SUNDAY 4 NOVEMBER, 2018 – UWI TODAY
13
GRADUATION 2018
Hubert Alexander Ingraham
served as Prime
Minister of The Bahamas for 15 years, from 1992
to 2002, again from 2007 to 2012 and as Leader of
the Opposition from 2005 to 2007. Born at Pine
Ridge, Grand Bahama in 1947 to Jerome Ingraham
and Isabella LaRoda, he was raised in the humblest
of circumstances by his maternal grandparents in
Cooper’s Town, Abaco. Electricity, telephones and
paved roads were non-existent but what the residents
lacked in basic amenities and material riches, they
more than made up for in strength of character and
community spirit.
His grandmother “Mama Lizzie” was the
embodiment of North Abaco: industry, self-reliance,
and fortitude. It was she who inspired his life-long
commitment to service. Her four-roomwooden house
was home to six: Mama Lizzie, Hubert’s grandfather
“Papa”, an uncle, two cousins and Hubert.
Up front, large and in charge, Mama Lizzie ran
a tight ship. She had never been to school but she
recognised Hubert’s potential and she sacrificed and
worked hard to ensure that he squeezed every bit of
education out of the town’s modest All Age School.
Meanwhile, Papa taught him how to fish, giving him
a means to earn his first savings and teaching him the
importance of patience and timing.
By 14, he was a student teacher, had learned how
to be a wireless operator and was the delivery boy for
three local shops. At 17, Mama Lizzie posted him off
to Nassau to “get more learning”. After two years of
working while attending evening school, he returned
to Abaco planning to become a teacher but Mama
Lizzie had different plans for him. It was to be law.
Back toNassau to “finish his learning”. He apprenticed
at McKinney, Bancroft and Hughes and was called to
the Bar in 1972.
Mr. Ingraham cites Mama Lizzie’s dedication
and loyalty as his motivation for becoming politically
active. He served on various public agencies and soon
became affiliated with the ruling Progressive Liberal
Party (PLP). In 1976, he became the party’s National
Chairman and a year later, the representative for
North Abaco, a position to which he was re-elected
on seven consecutive occasions. In 1982, he became
Minister of Housing, National Insurance and Social
Service and served as Chairman of The Bahamas
Mortgage Corporation, an institution established to
secure and guarantee housing financing for those in
need. In Parliament, significantly, Ingraham served
as Chairman of an investigative Select Committee
on Influence Peddling and Political Contributions.
In 1986, after making charges of corruption
against his own party, Ingraham was dismissed from
the cabinet but he ran as an Independent for his
North Abaco seat and was re-elected to the House of
Assembly. Four years later, he joined the then Official
Opposition Party, the Free National Movement
(FNM) and by May was elected as Party Leader and
appointed as Leader of the Official Opposition. In
the 1992 general election, Ingraham led the FNM to
a landslide victory ending over two decades of PLP
power and making himThe Bahamas’ second Prime
Minister.
Ingraham initiated reforms that did much to
restore the flagging reputation of The Bahamas. His
tenure wasmarked by a deliberate reduction in the size
of government and its intervention in the economy,
devolution of management within the public sector
and promotion of private investment. The resultant
The Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham here gives the guest address at the 4pm graduation ceremony on Friday, October 26, at which he was
also awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws.
PHOTO: GUYTN OTTLEY
The UWI 2018 Honorary Graduate Citation
THE RTHONHUBERT A. INGRAHAM
Awarded Degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa
massive international investment in the tourism and
financial services industries revitalised the Bahamian
economy. Simultaneous modernisation of labour laws
enhanced workers’ rights and protection. Within eight
years, investment in public infrastructure and utilities
more than halved unemployment. Improved access to
health care reduced infant mortality by 30%. Upgrade
and expansion of the school system permitted an
increase in the compulsory school leaving age from
14 to 16. His administration also enacted a slew of
legislation that directly and significantly impacted the
practice of law in The Bahamas.
A great believer in the importance of freedom
of speech for democracy, he broke the government
monopoly of the airwaves by licensing private
broadcasters. He is also credited with bringing women
and women’s issues to the fore. Perhaps Mama Lizzie
was looking over his shoulder! He placed women
to head important ministries — Attorney General,
Health, Education, ForeignAffairs, SocialDevelopment,
Transport, Public Service, and Immigration. During his
administration the Bahamas appointed its first female
Governor-General and Chief Justice.
Having pledged to serve no more than two terms
in office, he voluntarily demitted in 2001. His party
lost the 2002 election. However, in 2005 he was re-
elected as Party leader, again became the Leader of
the Opposition and led them to victory in 2007. He
took the oath of office as Prime Minister for a third
time just as the world entered the global financial
crisis. His government’s focus on infrastructural
development once again stimulated job creation
and allowed The Bahamas to benefit when the world
economic recovery came. Initiatives included the first
unemployment benefit scheme, a prescription drug
benefit scheme, a National Jobs Readiness and Skills
Training Programme and creative small business
support initiatives.
Although he won re-election to his seat in
Parliament, following the FNM’s defeat in the 2012
elections, Mr. Ingraham resigned as party leader,
announced his retirement from the House of
Assembly and returned to his private law practice. In
February, 2015 he led the Commonwealth Observer
Mission to General Elections in Mozambique.
Meanwhile, Mama Lizzie lived to 102 and was
a constant support throughout, along with his wife
Delores and their five children.
