Prime Minister Philip Davis’s Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony of Senior Cabinet Ministers

Your Excellency, colleagues, Members of Parliament, Senators, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Today is a day of gratitude.

Gratitude to the Bahamian people for once again placing their trust and confidence in this administration. 

Gratitude for the opportunity to continue the work we started together. 

Gratitude for the faith shown in this team of men and women who have accepted the call to serve.

The Bahamian people have spoken clearly.

They have asked us to continue moving this country forward. 

They have asked us to continue building on the progress we have made over the past five years. 

They have asked us to stay focused on the issues that matter to ordinary families across our islands.

And so today, as these ministers take their oath, we do so with humility and with a full understanding of the responsibility placed upon our shoulders.

Public service is about sacrifice.

It is about waking up every day, understanding that the decisions we make affect real people. 

The mother trying to provide for her children. The young man searching for opportunity. The small business owner trying to keep their doors open. The senior citizen worried about the cost of living.  The Family Island resident who simply wants the same opportunities as someone living in New Providence.

That is who we serve.

I am proud to stand alongside this team today because I know the character of the people who have accepted this responsibility. 

I know their work ethic. I know their commitment to country. I know their love for the Bahamian people.

To Chester Cooper, who will continue serving as Deputy Prime Minister while taking on responsibility for Education, thank you for your steady leadership and your willingness to continue carrying heavy responsibilities for the country.

To Senator Wayne Munroe, Michael Halkitis, and Fred Mitchell, thank you for your continued service and counsel during some of the most difficult moments our country has faced.

And to the ministers taking their oath this afternoon, thank you for accepting this responsibility with seriousness and humility.

Michael Darville. Mario Bowleg. Glenys Hanna Martin. Keith Bell. Zane Lightbourne. JoBeth Coleby-Davis. Jomo Campbell. Pia Glover-Rolle. Clay Sweeting.

Each of you brings experience, perspective, and commitment to your assignments. 

Each of you understands that the Bahamian people expect results. 

And each of you understands that leadership requires hard decisions, discipline, and constant engagement with the people we represent.

Over the past five years, we have made meaningful progress as a country.

We stabilized an economy that was under pressure. We restored confidence internationally. We expanded opportunities for Bahamians. We invested in schools, hospitals, airports, roads, and Family Island communities. We strengthened social support for those who needed help the most.

But the Bahamian people did not send us back to government so that we could celebrate ourselves.

They sent us back to finish the work. There is still more to do.

Families are still feeling pressure from the global cost of living. Young people still want greater opportunities. Communities still want safer streets. Businesses still want government services to move faster and more efficiently. Islands still need infrastructure upgrades and economic activity.

Our task now is to move with urgency and purpose.

This new Cabinet must remain grounded in the realities facing ordinary Bahamians every single day.

We cannot become distant from the people.

We cannot become comfortable.

We must make the most of the honour of serving the Bahamian people.

We must never take this privilege for granted.

Every office we hold, every title we carry, every responsibility placed in our hands belongs first to the people. 

They have trusted us again, and that trust must be earned every day through our work, our conduct, and our results.

Public service requires humility. It requires us to remember that we are here for the people who sent us here.

This is their government. These are their hopes. This is their future.

And our duty is to serve them well.

I have always believed that leadership begins with listening.

The people of this country do not expect perfection. But they expect honesty. They expect effort. They expect compassion. They expect accountability. And they expect leaders who remain connected to the struggles they face every day.

That must continue to define this administration.

As Prime Minister, I give the Bahamian people my commitment that this government will continue to work every single day to justify the trust they have placed in us.

We will continue building an economy that creates opportunities for Bahamians.

We will continue strengthening education and healthcare.

We will continue modernizing infrastructure throughout our islands.

We will continue pushing for safer communities.

And we will continue governing with fairness, humility, and a sense of duty to country.

To the ministers being sworn in today, I ask you to always remember why you entered public life in the first place.

Remember the people who believed in you before the titles.

Remember the communities that sent you here.

Remember the young people watching your example.

And remember that history will judge us by whether we improved the lives of the Bahamian people.

Today is not the end of a campaign.

Today is the beginning of renewed responsibility.

The Bahamian people have given us a mandate to continue moving the country forward.

Now we must deliver.

May God continue to bless each of you, and may God continue to bless our Commonwealth of The Bahamas.