PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis speaks during a rally in West End, Grand Bahama last night. Photo: Vandyke Hepburn
By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis declared that Grand Bahama is on the rebound during a rally last night, pointing to investment, job creation and long-awaited developments on the island.
Speaking at rally in West End, Mr Davis said a “new chapter” has begun for Grand Bahama, with visible signs of economic recovery now taking shape.
“People are working again. The new Freeport Health Campus is going up. Serious investments are in motion. The Shipyard is growing. Grand Bahamians are upskilling,” he said.
Mr Davis also referenced a recent Grand Lucian related announcement by MSC Cruises, saying it validates the government’s long-standing efforts to secure meaningful investment for the island.
He believes that the PLP candidates in Grand Bahama – Ginger Moxey, Mp for Pineridge; Kingsley Smith, Mp for West Grand Bahama; Parko Deal, candidate for Central Grand Bahama, and Eddie Whan, candidate in Marco City - will ensure continued progress.
Mr Davis pointed to a recent arbitration involving the Grand Bahama Port Authority, saying the government took decisive action to hold the entity accountable. He inaccurately claimed the administration won the arbitration.
“For far too long, a private authority has been collecting fees and concessions, but they haven’t been living up to their part of the bargain,” he said.
“The days of licence fees without accountability are numbered. The Port has been put on notice: the Bahamian people will not keep subsidizing private profits while our communities crumble.”
He added that the government intends to take a firm approach moving forward.
“We will use every legal tool, every regulatory power, every ounce of political strength to make sure the promises of Hawksbill Creek are finally honoured,” he said.
The prime minister also took aim at Opposition Leader Michael Pintard over policy proposals, particularly remarks about abolishing the Post Office Savings Bank.
According to Mr Davis, some 7,000 people in Grand Bahama rely on it, and that approximately 35,000 Bahamians nationwide use the service.
He also dismissed the opposition’s proposed national lottery as lacking substance.
“Their national lottery is not a plan – it’s a gimmick,” he said. “They’re chasing headlines, not solutions.”
Mr Davis argued that his administration is instead focused on long-term development through energy reform, infrastructure investment, skills training and expanding opportunities for Bahamians.
“While we are investing in real solutions, their big idea is to turn the government into a numbers house,” he said.
Despite political tensions, Mr Davis maintained that progress in Grand Bahama is tangible and ongoing.
“A government is finally standing up for the people of Grand Bahama,” he said, “and not bowing to private interests or outdated arrangements.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said the airport is fully funded and moving forward. “For 34 years the FNM gave the Port Authority a free ride, but this PLP government gave them a deadline,” he said.
Comments
bobby2 4 hours, 46 minutes ago
So, why won't the Gov't confirm if they have received full payment for Grand Lucian??? Something smells!
IslandWarrior 3 hours, 46 minutes ago
The issue is not whether the PLP and FNM can trade promises about hospitals, blood banks, lotteries, or other election-cycle fixes. The issue is vision. Where is the national vision for a modern Bahamas?
While other countries are thinking in 60-year terms—energy security, industrial capacity, lower power costs, and thousands of jobs through major infrastructure—Bahamian politics still feels trapped in short-range administration and headline politics. The Bahamas should be hearing a national agenda centered on cheap and reliable electricity, long-term energy independence, manufacturing potential, lower operating costs, stronger productivity, and a better quality of life.
The math alone should elevate the conversation. If The Bahamas is carrying an electricity burden in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually, then over 60 years the country is looking at tens of billions drained by high-cost power and imported fuel dependence. That is not just an energy problem. That is a national development problem. It affects manufacturing, investment, self-sufficiency, competitiveness, and the cost of living. .
The cleanest way to state it is this:
*At current Bahamian electricity prices, 60 years of power at today’s burden implies roughly $41–$42 billion leaving the economy. By contrast, one modern 470 MW SMR appears theoretically capable of covering current national demand, and even after allowing for very large capital cost, operating cost, and financing cost, the long-run national savings case still runs into tens of billions of dollars.
. The caution is important. This is not a full project finance model. BPL’s $0.34/kWh is a delivered retail tariff, while the SMR £40–£60/MWh figure is a generation-cost estimate, not a full Bahamian delivered-cost model. A real Bahamas case would still need to add grid modernization, transmission and distribution, regulatory buildout, nuclear security, water, waste handling, decommissioning, insurance, emergency planning, workforce development, and financing structure. So this is an order-of-magnitude strategic comparison, not a final procurement case.*
. That is the level of thinking Bahamians should be hearing from political leadership: how to lower power costs, reduce dependence on foreign fuel, create the conditions for productive industry, and build a country that is more self-sufficient and more competitive. Cheap electricity is not a side issue. It is one of the essential foundations of a modern nation. ,
Instead, what is being offered still sounds like management of present problems rather than construction of a future economy.
TalRussell 2 hours, 24 minutes ago
Yes, after 70+years, the governing yellahshirt's, saying the Port was put on notice-but put on notice to do what? and... where in hell is the US$120 million, according to an announcement, confirming the seller's closing of Freeport's Lucayan Hotel?
'Twas just this past weekend, the king's loyal opposition redshirts' leader and the other four candidates vying freeport seats, addressed the (large) crowd were waving red, blue and white pom, poms in support two inheritances' deities' offsprings of Sir Stafford Sands and Wallace Groves, 1955 Hawksbill Creek Agreement.
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