By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 4, 2023 — Having announced a reshuffle of his Cabinet during a national address on Sunday, Prime Minister Philip E. Davis this morning posted a photo on his Facebook page that I decided to share with readers of my online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
The Prime Minister posted the photo with this profoundly reflective narrative:
“We have been in office for just over 100 weeks. On the best days and on the toughest days – it is always a privilege to serve you: to represent you, and to fight for you.
We’ve made some important progress implementing our Blueprint for Change, but we know there is still a long way to go, especially in tackling some of the most difficult problems our country has been facing for a long time.
Change – real change — rarely comes easy.
But we’re here to change the status quo, not to defend it.”
Clearly, by any measuring rod or yardstick, in the almost two years since the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), led by Mr. Davis, won a landslide victory in the September 16, 2021 general election, the Davis Administration has done an exceedingly remarkable job in restoring good governance to The Bahamas after slightly more than four years under the inept leadership of former Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis and the Free National Movement (FNM) government.
Obviously, Prime Minister Davis felt that the changes he made to his Cabinet would enhance the performance of his government.
Indeed, according to an article in The Nassau Guardian, he said, “In making these decisions, my priority was to strengthen policy execution, and to balance continuity and experience with renewal and fresh perspectives. Cabinet is a team, and as on any team, individual strengths and talents add up to make the team stronger.”
The changes include promotions of two ministers of state to substantive ministers, both of whom have been very impressive in their previous positions.
To be sure, MP for Centreville Jomo Campbell, who was Minister of State in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, will continue to demonstrate that he is not only to the manor born politically, but also has the professional skills as a lawyer to be an effective Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources in the Prime Minister’s reshuffled Cabinet.
Likewise, Pia Glover-Rolle has also demonstrated during her tenure as Minister of State for the Public Service that she will be an effective Minister of Labour and the Public Service.
Clearly, as the second anniversary of the PLP’s landslide victory on September 16, 2021 approaches, the Ship of State no longer is being buffeted in the choppy waters of inept governance that existed under the FNM, but has been steered to a safe harbour, and Prime Minister Davis has demonstrated with his Cabinet changes that good governance is still a top priority.
