Hubert Ingraham
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| Hubert Alexander Ingraham | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 04 May 2007 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Arthur Dion Hanna |
| Preceded by | Perry Christie |
| In office 21 August 1992 – 03 May 2002 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Clifford Darling Orville Turnquest Ivy Dumont |
| Preceded by | Lynden Pindling |
| Succeeded by | Perry Christie |
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| Born | 4 August 1947 Pine Ridge, Grand Bahama, Bahamas |
| Political party | FNM |
| Spouse | Delores Miller |
Hubert Alexander Ingraham (born 1947) is the Prime Minister of the Bahamas. He served from 1992 until 2002 and became Prime Minister again in 2007. He is a member of the Free National Movement Party (FNM). The Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Igraham now heads the FNM as Party Leader and is a Member of Parliament for the North Abaco constituency; he also served as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Assembly from 2005 to 2007.
Ingraham served as Prime Minister of The Bahamas from August 1992 until May 2002. In the historic election of August 1992 when the FNM unseated the Progressive Liberal Party, Ingraham succeeded the late Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling, who had headed the PLP government since January 1967. Following his party's victory in the May 2007 election, he became prime minister again.
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[edit] Youth and early career
Ingraham was born 4 August 1947 in Pine Ridge, Grand Bahama. He is the son of Jerome Ingraham and Isabella La-Roda (nee Cornish). He grew up in Cooper's Town on the island of Abaco and began his education at Cooper's Town Public School, later attending the Southern Senior School and the Government High School Evening Institute in Nassau.
Ingraham studied law in Nassau, was called to the Bahamas Bar in December 1972, and eventually became senior partner in the law firm of Christie, Ingraham and Co. He entered front-line politics in 1975, when he was elected to the National General Council of the then ruling Progressive Liberal Party. He had previously served as a member of the Air Transport Licensing Authority and Chairman of the Real Property Tax Tribunal.
[edit] Cabinet Minister
In 1976, Ingraham was elected National Chairman of the PLP and a member of that party's National Executive Committee. In 1977, still Chairman of the PLP, he was elected to the House of Assembly.
In Parliament, Ingraham served as a member of the Standing Committee on Privilege and Public Accounts, and as Chairman of an investigative Select Committee on Influence Peddling and Political Contributions.
He was re-elected to Parliament in the general election of June 1982, and appointed Minister of Housing, National Insurance and Social Service. In 1982, he also became Chairman of The Bahamas Mortgage Corporation, an institution established to secure and guarantee housing financing for Bahamians in need of that service.
In 1984, in the midst of a Commission of Inquiry into illegal drug-trafficking and trans-shipment through The Bahamas and the attendant disclosures of corruption inside the government and the civil service, Ingraham, as a result of his protests against that situation, was dismissed from The Bahamas Cabinet.
[edit] In Opposition
[edit] Idependent Member of Parliament
Ingraham offered as an independent candidate in the 1987 general election, and was one of only two Members of Parliament to have been expelled from the ruling PLP to have gone on to immediate independent re-election.
[edit] Leader of the Oppostion
Ingraham joined the Official Opposition in April 1990, and was immediately appointed Parliamentary Leader. When the Leader of the Opposition, Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, died in May 1990, Ingraham was unanimously elected Leader of the Free National Movement and was appointed Leader of the Official Opposition on 18 May 1990, by the Governor-General.
In June 1990, as freshman Leader of The Free National Movement, he led his party to a Marco City, Grand Bahama by-election victory over the governing party.
On 19 August 1992, Ingraham led the Free National Movement to a stunning 32-17 victory over the Progressive liberal Party and ended the 25- year hold on power of former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindling.
[edit] Prime Minister
The new Prime Minister had Cabinet responsibility for the Ministry of Finance. Later, in a streamlined Cabinet, he took on responsibility for trade and industry, and quickly established a one-stop Investment Authority promoted fresh investment in The Bahamas.
In July 1993, Prime Minister Ingraham was made a Member of Her Majesty's most honourable Privy Council. Again on 14 March 1997, Ingraham led the FNM to an even greater election victory.
Prime Minister Ingraham, known for his agressive leadership style as well as for micro-management, was not afraid to deal with issues directly as well as shuffle Cabinet members, as he saw change was neccesary to bring fresh outlooks and perspectives to the Ministries.
Ingraham's having pledged earlier that he would serve no longer than two terms or 10 years as Head of Government, the FNM in 2001 held special elections for Leader-Designate and Deputy Leader-Designate of the Party, with Sen. Tommy Turnquest emerging as the victor who would assume leadership of the FNM on the night of the next general elections.
[edit] Administrative Achievements
He is credited for allowing the Atlantis Paradise Island project to develop, making the Bahamas truly a major tourism mecca.
He administered a dis-engagement of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company in the mid-90's. Severing ties with hundreds of BTC's employee's, allthough handing out severance packages for those who opted for the exit packages. The true value of the impact of the dis-engagement is debatable.
Through his first term, he guided the Bahamas through a tumultuous period in the financial services sector, which ushered in sweeping changes to be made and imposed upon the Bahamas by international organizations such as the OECD and the FATF. Sweeping legislation, was seen as neccesary by the then administration, but such drastic and immediate measures, were up to debate by observers and economists of the time. Subsequently, the market fears spread and resulted in massive job losses in the sector.
By the end of his first term, he was sitting on a Bahamian economy, which was going into recession, brought on by a global downturn in productivity, sparked by the dot.com bubble bust and the attacks of 9-11- exacerbated by massive exits of foreign capital, due to new banking regulations set in place by his administration.
In addition to cries of the mis-handling controversial financial services reform, which some said was indicative of his leadership style of force fed policies. Another controversial issue proposed by his administration, was the now failed refferendum on social policy, which many observers now say led to the resounding defeat at the polls for the FNM in 2002, with a 29-7 overwhelming margin of victory for the incoming Progressive Liberal Party.
The then Prime Minister Ingraham was quoted in saying;"who ever wins the refferendum, will win the election."
[edit] Return to the Opposition
In the 2002 general elections, Mr. Ingraham stepped aside and allowed a younger and more vibrant leader, The Rt. Hon Thomas A. Turnquest, to be party leader for the general election.
Ingraham retained his North Abaco seat, even though his party suffered a resounding defeat at the polls, with his leader designate and deputy designate, not winning their seat in parliament.
Mr Ingraham, did not act as leader of the opposition or leader of house business until his notification of his wanting to return as party leader, for the upcoming 2007 general elections.
During the Party's November 2005 convention, he was again elected FNM Leader, amongst harsh criticisms' for the lack of due process in his ability, through the FNM party's platform, to make himself eligible for party nomination. This, was also seen as a repudiation of his former position, where he claimed to only wanting to serve two terms as Prime Minister.
None the less, he was returned to party leadership.
[edit] Prime Minister again
In the General Election held on 2 May 2007, the FNM won a majority of seats, defeating the PLP, and Ingraham was sworn in as prime minister on 4 May.[1] He also became Minister of Finance in the new government.[2]
The Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham is married to the former Delores Miller of Long Island, and they have five children.
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Great Guana Cay Controversy
Ingraham has come out as a partisan for the [Baker's Bay Club] in the most controversial environmental battle in the country's history. He referred to the native Bahamians of the island as terrorists after meeting with Baker's Bay Club officials. [Citation Needed]
[edit] Prime Ministers' Pension Controversy
It was reported that the then opposition member for North Abaco, was reciving his MP's salary as well as his Prime Minister's pension, which was something he set in place as Prime Minister, between his 10 year term, in order to provide a pension package for former Prime Ministers.
There are documented evidence from the Ministry of Finance stating along with his admitting to receiving both salaries.
He has since claimed to have donated the monies back to the Bahamian treasury, and some of it to local charities.
[edit] References
- ^ "Hubert Ingraham sworn in as Bahamas’ PM", radiojamaica.com, May 4, 2007.
- ^ Juan McCartney, "Ministers Sworn In", The Bahama Journal, May 8, 2007.
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