GET RID OF THE CIVIL SERVANTS WHO ARE SABOTAGING PROGRESS

But with trust comes expectation.

The Bahamian people did not vote for progress merely as a slogan. They voted for visible movement, measurable results, and a Government machinery that works efficiently. They expect roads to be built, parks to be maintained, projects completed, invoices paid, and services delivered without endless delays and bureaucratic paralysis.

What they will not excuse or tolerate is the continuation of the very obstacles that historically retarded growth and delayed progress.

For far too long, contractors, vendors, and even ministries have complained about bottlenecks caused by administrative dysfunction. There have been repeated accusations that some Permanent Secretaries and Financial Officers allowed personal feelings, internal disputes, or territorial behaviour to interfere with the execution of public business. Too often, matters became personal, people became “all in their feelings,” and projects stalled despite insistence and directives from ministers or senior leadership.

That cannot continue.

The public service exists to serve the public—not personalities, egos, alliances, or grudges.

The expectation now is simple: breakneck processing of legitimate invoices. No unnecessary delays. No excuses. No files are mysteriously sitting untouched. No contractor completes work in good faith only to spend months chasing payment while employees, suppliers, and obligations pile up.

If the work is completed and verified, pay up.

The government cannot ask contractors to perform at maximum efficiency while dragging its feet at settlement. Cash flow matters. Delayed payments do not merely inconvenience businesses; they suffocate them. Small and medium-sized contractors, especially, cannot survive operating as unwilling financiers for the state.

At the same time, accountability must be balanced.

Contractors also have obligations. Taxpayers deserve value for money. There have been too many cases of individuals securing contracts, receiving mobilisation payments, then vanishing into thin air. Projects remain unfinished. Deadlines pass. Communities are left staring at abandoned worksites while excuses multiply.

That, too, must end.

The government cannot continue writing off these losses as the cost of doing business. The state must aggressively pursue these bad actors, retrieve public funds where possible, and impose consequences where necessary. Mobilisation payments are not lottery winnings; they are investments made on behalf of taxpayers with the expectation of delivery.

The honest contractor who performs quality work on time should be paid promptly and respected.

The contractor who takes the money and disappears should face recovery efforts and exclusion from future opportunities.

Likewise, public officials who weaponise bureaucracy, delay files, or allow personal feelings to interfere with national development must also be held accountable.

The era of “business as usual” cannot survive if progress is truly the mission.

The people voted for movement, not stagnation. They voted for execution, not excuses. They voted for a Government that works with urgency and seriousness.

The mandate is clear: weed out the bad actors on every side—whether they sit behind a desk or hold a contract.

Progress demands nothing less.