Prime Minister Philip Davis’s Remarks on Occasion of Being Sworn In as Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas

Your Excellency, the Governor-General;

Reverend, Honoured and Distinguished Guests;

Family and Friends;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good Morning.

On Tuesday, the Bahamian people chose progress.

It was both a vote of confidence in the past, and a vote of ambition for the future.

I give thanks and praise to Almighty God for bringing us to this moment.

Through Him, all things are not only possible but can be made manifest. 

I am profoundly grateful and extend my heartfelt thanks, to all who voted in support of our platform, our team and my leadership.

It is truly humbling to be trusted once again with the awesome responsibility of shepherding our wonderful country through the next five years.

This moment is historic.

It has been 30 years – a generation – since the Bahamian people entrusted an administration with the mantle of continuity.

Since 1997, the Bahamian public gave each administration just a single five-year term.

This cycle of short-term governance, fuelled by anger and frustration, did not serve us well.

To give you an idea of how long this period endured, you need only consider how different the state of the world was in 1997.

In 1997 neither the Atlantis or BahaMar hotels existed.

Today they contribute some 20% of our GDP.

In 1997, the internet was mostly used for very slow email and chatrooms.

Today, a teenager with a TikTok account can theoretically reach more people in a day than many national newspapers could in 1997.

In short, the world has changed in profound ways, but in our cycle of constant re-starts, we have not kept pace.

Bahamians under the age of 45yrs therefore have virtually no experience of what benefits continuity in government can bring.

This moment changes that, and I am profoundly grateful to the Bahamian people that together we are re-shaping history.

Despite the will of the people being so resoundingly expressed in our overwhelming majority in parliament, it saddens me that so many Bahamians decided not to cast their vote in the elections.

This decline in voter participation is already being seen around the region and indeed, around the world.

Friends: I do not want our country to follow others down that path.

Government of the people, by the people, and for the people, requires that the people express their views via their vote.

But the concern goes deeper.

Our democracy is founded on the principle that each person has one vote; that every vote is equal; and that every vote counts equally.

This speaks to each individual’s place in our society.

If people don’t participate, if they don’t feel that their vote counts, it suggests that they don’t feel that they have a stake in the society.

That sense of belonging doesn’t come merely through the exercise of a vote.

It is a reflection of the day-to-day lived reality of our people.

And so, in this next term, I take as my central mission, the need to do all that we can to rebuild that feeling of community, to rebuild an active sense of society.

This mission is already implied in the promises we have made to the Bahamian people.

We must see the promises and ambition outlined in our Blueprint for Progress, through the lens of participation and belonging.

As a government, we will do our part.

But it is an obvious truth, that all of the changes we seek to bring about, are only possible if we work in partnership with the Bahamian people.

And so, I invite every single Bahamian to consider this:

What part can you play in building not only a future for yourself, but also a future for the country?

When we talk about providing Opportunities to Learn: which path can you set yourself on to strive to become your best self?

When we talk about providing Opportunities to Earn: will you commit to full employment and productivity, and not waste your God-given talents and skills?

When we talk about providing Opportunities to Own: will you commit to the personal responsibility needed to work towards long-term goals?

I commit my government to playing its part.

I trust that you will join us in playing yours.

In moving forward in a greater spirit of community, I pray that we will also be guided by some of the fundamentals of Christian belief.

Let us do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

And let us love our neighbours as ourselves.

If we work together, towards a common purpose, in the common interest and for the common good, great things are indeed possible for our country and our people.

Friends: the election process this year has been especially divisive.

Some of what was said and done went well beyond the bounds of personal decency.

As a measure of success in our efforts to rebuild community, I hope that future elections may be judged on our ability to disagree strongly but engage respectfully.

It was also deeply disturbing, that some campaigns sought to stoke fear and alarm by seeking to undermine trust in some of our key national institutions.

This harms the whole country, and I pray that the damage will not be lasting.

I pray that never again will our national institutions be weaponized in this way, in pursuit of short-term political gain.

Friends: As Bahamians we have so much to be thankful for.

God has bestowed so many rich blessings upon us, and we begin a new term in a far better state than we did in 2021.

I am grateful to the many thousands of Bahamians who have invited me into their homes and businesses these past months.

The hopes and dreams, the fears and challenges that you have shared with me, will not be forgotten.

These conversations will continue over the term of my administration as we work hard to build a better future for The Bahamas, and all Bahamians.

I would not be in politics were it not for the love and support and trust of the wonderful people of Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador. 

They have been with me since the beginning in 1992.

Through all the ups and downs, the highs and the lows, they have stuck with me.

They have put their arms around me in a fierce embrace.

Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador: I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me.

I look forward to lifting you up even more in the coming years.

My thanks to everyone in our PLP Family: my fellow candidates, our party officers, our Campaign Coordinators and their teams, and to the volunteers on every island who worked hard to secure our victory.

I thank my family, especially my wife Ann, and my children, my grandchildren, my brothers Alvin, Don, Craig and Trevor, and my one and only sister, Diane. 

Every day they continue to give me so much sustaining love and support.

And once again, I thank the Bahamian people for all your support.

Our success is your success.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Finally, I pray as I did when I took office in 2021, and renew my vows to the country, by repeating the prayer of St. Francis.

“Make us instruments of your peace; where there is discord, let me bring union; where there is doubt, let me bring faith; where there is despair, let me bring hope; where there is sadness, let me bring joy.”

God Bless You, and God Bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.