The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration completed its executive team yesterday with the swearing in of five parliamentary secretaries.

The appointments came days after the Progressive Liberal Party’s landslide victory in the May 12 general election, when the party won 33 of 41 seats. The Free National Movement secured eight seats.

Randy Rolle, MP-elect for Bimini and the Berry Islands, was appointed parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, while Bradley Fox Jr, MP-elect for Central and South Abaco, was appointed parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs.

Southern Shores MP-elect Obie Roberts was sworn in as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

Clint Watson, now a senator, was sworn in as parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, while Keenan Johnson, another senator, was sworn in as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

For unclear reasons, the government did not invite independent media companies to cover the event, despite several inquiries.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper delivered remarks on behalf of Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, congratulating the men on their appointments and saying they had been given an opportunity to serve at a serious time for the country.

“Let us never forget this, we are all servant leaders. No office is above the people,” Mr Cooper said.

“No title is greater than the duty to serve, and no appointment matters unless it helps improve the lives of the Bahamian people. The Prime Minister has assembled this executive team with a clear mandate to deliver. The Bahamian people expect progress- the progress that we promised that they can see, feel, and trust. They expect government to move with urgency, to listen, to act, and to remain close to the realities of their lives.”

Mr Cooper said the Davis administration’s executive team is now complete and the real work begins.

The appointments came as the Davis administration continued to face criticism over the size of its executive team.

On Monday, Mr Davis defended the size of the team, saying he needed the “best hands-on deck” to deliver on the PLP’s expanded mandate.

His comments came after Opposition Leader Michael Pintard accused the government of weakening parliamentary oversight by placing most elected MPs inside Cabinet, leaving too few government backbenchers to scrutinise the administration from within.

The administration faced criticism after unveiling the largest Cabinet in Bahamian history: a 29-member ministerial team that includes 21 Cabinet ministers, seven ministers of state and the prime minister.

Among MPs, only West Grand Bahama MP-elect Kingsley Smith and Nassau Village MP-elect Jamahl Strachan have not been appointed to the Cabinet.