Prime Minister Philip Davis’s Remarks at the Prime Minister’s Luncheon for Religious Leaders

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Friends,

I am a son of Cat Island who was raised by the prayers of my mother, the hymns of my church, and belief that God holds all things in His hands.

There are times in the life of a leader when the trappings of position must be cast aside, when the titles mean nothing, and only the truth of the heart remains.

Today is such a time.

I believe, this is a moment to lay bare the soul of our nation and to reflect deeply on who we are, who we are becoming, and who we are called to be.

When I look at The Bahamas, I see a nation that God has abundantly blessed, but I also see a people standing at a crossroads.

The path ahead is not yet clear, but it must be shaped by the choices we make today.

And so, friends, I ask, are we walking in the light of God’s purpose, or are we straying from His will?

Are we building a country that mirrors His love, justice, and mercy, or are we succumbing to the forces of division and self-interest?

I cannot stand here as your Prime Minister without sharing the questions that keep me awake in the still hours of the night.

I ask myself, am I leading in a way that pleases God? 

Am I lifting this nation in prayer as I lift it in action? 

Am I doing enough to inspire us all to walk humbly, seek justice, and love mercy?

We have pursued our work with a focus on four central pillars: Security, Opportunity, Affordability, and Reform.

In this season, we have laboured to restore safety not just as an ideal, but as a lived reality for our people. 

We strengthened the institutions charged with protection by adding 787 new police officers, 570 new Defence Force marines, and 379 correctional officers, the largest expansion of uniformed services in a generation. 

We equipped them with modern tools – more than 1,000 CCTV cameras, expanded body camera coverage, new patrol vessels, and full maritime radar coverage of our waters. 

These efforts have mattered. 

In 2025, serious crime fell by 14 percent, hundreds of illegal firearms were removed from our streets, and 1,400 weapons were destroyed, never to threaten another family again. 

Simultaneously, over the past several years, our economy has expanded, driven by more than $15 billion in approved investments and record tourism arrivals of 11.2 million visitors in 2024 and 12.5 million in 2025, surpassing even pre-pandemic highs. 

Unemployment, which once climbed above 20 percent, has fallen to just over 9 percent, one of the lowest levels since 2008. 

We invested deliberately in training, skills, and second chances, beginning with the Small Business Development Centre, which has helped facilitate $92 million in financing for more than 2,400 Bahamian entrepreneurs across 16 islands. 

We expanded pathways through the National Apprenticeship Programme, the Upskill initiative (which has seen 11,000 enrollments in a little over two months), Digilearn, the Creative and Performing Arts, and a major expansion of vocational and creative training programmes that are equipping Bahamians with practical, modern skills for today’s economy, including expanding BTVI to three family islands and introducing certified training into the high school curriculum.

Expanding opportunities is critical to our continued growth.

But despite our growth, we recognise that a society cannot call itself just if daily life becomes a constant struggle for the many. That is why we acted deliberately to ease the cost of living for working families and those on fixed incomes. 

We increased the minimum wage by 24 percent, reduced VAT from 12 percent to 10 percent, and lowered VAT to 5 percent on essential food, medicine, and baby items. And in a couple of months, at the start of April, VAT will be lowered again to 0% on unprepared foods. 

We expanded price controls to 38 staple goods, removed import duties on dozens of food categories, and raised the VAT-free electricity threshold from $300 to $400 while introducing lower rates for lower-income, smaller, and more energy-efficient households, helping to ensure that over 60 percent of households saw lower light bills. 

At the same time, we expanded health protections so that over 160,000 Bahamians will soon be covered under the National Health Insurance and Prescription Drug Plan. 

These measures were not giveaways; they were affirmations that dignity should never be priced out of reach.

We have also prioritised reforms. 

Reform is the quiet work of aligning systems with values. 

We modernised laws that had remained untouched for decades, strengthened financial compliance to secure international confidence, and delivered the first positive credit outlook in over 17 years. 

We reduced the national deficit from 13.1 percent of GDP to 1.3 percent, improved debt levels to under 73 percent of GDP, and increased revenues even while lowering taxes, proving that fairness and fiscal responsibility are not enemies. 

Through public service reform, we cleared long-standing backlogs, delivered 3,500 promotions, regularised over 3,000 public officers, and opened government to a new generation, with 2,000 young people under 35 entering public service. 

Reform, at its heart, is about trust – trust that institutions can serve, adapt, and endure. And we have made meaningful progress in that regard.

I highlight these measures not to boast, but to give an account. We have no time to pat ourselves on the back as a nation, nor would we be justified in doing so when we still have so much more progress to make. 

But is important that we continue moving in the right direction, without interruption, because continuity across years and generations is the only way we can sustain this progress for the long term.

This is not a conversation about politics or policies; it is a conversation about the soul of The Bahamas.

It is about the legacy we are building, not for ourselves, but for our children and their children after them.

So brothers in faith: join me in this moment of deep reflection.

Let us be honest with ourselves about the kind of nation we are becoming and the kind of nation we want to be.

Let us seek God’s guidance, not just in our private prayers, but in our public lives.

Let us humble ourselves, not just for the sake of personal salvation, but for the healing of this land we call home.

As we close this moment, I want to express how deeply grateful I am for each of you.

Today, I am among friends, friends who understand the weight of service, the power of prayer, and the calling to stand in the gap for our people.

Your presence here affirms the strength we draw from one another, especially in times that demand courage and clarity.

You have been anchors for this nation, holding fast to the principles that sustain us. Your prayers have steadied our course, and your wisdom has illuminated the path ahead.

It is through your dedication to the moral and spiritual fabric of our society that we find the strength to press on.

Let us leave here reminded of the power we hold when we stand united.

Together, we can face the challenges ahead with faith, resolve, and a shared commitment to building a better future.

Let this moment be one where we renew our collective purpose and strengthen the bonds that tie us together as one people.

Before I share one final thought, I ask that we carry this simple prayer in our hearts:

That God would give us eyes to see beyond old fears,

ears to hear the cry of the vulnerable and the quiet wisdom of our elders,

hands that are ready for His work,

and hearts that refuse to give up on each other or on this country.

May He heal what is broken in our communities.

May He strengthen what is good in our culture.

May He guide our steps as we walk into new times with trust in His keeping power.

I leave you with this thought: Our land is strong because of the people who care deeply for it.

You are the heart of this nation, the guardians of its soul, and the stewards of its promise.

As we move forward, let us hold tightly to the belief that with faith in God and trust in one another, there is nothing we cannot overcome.

May God bless you, and may He continue to bless The Bahamas, a land of strength, faith, and hope for generations to come.