The Democratic National Alliance slammed the prime minister’s national address, yesterday, as Deputy Leader Arinthia Komolofe calling it regrettable, failing to “inspire hope among the Bahamian people”.

Responding to prime minister, Dr, Hubert Minnis 44 minutes speech in  a press statement, Mrs. Komolafe called it “uninspiring and underwhelming”, failing to “offer innovative ideas for the resurgence of an economy with stunted growth”.  

“The PM sought to spin the unemployment narrative by touting a reported fall in joblessness in Grand Bahama and Abaco, but glossed over the approximately one percent rise in New Providence,” Mrs. Komolafe said.

She added that there were no new ideas or information for the economy as well as a failure to “articulate economic or financial services growth plan”.

“There was no communication of a Financial Services Growth Action Plan (FSGAP); rather, the government has maintained its reactive and myopic approach to this vital sector of our economy. 

“The government seems to have resorted to presiding over the demise of our financial services sectors through the proverbial thousand cuts,” Mrs Komolafe said.

According to DNA leader, the prime minister spent “a considerable portion of his address listing several intended or proposed projects and investments”.

“The challenge here is that we’ve seen this script before with successive administrations,  outlining multiple projects across the archipelago of islands with a vast amount never coming to fruition for the foreseeable future,” Mrs. Komolafe said. 

To this Mrs. Komolafe said that the DNA “will not count our proverbial eggs before they hatch”. 

She added that “public utterances and lamentation on the ease of doing business in The Bahamas vis-à-vis opening of bank accounts and the blue economy by the government constitute nothing more than grandstanding”. 

The DNA deputy leader further slammed the prime minister’s address which she said did not inform Bahamians of how the government intends to handle future credit ratings. She also said  the national address failed to address The Bahamas’ accession to the World Trade Organisation and the Oban deal.