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Published On:Saturday, October 24, 2009

By MEGAN REYNOLDS

Tribune Staff Reporter

mreynolds@tribunemedia.net

AN EXUBERANT crowd cheered on newly elected PLP deputy leader Philip "Brave" Davis as he stepped up to the convention stage last night, buoyant in his victory and filled with enthusiasm for his new post.

The MP for Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador exclaimed that he will do everything in his power to move the party into government and work in a government of action.

The new deputy leader led an ardent campaign driven by a team of tenacious young Bahamians and seasoned politicians to ensure he would secure the position above contenders Senator Jerome Fitzgerald and West End and Bimini MP Obie Wilchcombe.

Mr Davis won around 760 votes, while Mr Wilchcombe won 400 and Senator Fitzgerald won 200, and in the same way Mr Davis intends to ensure the PLP wins the government in the 2012 general election. Bowing to former deputy leader Cynthia "Mother" Pratt, who held the position for 12 years and was the country's first female deputy prime minister, Mr Davis paid credit to the party's rich history before he expounding his vision for the way forward.

Mr Davis exclaimed: "The Bahamas is moving in the wrong direction! Education is in crisis! There is a serious lack of economic activity and the fear of crime is paralysing our nation!

"The problems of this country loom large on the horizon and so while the celebration that will invariably and deservedly follow in the next day or two have their place, we must remember that our mission is to change the Bahamas.

"There is much work to do, but together we can do it, because we have done it before."

Mr Davis vowed to change the Bahamas for the better by tackling crime through revision of the penal code to ensure there are stiff penalties to deter offenders.

Social

He also committed to expanding social programmes such as Urban Renewal to help young people in inner city communities, and to raise funding for causes such as the National Youth Programme, and establish more rehabilitation programmes for juvenile offenders.

Mr Davis said there needs to be a scientific approach to fighting crime with new technologies and innovative strategies.

He said: "We cannot afford to lose another soul to senseless violence.

"The youth of our nation are calling on the PLP to rescue them from the hands of this uncaring FNM government."

The new deputy leader criticised the FNM for spending $6 million to host the Miss Universe Pageant, and borrowing $160 million to pave roads using only two companies, one of which is from Argentina.

And he attacked the government for taking police officers out of violent schools, and failing to raise the standards of education from a national "D" average. The next PLP government will implement an aggressive programme to recruit quality teachers and develop an education system relevant to the needs of the economy and the workplace, Mr Davis said.

As he closed his speech at the 51st PLP convention in the Wyndham Nassau Resort last night, the new PLP deputy leader said: "Even a blind man can see the FNM is clueless, but I am concerned about providing a blueprint for the future. "I am prepared to make the tough decisions to do what is necessary to rescue the Bahamian people from the hell they are catching every day under this government. Bahamas, join us as we take the fight to the streets in every community! This is time for work!

"If we can come together as one body, one voice, no one can stop us!"