themes of the Government’s legislative agenda for the upcoming session of Parliament, said: “My government will also introduce a number of Bills to help grow and diversify and our economy.

“In order to lay the strategic foundation for the future, my government will introduce The Bahamas National Development Plan Bill. By putting the National Development Plan on a statutory footing, my government seeks to ensure that the next 50 years of our national life will have a firm strategic underpinning and focus.”

Mr Stubbs yesterday told Tribune Business that he and the steering committee are hoping to complete the remaining work required to finalise the National Development Plan before year-end. “We’re about 80 percent complete, and I think there’s about 20 percent more to complete,” he explained. “Our best estimate is that we will have it complete by the end of the year.

“The work started in 2014, and the draft Plan is in its fourth iteration. We need to finalise that draft, and then turn it over to a new organisation. The draft Bill is expected to create a body that will manage the Plan going forward. We always thought it was important to codify this.

“We’re just delighted that the Government has taken this recommendation and proceeded with that. It’s going to do a lot in terms of ensuring the Plan lives a long life. The thing we have asked the Government to do is as soon as Parliament is back is to convene a session so that we can speak to all parliamentarians about the Plan in a non-partisan forum,” Mr Stubbs continued.

“We’re looking forward to it. We have the team convened. We haven’t had any meetings yet. We were waiting for the Government to make its announcement. We were waiting for the Speech from the Throne. We know the Bill is presently being drafted, so the Steering Committee will begin to meet and do its work knowing the legislation will come to Parliament very soon.”

Meanwhile, the Speech from the Throne pledged to “do what many previous administrations have promised” but failed to deliver on - land reform. “One long-standing issue that our government will address in the upcoming legislative session is the security of property ownership,” the governor general said. “My government will do what many previous administrations have promised: It will enact appropriate legislation to deal with land registration and the adjudication of disputes.”

The Governor General also said the environmental regulatory regime, which has attracted multiple bureaucracy and red tape concerns from investors, will be eased for small Bahamian-owned projects. “My government will amend the Environmental Planning and Protection Act to provide for a more streamlined application of the environmental laws to Bahamian-owned small developments,” she said.

“Regulations will also be introduced under the Environmental Planning and Protection Act to allow for spot-fines to be administered for violations of the Act that result in environmental damage..... Every Bahamian’s quality of life should be enhanced by legislation which will be put forward to ensure public access and right of way to beaches, by requiring at least one public access to every beach.

“Dignity and respect should also come at the end of life, and so my government will also introduce a Funeral Industry Services Bill to bring about a regulatory framework for the funeral home industry.” Practitioners have long complained about the lack of regulation, and its enforcement, in this industry.

Meanwhile, the Speech from the Throne argued that some of the post-COVID economic recovery has been muted by external factors such as higher oil prices, global supply chain shocks and the war in Ukraine. “The result is that things are still far too tough for far too many people, especially the poor amongst us,” the Governor-General said.

“We remain determined to do what we can to make things better. Mindful of the estimated two thousand verses in Scripture that deal with issues of the poor, and committed to the ideals underpinning the genesis of its political foundation, my Government retains a strong focus on helping to alleviate the misery of poverty.

“Our commitment is unwavering. Though it may be difficult, and though it may take some time, ‘we shall not fail or falter, we shall not weaken or tire’ as we seek to ‘wipe every tear from every eye’.” One of the themes was a focus on reducing the cost of living, with the focus placed on energy sector reform and enhanced consumer protection.

“Survey results from 2020 confirm what we all know: That The Bahamas remains one of the top 10 most expensive countries in the world,” the Governor General said. “The high cost of living is a major cause of financial stress and psychological distress in the country.

“In a number of sectors, poorer people pay disproportionately higher costs than the wealthier sections of society. My government does not wish to overburden any section of the community, but we do seek to make our economy fairer. In order to provide a better framework for businesses and consumers, my government will introduce the following measures.”

These include a Registrar General Bill to re-organise the operations of the Registrar General’s Office and “ease the burden of doing business in The Bahamas”. This is already underway via the upgraded online company registry portal, plus an online civil platform “to provide efficient and transparent services to Bahamians”.