The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

NORTH Eleuthera MP Sylvanus Petty declared his ambition to become the next prime minister of The Bahamas yesterday, surprising reporters just weeks after the junior parliamentarian announced plans to step away from frontline politics.

“I coming back to be the prime minister of The Bahamas, mark my words,” he told reporters outside the House of Assembly.

Mr Petty, a first-time MP elected under the Progressive Liberal Party banner in 2021, has kept a relatively low profile in national affairs. He was removed from his highest-profile post — executive chairman of the Water and Sewerage Corporation — in 2023 following revelations during the corruption trial of Long Island MP Adrian Gibson that his daughter had received a contract from the corporation.

He currently serves as Deputy Speaker of the House.

He recently said he would not seek renomination in the next general election, citing a need to “refocus, reposition and recalibrate” to support his family. His announcement made him the second sitting PLP MP, after MICAL’s Basil McIntosh, to opt out of the next race.

Yesterday, he said: “There is some things that I have to strategise, it’s a strategy that I am trying to deal with right now to get me in place to be the next prime minister.”

“We have to move and progress. I think it’s a lot of things we have to do, and I mean I will reveal everything in the next five years, trust me, but it’s going to be something that the whole Bahamas can be proud of – I guarantee you that.”

Mr Petty said he intends to stay with the PLP and is confident the party will hold onto power after the 2026 election.

Last month, in a statement to The Tribune, he said: “I truly believe that my season for frontline politics is coming to an end. Nevertheless, I remain steadfast, resolute, and committed to completing the tasks before me successfully — with God’s and my government’s assistance — and dedicated to the mission of nation-building in whatever capacity.”