Protecting and Preserving the soul of the Bahamas Culture is a word for the 'way of life'. It is also an umbrella term that is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts, capabilities, and norms found in human societies. The Bahamas has a distinct culture that has evolved over generations, from a mixture of mostly African, combined with some British and American influences, which developed into a unique and colorful style of Bahamian self-expression. In recent years, the culture of the Bahamas has been under attack due to the lack of decisions made by politicians under foreign beliefs, this anti-Bahamian behavior must stop. Therefore, the next Member of Parliament for MICAL should seek to achieve the following: MICAL’s Path forward>> • Petition the Department of Education to ensure that contemporary Bahamian art education is introduced and taught at the primary and secondary levels to grow artists and audiences for the future. • Petition government to ensure that Local Authorities are allocated sufficient funding to allow the fulfillment of long-term strategic cultural & arts planning and the promotion of festivals. • Petition legislation of a National Culture Act (NCA) of the Bahamas to strengthen & protect our future, our people, and the multi-destination heritage of our nation. (Ref. Green Tourism: A World Leading Green Holiday Destination - National Culture Act Point #20) • To recognize the role technology and innovation will play in the future of our artistic and cultural life, we will seek to form joint ventures between businesses and tourism bodies and artistic and cultural organizations. • Petition for 70% of all existing artwork and the expression of new artwork to be placed in government buildings, public spaces, and places, hotels, etc. are authentically Bahamian. • Create Artisan Zones – of pedestrian zones and public spaces in the city districts. (Ref. Green Tourism: A World Leading Green Holiday Destination - Point #19) • To incentivize audiences and improve access to arts events, petition government to initiate a subsidized money-off vouchers scheme. Individuals will be issued with a voucher which can be used as part or full payment for any Cultural Arts Council of the Bahamas (CACB) certified events. • The Introduction and establishment of the Cultural Arts Council of the Bahamas (CACB). A quasi-government authoritative body responsible for the regulation of the Music, the Arts, and Entertainment Industry. The Cultural Arts Council was created to develop, support, coordinate, and promote music, art, performing and visual arts, and entertainment, by serving as "arts advocates" before governmental bodies, private companies, and organizations, by coordinating marketing programs, promoting cultural tourism regionally and internationally, and securing funding for individuals, and nonprofit arts and entertainment organizations. The Council oversees and administers grants, which are awarded to eligible organizations and individuals recording or producing music, producing or presenting visual, art, crafts, entertainment, and performing arts in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. • The establishment of the Bahamas Music & Arts Authority (BMAA) - a CACB sub-authoritative-body responsible for the regularization of the Music, Arts, and Entertainment Industry in the Bahamas. The BMAA goal and mandate is to celebrate, promote, encourage, and support Bahamian musicians and artists locally and abroad. • The implementation of the BMAA - Digital Registry and Library Database (DRLD). The BMAA will make it mandatory for Bahamian Artistes residing in and outside the Bahamas to sign up and register their craft (Music, Art, Film) through the Digital Registry and Library Database (DRLD) to receive assistance in songwriting, recording, digital packaging and distribution, crafting, production, support, sales, to file a report, make a claim and receive compensation, etc. • Petition for 70% of all music broadcasted on radio stations, podcasts, music-streaming services, and television stations across the Bahamas, new and existing are authentically Bahamian. • Concentrating on Culture, petition for the reform of the Education Curriculum to ensure that it reflects the soul and culture of the Bahamas in all subjects. Making key subjects mandatory for all students at all levels. (Ref. Education: Excellence In Education For Future Generations - Point #7) • Seek funding for recreational facilities that provide positive cultural activities for youth in their communities. • The creation of afterschool programs with continued training for school-age youths who demonstrate exceptional abilities in sports, academics, and the arts, with a focus on culture. • Protect and preserve our Bahamian Dialect through copyright, publishing, recording of books, and information placed on and circulating the internet. • Peruse the art of costume (Junkanoo), sculpture, and boat building is integrated into the ministry of education arts and craft curriculum in all schools. • The formation of a (CDA) Constituency Development Association responsible for the planning, promotion, and hosting of annual community and cultural festivals and other community development projects and initiatives. ******* The Path Forward is a 20-year Development plan designed to generate economic growth and to develop sustainable economies in Mayaguna, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, and Long Cay (MICAL). The ideas, initiatives, and programs mentioned in this document were originally written as a guide mapping out an economic development path forward for the southern islands of the Bahamas. By Andy Hanna. Download the full plan here

A New Creative Services Economy in The Bahamas In supporting the creative economy more broadly it will require both targeted investments in specific industries, as well as broad-based investments aimed at making the southern Bahamas (MICAL) a more affordable place to live, work and create. It is also vital to create opportunities for digital inclusion and to facilitate access to information. This starts with equipping people with digital skills and promoting active digital citizenship through learning and training. The Bahamas needs a balanced digital policy that can support the innovation and access to information that is required to deal with the climate crisis while ensuring safety and the protection of our human and civil rights. The next Member of Parliament for MICAL should seek to achieve the following: MICAL’s Path forward>> • Pursue the Implementation and the Expansion of an Exemplar Network in MICAL, putting the Southern Bahamas on the cutting edge of connectivity. It is estimated that 3,000 direct jobs and an additional 2,000 indirect jobs could be established in a 10-year period because of an Exemplar Network. • Lobby and ensure that all government services in MICAL are transferred to an online cloud-based system within 5 – 7 years. • Petition for the Introduction and the Establishment of an International Content Services Centre of the Bahamas as modeled to Ireland Financial Service Centre. The Centre will provide a global hub for the trading, commodifying, and storing of digital content. • Via METFA create a meaningful economic partnership with Cuba, Dominic Republic, USA, and China with policies to advance and protect the Bahamian product. • Propose the creation of a Bahamian Sourcing Code of Conduct based on the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code. Both Bahamian and multinational companies will be able to participate in this code. It will ensure that the trade of all products respects core international labor practices and will ban goods or services that are produced by slave labor or exploitative working conditions. • Propose to move towards more regional markets of food production and trade that would deliver greater food security for the nation. • Uphold the rights of Bahamian citizens and to support Bahamian business in the IT sector. • Supporting all attempts to allow software ideas to be patentable by law and to ensure evolving technologies are in check with the rights of Bahamian citizens. • Petition government to promote digital inclusion and literacy for all citizens and the training of unemployed persons who will then work with businesses to make their products and services available online. • Petition government to introduce incentives to encourage innovation and diversity in online business models to provide alternatives to exploitative data harvesting as ways to generate revenue online. • Petition the government to provide greater support and incentives for technology start-ups. • Lobby for amendments to the Libel Act to protect the creators and publishers of legitimate critical, satirical, and parody content by introducing a digital bill of rights for citizens. New York City Creative Sector Employment 2017 - New York City is the creative capital of the world, and this report shows how the sector at the heart and soul of NY City is also a pillar of the US economy. The sector – comprising industries from the performing arts to advertising, film and television to museums and art galleries, publishing, fashion, design and architecture, as well as thousands of independent artists, designers and others — employs 293,000 people, pays $30 billion annually in earnings, and accounts for one in every eight dollars in economic output. • Ensuring that every public school student receives arts and creative education in schools and partnering with local arts organizations as resources for public school arts education. • Bolstering support for arts programming for at-risk and underserved youth, including the criminal justice-involved, to create pathways for careers in the creative sector. • Foster creative incubators: Explore partnerships with industry to establish creative sector incubators where early-career creative professionals and start-ups can access low-cost space and equipment. • Protect the privacy of individuals by limiting data retention and sharing in and by government agencies/bodies. • Support the idea of Open Data for nonpersonal information, encouraging government and organizations to make their information freely available and accessible online with the purpose of increasing innovation and creating opportunities for new businesses and empowering local communities. ****** The Path Forward is a 20-year Development plan designed to generate economic growth and to develop sustainable economies in Mayaguna, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, and Long Cay (MICAL). The ideas, initiatives, and programs mentioned in this document were written as a guide mapping out an economic development path forward for the southern islands of the Bahamas. By Andy Hanna. Download the full plan here

Sustaining the Peaceful Paradise that have been afforded to Us. The Royal Bahamas Defense Force Base -Great Inagua. Bahamas It is the view of many Bahamians that the prevention and detection of crime coupled with illegal immigration and poaching is of equal importance. Today, there are no reports of serious crime in MICAL. However, to sustain the peaceful paradise that have been afforded to us in our developing communities. We need a modern, well equipped national defense system. The next Member of Parliament for MICAL should seek to achieve the following: MICAL’s Path forward>> • Petition for the Implementation of new promotion regulations, new disciplinary guidelines, and a salary increase of officers at all levels of the uniform branches. • Support for public-private partnership programs/initiatives in community policing (crime watch, urban renewal). • Work with law enforcement to reduce the response time when incidents or crimes are reported and address the IT deficiencies in all Police stations across the constituency. • Construct fire & Rescue Stations throughout MICAL. RBPF gets 100 new members in its ranks • Build state-of-the-art RBPF and RBDF training facilities in MICAL. • Support the enforcement of capital punishment. • Petition government to introduce and set a timeline for the implementation of the Victim’s & Witness (V&W) Charter. In addition to establishing a system of monitoring the assessment of the Charter. • Establish a Commission for the Support of Victims & Witnesses of Crime and conduct an audit of the support services around the country ensuring a greater coordination and cohesion between victim’s caring groups. • Assistance with securing corporate investments for safer communities by means of ensuring emergency vehicles (Ambulances, patrol cars, fire Trucks, Vacuum Trucks, helicopters, etc.) are readily available on all islands in MICAL. Prime Minister Lynden Pindling with the Police Marines Division (PMD) was formed in 1971 with the acquisition of four 60 foot Mark I Keith Nelson type vessels- Acklins, Andros, San Salvador and Eleuthera. • Use modern technology (drones, etc.) to ensure that our borders are effectively patrolled and protected, utilizing our lighthouses as radar towers monitoring vessels trafficking through our waters intercepting the smuggling of humans, guns, drugs, poachers, and illegals. • The construction of detention centers in MICAL to facilitate the detention, processing, and repatriation of illegals. • The Implementation of an enhanced NIB Card as the National ID (a smartcard document used to verify aspects of a person’s identity, status, and nationality). ****** The Path Forward is a 20-year Development plan designed to generate economic growth and to develop sustainable economies in Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, and Long Cay (MICAL). The ideas, initiatives, and programs mentioned in this document were written as a guide mapping out an economic development path forward for the southern islands of the Bahamas. By Andy Hanna. Download the full plan here